Alessandro De Marchi broke away with five kilometers (3.1 miles) left to win the longest stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Wednesday, while Simon Yates kept his slim lead over Alejandro Valverde in the overall standings.

De Marchi was in a group of 19 riders who escaped from the peloton about halfway into the 207.8-kilometer (129.1-mile) 11th stage in northwestern Spain. He then jumped into a solo lead in heavy rain on the final climb to secure his third career stage victory in the Vuelta.

The BMC Racing Team rider was 28 seconds ahead of Jhonatan Restrepo, and nearly a minute in front of third-place Franco Pellizotti.

There was little change overall, with Yates staying one second ahead of Valverde and 14 in front of Nairo Quintana.

Thursday's 12th stage will be a hilly 181.1-kilometer (112.5-mile) route from Mondonedo to Estaca de Bares, the northernmost point in Spain.