Froome set to stamp his authority on La Vuelta

Stage nine: Orihuela to Cumbre del Sol
Starts 12.25pm Sunday, Live on Eurosport from 2pm

Chris Froome moved a step closer to completing a Tour de France-Vuelta a Espana double on Saturday as he extended his lead to 28 seconds over Esteban Chaves.

The Briton's rivals were unable to match his attack on the day's final climb and he is now as short as 1-5 to add the red jersey to the Maillot Jaune he won in July.

Stage nine is another chance for Froome to stamp his authority on the race with a summit finish atop the Alto de Puig Llorenca.

A breakaway looks sure to go with 129km of flat roads to traverse before the riders reach the first of the day's two climbs, but whether they are still clear at the finish is open to debate.

Two years ago Froome was beaten by Tom Dumoulin on the same finish but with the Brit sensing weakness in his rivals, he could look to send out an ominous message with a stage victory.

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