Italy's Cataldo wins stage, Rodriguez keeps lead

Italian cyclist Dario Cataldo won the 16th stage of the Tour of Spain on Monday, a punishing 183.5km mountain ride from Gijon to Cuitu Negru in northern Spain. Spaniard Joaquim Rodriguez of the Katusha team kept the leader's red jersey and stretched his lead over compatriot Alberto Contador, competing after a two-year doping ban. Cataldo, 27-year-old cyclist of the Omega team, was alone at the finishing line, ahead of second-placed Belgian Thomas de Gendt of the Omega team who had stuck with him in a breakaway through most of the race. In the final stretch, Rodriguez and main rival Contador of Saxo Bank battled for third position in the stage. Rodriguez, nicknamed "Purito", withstood a Contador attack in the final kilometre of the climb to the peak of Cuitu Negru in the ski resort of Valgrande-Pajares of northern Spain's Asturias region. The 33-year-old Rodriguez came in third and consolidated his position as overall tour leader, 28 seconds ahead of Contador and 2min 4 sec ahead of Alejandro Valverde.