Caja Rural went into today's mountain stage with big expectations as the stage took place in their home region. However, it ended as a bad day for the Spanish team as GC rider David Arroyo lost time and the team failed to feature at the pointy end of the stage.

Caja Rural goes into every stage of the Vuelta a Espana with the plan to animate the action but today they were even more motivated than usual. With the stage taking place on its home soil and with lots of fans along the roads, the team hoped to take the elusive stage win on this particular day.

However, they left the stage empty-handed. David Arroyo again lost time to his GC rivals and Pello Bilbao's early break was caught.

"It was not out day," manager Eugenio Goikoetxea said after the stage. "We had Pello in the break but they didn't stay away. Then Arroyo was on a bad day which was a shame. The truth is that we are focused every day but today even more then ever. We can only thank the public. They were outstanding."

"There was lots of enthusiasm and excitement when we arrived here," Arroyo said. "The feeling were not bad but I lacked a bit to hold onto the best where I would have liked to be. It was like a path of green people on the climb. It gave me goosebumps to see the fans share our colours and turn out in forces."

"I was very tired at the end," Bilbao said. "We attacked with 70km to go and it was the right break. However, we couldn't stay away but we must keep trying. I paid for my effort to join the break and could not stay with Kiryienka on the climb. Furthermore, the peloton didn't give us much room which was a shame. We must keep trying. It was definitely the best day yet. The atmosphere on the climb and the encouragement made it a special day."

"It's nice to ride on home soil," home rider Francisco Havier Aramendia said. "We knew the fans were going to be with us, but the truth is that they have done more than expected. It was a very nervous stage with a break that took a long time to form and then it was the most difficult terrain, so there were few options for me. I enjoyed an exciting climb, with lots of fans and familiy. I liked this feeling. I don't know how it is for a football player to play a home match but this was awesome."