Fabio Aru proved that he is in the Vuelta a Espana to fight for the win when he finished sixth in the first mountain stage whose explosive nature didn't suit him well. As opposed to this, Astana's second GC rider Tanel Kangert had a bad day and dropped out of GC contention.

“The team kept me at the front," Fabio Aru said after stage 6 of the Vuelta a Espana. "They worked hard in the heat and that last climb was so tough."

The Italian rider finished with the leading group of riders on the first true uphill finish of this year’s Vuelta. Aru moved from 21st to 8th in General Classification, and is now 58 seconds behind new raceleader Alejandro Valverde of Spain.

"It was hard," he added to Spaziociclismo. "They are all champions. Being there with them in the final kilometres is nice but it's tough. I still miss the explosiveness. I have to learn how to deal with that."

Today’s stage was the first test of strength in the peloton – the first time to check passports and see who is aboard. Aru rode within his own strength limits on Thursday, careful not to overload himself in hot weather with 15 days of racing ahead.

Teammates Tanel Kangert and Mikel Landa rode in support, with the Estonian suffering a crisis in the final climb and finishing more than five minutes back. Landa remains in the Top-20, less than a minute behind Aru.