Hello and welcome to live coverage of Stage 13 of La Vuelta - the first of three successive mountain-top finishes in the Asturias-Leon mountains that will give us a good indication of who's going to win the 73rd edition of the race.

A few riders from the break have tried to force a shake-up ahead of the final climb but nothing has stuck so far. They're now onto a slightly hilly segment that breaks up this long gradual downhill drive to the foot of the climb. The gap is down to 5'30".

The Alto de la Camperona is only 8.3km long and starts with two steps before the steep stuff climaxes with a brutal 19.5% spurt near the finish. It's one of those crazy climbs you only associate with the Vuelta – and one which could prove punishing for anyone but the best. Previous winners here on the Cantabrian peak are Ryder Hesjedal (2014) and, on the day Nairo Quintana rode into red, Sergey Lagutin (2016). Mistime your kick on the final climb – as Alejandro Valverde did in 2014 – and the consequences could be dire.

The Cofidis team of Jesus Herrada are back on the front of the reformed peloton and their man is back in the actual and virtual race lead now. Ben King, who is 7'05" down on GC, enjoyed a brief time in the make-believe red tunic. But it looks like the advantage of the break will be whittled down now between here and the finish. Some may hold on - but not all of them.

De Gendt and King are back with the other escapees. It's a 31-strong group so missing just the one rider from the initial ensemble. The gap is 5'50".

Now they've come over the top the sun has come out as the high pace stretches out the remnants of the peloton on this fast ride through the valley.

De Gendt and King have opened up a small gap on the descent after breaking away for the KOM points. It's not a long descent - the road levels out quickly onto a plateau before a few little hills and then the gradually downhill approach to the final climb of La Camperona.

Following that climb the revised KOM standings are such: Luis Angel Mate 64pts, Ben King 40pts, Bauke Mollema 34pts, Thomas De Gendt 29pts, Pierre Rolland 26pts. Rolland is the only of those five riders not involved in this break.

Thomas De Gendt clearly wants that polka dot jersey! For the fourth consecutive climb it's the Belgian from Lotto Soudal who takes maximum points over the summit. Ben King settles for second place while the man currently leading the KOM standings, Luis Angel Mate, is a distant third.

Kwiatkowski has managed to rejoin the main pack with just over 1km to go till the summit - for the leaders, that is. Their gap is 5'55" as Movistar, Cofidis and Astana take their foot off the gas.

Some issues for Michal Kwiatkowski who stops for a bike change. The Sky rider led this race in the opening week and many thought he would be a big contender for the GC. But the Polish champion is two minutes down on Simon Yates and may struggle on the double-digit ramps of the final climb today.

A few of the escapees are starting to feel the pinch. Euskadi's Garikoitz Bravo - aka 'Well Done Gary' - has been dropped.

Bennati has completed his shift and - like many - has dropped out of this main pack after his earlier pacing. Astana have sent a man to help out, too. They have Miguel Angel Lopez for GC - the Colombian is one of 10 GC riders who are all within 47 seconds of each other. Six minutes now for the break, with 6km of this climb remaining.

The gap is down to seven minutes for the 32 leaders. Behind, Movistar trio Daniele Bennati, Winner Anacona and Andrey Amador are setting a fast tempo resulting in the slimming down of this main pack to around 50 riders. They have four Cofidis riders just behind, with Herrada, the man in red, further back but not in difficulty for now.

Mitchelton-Scott have committed just the one rider to the pace-setting - the Australian national champion Alex Edmondson.

Three riders on the front now for Movistar as they approach the start of the climb which the break has already begun. It's the Cat.1 Puerto de Tarna (13km at 5.8%). It's a gradial slog which never gets any steeper than 7.5% so shouldn't prove too many problems.

The EF Education First-Drapac team of Rigoberto Uran have also sent a man onto the front to help out with the chase. Movistar have Andrey Amador there, Cofidis have half their team plus the red jersey of Herrada, while LottoNL-Jumbo have two guys near the front and the rest of their team tucked in behind Codifis. The gap is down to just over eight minutes now.

Belgian Dylan Teuns is in the break for the fourth day running - will it be fourth-time lucky for BMC? He has team-mate Joey Rosskopf to keep him company as the team tries to salvage something from a race in which their leader, Richie Porte, has been very sub-par. Ditto Rohan Dennis since his opening day TT win.