Elia Viviani continued his fine form to claim his second victory of the 2018 Vuelta a Espana by winning stage 10 on Tuesday, while Simon Yates preserved his slender overall lead.

Viviani triumphed on stage three in Spain having won four stages at this year's Giro d'Italia and he produced a superb sprint finish to beat Peter Sagan into second place on the 172.5-kilometre route from Salamanca to Fermoselle.

Giacomo Nizzolo was third, while Mitchelton-Scott rider Yates finished in the peloton to retain his place at the top of the general classification, albeit by a single second.

Alejandro Valverde remains in second, breathing down the neck of the British rider.

It could have been a different story for Yates, who was among a host of riders to suffer punctures late on, but he managed to catch up with the peloton to limit the damage.

The day belonged to Viviani, though, who benefited from good work by Quick-Step Floors colleagues Michael Morkov and Fabio Sabatini to sprint for the finish line.

VIVA VIVIANI

It has been some year for Viviani.

As well as his four Giro stage wins and his two triumphs at the Vuelta, the Italian has enjoyed further success.

He was the overall winner of the Dubai Tour and topped the points classification at the Giro, Dubai Tour, Adriatica Ionica Race and Abu Dhabi Tour.

"It's a good feeling to win at the Vuelta," he said. "To do two stages at the Vuelta after four stage wins in the Giro. It's just an amazing season continuing."

STAGE RESULT

1. Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) 4:08.08
2. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe)
3. Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo)
4. Nelson Soto (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA)
5. Marc Sarreau (Groupama-FDJ)

CLASSIFICATIONS

General Classification

1. Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) 41:03.00
2. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) +0.01s
3. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) +0.14s

Points Classification

1. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) 83 points
2. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) 81 points
3. Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) 66 points

King of the Mountains

1. Luis Angel Mate (Cofidis) 60 points
2. Benjamin King (Dimension Data) 33 points
3. Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) 24 points

UP NEXT

Following Tuesday's flat stage, riders will have a few more climbs to cope with as they negotiate their way along the 208.8km route from Mombuey to Ribeira Sacra/Luintra on Wednesday.