Froome clinches Vuelta's 16th stage, tightens grip on top spot
Froome was the first to reach the finish line of the 40.2-kilometer individual time trial stage with a time of 47 minutes, coming in 29 seconds ahead of the Netherlands' Wilco Kelderman (Sunweb) and 57 seconds faster than Italian Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida).
The 32-year-old Froome moved one step closer to winning the Vuelta for first time thanks to a big effort in the last stretch
After a slow start, Froome took control of the stage, fending off challenges from Kelderman and Spaniard Alberto Contador.
The four-time Tour de France champion retained the red jersey, finishing with a 1:58 advantage over Nibali and 2:40 ahead of Kelderman.
Froome said that the fight for the title is far from over, highlighting how difficult the next stages would be.
"I was just riding at the speed that I thought best. I wasn't really getting that many time checks from the car so I didn't really know where I was," Froome said.
"I presumed it was probably not good news so I was a bit worried half-way through but only coming in the last 6-7km I found out I was on track to fight for the stage," he said.
"It's a big relief and obviously I'm super happy to be in this position. That's an amazing feeling to extend my lead and to be in this position," he added.
"The race is not over. I'm gonna have to fight every day. Tomorrow is gonna be brutal. Los Machucos will be a war. But for today I just want to say a massive thank you to the support structure of Team Sky. It's a huge part of what I'm able to do," Froome said.
Wednesday's 17th stage will run 180.5 kilometers from Villadiego and Los Machuchos.