La Vuelta 2022 Stage 16 as it happened: Pedersen wins again after Roglic takes back eight seconds despite late crash

Despite the earlier reports that Primoz Roglic has gone into red, it seems like the Belgian was given the same time as the chase group - that's to say, a loss of just eight seconds. So, that means the new-look top five is this:

1. Remco Evenepoel
2. Primoa Roglic +1'26"
3. Enric Mas +2'01"
4. Juan Ayuso +4'49"
5. Carlos Rodriguez +5'16"

Did the Dane expect Roglic to attack on the final climb? “Not really. It was a really smart move – everyone was on the limit. Ackermann was straight on his wheel, really good job. I had to use a lot of energy to close him. It was a really good move. It’s a pity that he crashed. He hasn’t been lucky this year – and I hope it’s not too bad to he can keep on contending for the victory in this Vuelta."

“Everyone was working really hard today. I promised [Alex] Kirsch – who got a daughter yesterday – that I’d get the win because he wasn’t there for the birth. The whole team worked really hard to give him this second present. This win is for Alex, his wife and new kid."

There seems to be some confusion as to whether the 3km rule was in force today. The first results that come through have Primoz Roglic in the red jersey... but that could well change in due course... Stay tuned!

As it was first reported, the new top three is:

1. Primoz Roglic
2. Enric Mas +35"
3. Remco Evenepoel +1'36"

But I'm almost 100% certain that this will change...

"I heard that Primoz crashed, so I really hope he’s okay and that he can continue the race. We all know that Primoz is explosive so a final like this is really made for him. That makes it even more of a pity for him that he crashed. You never want somebody to crash – I hope he’s okay." Here is that crash, meanwhile...

Asked what happened to him in the finale, the red jersey said: "A puncture on my rear wheel. I wasn’t in the best position because we did a recon yesterday and we saw that the roads were really slippery. I was a little bit scared, if I’m honest, in the last four or five kilometres. I lost some positions and I wanted to move up on the steep bump, but my rear wheel just went off. I felt like I had a flat tyre. So, I’m happy that the 3km exists otherwise I would have lost a lot of time today."

The red jersey is fast to inspect the health of his rival after he hears about Roglic's fall. He seems quite concerned about the Slovenian's health. We're waiting on seeing what time he will be given but he crossed the line well over three minutes down after what may have been a puncture... Adam Blythe isn't convinced: "It’s all a little bit convenient," he says.

It remains to be seen what time Remco Evenepoel is awarded following his puncture in the closing 2km. But the gap back to the chasing pack in the wake of the leaders was eight seconds - which would suggest the Slovenian's gains were pretty small given the distress of that crash. Replays are inconclusive but it appears that Roglic and Fred Wright bashed handlebars as they tried to keep up with Pedersen, Ackermann and Van Poppel.

1. Mads Pedersen
2. Pascal Ackermann
3. Danny van Poppel
4. Fred Wright
5. Quentin Pacher +0:08
6. Samuele Battistella
7. Cedric Buellens
8. Clement Russo
9. Jesus Ezquerra
10. Julius van den Berg

The Slovenian has got back on his bike and will finish today's stage - but he's all bloodied and looks to be in considerable distress and pain. He will be awarded the same time as the top four today, but that will be the least of his worries. We wait and see if Roglic will be able to continue this race.

The Danish man in green avoids the drama and crosses the line for a second stage win. So much drama packed into these final few kilometres...

Oh no! Primoz Roglic has hit the deck on the home straight... what happened there? A terrible end to what was a brilliant move from the Slovenian...

Roglic leads a quintet under the banner with Pedersen, Ackermann, Wright and Danny Van Poppel in his wake.

The red jersey has his arm up to signal a mechanical. A puncture possibly. Is he playing the 3km rule? That looks rather suspicious to me... We'll leave it to the race jury to work out because the gap for Roglic and his fellow chasers - Fred Wright is there, too, and Van Poppel - is quite large.

The Slovenian has opened up a gap over the other GC favourites with Ackermann and Pedersen chasing him down.

The German sprinter is well positioned and has team-mates monitoring the front as we approach the steep part of this climb.

Primoz Roglic's team-mates have edged forward. Dan McLay has some Arkea-Samsic men as well - although it will be a surprise if the Briton gets up the climb in contention. Ineos and UAE are also in the thick of it - it's a two-tier competition: for the sprint and for GC, with so much potentially at stake.

Nightmare for the BikeExchange-Jayco rider, who won't be able to contest the win. The Australian was always an outside bet but he'll be gutted he doesn't get the chance to double up following his win in Stage 11 last week.

Remco Evenepoel's team-mates have come to the front to position their man in red out of danger. Ineos Grenadiers are also sniffing around, with Bahrain and Bora gathering, too.

Ibai Azurmendi must have a bet with a friend or something because he's edged clear of the pack ahead of the climb. A rather ambitious effort from the Euskaltel-Euskadi rider, who lasts about a kilometre before he's swept up on the steep section of the uncategorised climb.