Herrada was able to outtake Fred Wright (Bahrain-Victorious) in the run to the line and then hold off Samuele Battistella (Astana Qazaqstan) just in the final metres to take a dramatic victory.
Jimmy Janssens (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Australia Harry Sweeny (Lotto Soudal) were fourth and fifth on the day, after the group had worked well together to hold off the chase of the peloton.
Herrada collapsed after the finish, crying as he was hugged by a team soigneur. Spanish radio crowded around him as he spoke between sobs, but in the official interview he was more composed.
“It was a craziness,” Herrada said of the stage. “Three kilometres from the finish we didn’t have any references as to what our advantage would be. So we weren’t sure.
“We had to be patient and try, but we didn’t know the time gaps. So, it was nervous. I was on Fred’s wheel, but I trusted my own speed at the end. I held it very, very late and then I went for it.”
It’s the biggest victory of the season for Cofidis, their only other WorldTour victory coming in the Tour of the Basque Country through Ion Izagirre.
“It is hugely important,” Herrada said. “It was very difficult for me to get into the breakaway. I felt like when I went over the climb I had to put a lot in there. Six of us went really well and then we were down to five.
“Then I just gave absolutely everything at the very last but it was a balancing act. Everything, the terrain, the wind was in our favor. I’m just delighted that I won.”
The 19.5-kilometre climb of the Puerto de San Glorio midway through the stage was always going to make it hard for the sprinters, while simultaneously cresting too far from the finish for the general classification riders to battle for time on the overall standings.
The peloton worked to keep the break within check, but pace-making stalled at a crucial stage after Australian Luke Plapp swung off the front of the main bunch after pacing solo for a long period after the peak of the climb. The resulting lull saw the breakaway steal back about half a minute before Arkea-Samsic and BikeExchange-Jayco resumed the chase, and the final margin between the break and peloton of 29 seconds showed just how costly that moment was.
Bennett won the bunch sprint for sixth to extend his lead in the points classification to 15 points over Mads Pedersen, the Irishman fighting back into contention after being distanced on the climb.
Overall leader Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) finished in the bunch and retained his 21 second advantage over Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) in the overall standings.
La Vuelta continues with a summit finish to Collau Fancuaya, the hard climb set to see a battle for the stage and the red jersey as the top climbers again get the chance to make their mark on the Spanish Grand Tour. Watch from 9.05pm AEST on SBS On Demand, with the SBS broadcast starting at 10.30pm. WA viewers can watch from 8.20pm AWST on SBS VICELAND.
