The 132.9 km queen stage from Pola de Laviana finished atop the fearsome Alto de l'Angliru, with its 20%-plus ramps the perfect stage on which to overturn the 18-second GC deficit Paula Blasi carried into the day. A three-rider breakaway was swallowed up on the final climb, and as the gradients ramped up, riders including Marion Bunel, Petra Stiasny and Gaia Realini drove the pace to shred the front GC group.

When race leader Anna van der Breggen began to struggle on the steepest ramps, Blasi pounced. She dropped the Dutchwoman roughly 3.7 km from the top and rode clear, gaining the time she needed to flip the general classification. Van der Breggen, in difficulty, ceded enough ground that her overnight lead evaporated.

The stage win, however, escaped Blasi: Petra Stiasny, climbing superbly, bridged across and then powered past her in the closing kilometres to take a stunning solo victory for Human Powered Health. Blasi crossed the line second at 23 seconds, more than content — she had finished 36 seconds ahead of Van der Breggen on the day, enough to claim the overall by 24 seconds.

Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ) is the overall winner, finishing in 22:17:03 with Anna van der Breggen second at 24 seconds and Marion Bunel — also winner of the best young rider classification — third at 49 seconds. Usoa Ostolaza climbed to fourth at 2:31 and Juliette Berthet's superb Angliru ride lifted her to fifth at 2:36. Blasi also sealed the mountains classification, while Lotte Kopecky took the points jersey and SD Worx the team classification.