Denifl triumphs on brutal climb as Nibali cuts into Froome’s overall lead

Chris Froome suffered a setback in his La Vuelta title bid, losing ground to chief rival Vincenzo Nibali as Stefan Denifl gave Aqua Blue Sport their maiden stage victory.

Froome lost 42 seconds on Nibali with his lead on the Sicilian cut to one minute 16 seconds on the gruelling climb to Los Machucos in La Vuelta’s 17th stage.

Team Sky star Froome was forced onto the defensive and could not stop Nibali cutting his lead, with the Bahrain Merida man finishing fourth.

Britain’s Froome appeared well-set to complete his mission to land the demanding La Vuelta and Tour de France double ahead of yesterday’s action, only to see his sizeable lead hauled back somewhat.

Austrian Denifl’s superb effort boosted wildcard entrants Aqua Blue Sport by sealing their first stage victory in a contest already beset by controversy for the Irish outfit.

An alleged arson attack destroyed their team bus after the 11th stage of the race, but Denifl put all that to one side to sweep to victory yesterday.

Veteran Spanish star Alberto Contador powered into second place, trailing Denifl by 28 seconds, to cement fifth place in the overall standings of his final race before retirement.