186 kilometers of difficult kilometers awaited the drivers of the Vuelta today - with the hardest piece of work at the end. The target ascent to the Peña Cabarga has a maximum gradient of 20 percent.
For the Belarusian Vasil Kirijenka (Sky), this was not a problem. After a leading group of more than 15 riders had formed early in the race, the field, including all the favorites in the overall standings, took it easy. On the penultimate climb of the day, about 50 kilometers from the finish, Kiriyenka increased the pace at the front. At this point the lead was about 5:50 minutes. He was able to hold it as a soloist up to the finish line and he also mastered the steep ramps with ease. Behind him, Dane Chris Anker Sörensen (Saxo-Tinkoff) took second place on the day, followed by Australian Adam Hansen (Lotto Belisol) in third place.
However, the climb to the target should be particularly interesting with regard to the overall ranking. The favorites were riding together up to about four kilometers from the finish line when Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) called for an attack. He was followed by American Chris Horner (RadioShack Leopard), closely followed by Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar). Horner managed to break away from his competitors on the steepest part and put several seconds between himself and Nibali by the time he crossed the finish line. The Italian saved his lead by just three seconds. It will be exciting to see how he manages with this cushion over the next two days.
//Result
1. Vasil Kiryienka (Sky) 4:46:48
2. Chris Anker Sorensen (Saxo-Tinkoff) 0:00:28
3. Adam Hansen (Lotto Belisol) 0:01:18
4. Martin Kohler (BMC) 0:01:34
5. Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Euskaltel-Euskadi) 0:01:42
//In total
1. Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) 73:39:35
2. Christopher Horner (RadioShack Leopard) 0:00:03
3. Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Movistar) 0:01:09
4. Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Katusha) 0:02:24
5. Nicolas Roche (Saxo-Tinkoff) 0:03:43