Hi, Alejandro here again with a quick update from Spain. This was one stage everyone expected to go down to a sprint and that's what happened. The break, containing Rigoberto Urán, was caught with just over 15k to go.
Perez Arango did his best to set something up for myself and Rojas.
Rojas showed a great turn of speed and I knew it would be unlikely I'd be able to come around him on a day like today.
200 meters to go and there is nothing between Ventoso and Rojas.
Over the line, and it's Ventoso by less than half a wheel. He has once again denied Rojas in a sprint.
Stage 11 sees the start of a three-day tour of Marco Pantani's home region. Following the first rest day in Pesaro and yesterday's individual time trial run to Urbino, the Corsa Rosa features a mountainous stage to the hometown of the late and gifted climber, Cesena.(from cyclingnews)
It is lucky for Gutierrez today that the climb of the Monte Carpegna comes in the early part of the stage. It is very, very difficult and we can only hope that someone like Cunego does not try to blow the race apart on its slopes.
A break of six get away and Astana take up the pace at the front.
At the bottom of Monte Carpegna the escapees have a lead of over six minutes. None of them are strong climbers though, and as they go over the top the lead is down to just under 4.
Close to the summit for the pack and the pace set - by CSC and Rabobank - is causing difficulties at the back of the pack.
Arroyo and Rujano are feeling it, but Gutierrez is comfortable for us at the front.
Down the other side and Arroyo comes off his bike. It is not a bad fall and he is quickly up and on the bike. He is lucky that Cauchioli has come off too. Credit Agricole send men back and gradually the Arroyo group regains contact with the pack.
The escapees are slowly brought back and inside the last 20k at the foot of the final categorized climb, the Sorrivoli, they have less than a minute. Maglia Rosa, Levi Leipheimer looks confident that his Astana team can keep the pace high enough to discourage any attacks from his rivals in the finale.
Astana keep the pace high, but they cannot stop the attacks coming. Gutierrez is strong and he takes off after Pellizotti close to the summit. Cunego and Leipheimer watch each other and do not respond. Pellizotti sits up. Gutierrez persists in the attack.
10k to go and he has joined up with Zaugg and Soler. They are closing in fast on the last of the day's escapees.
We, in the car, wonder if Gutierrez will be strong enough to re-take the leader's jersey?
On the final rise just before the finish, Gutierrez drives forward and the final two escapees know the game is up. Astana, at the front of the pack, are really struggling to bring the gap down.
Over the top, and the finish line is in sight. Soler makes a move. Zuagg closes the gap and Gutierrez is on their wheel.
Feeling supremely strong he makes his move for victory.
Behind, Cunego has lost patience with the chase and has attacked Leipheimer. There is fire in his legs and he blasts away from the pack.
At the front, Gutierrez is under the 4k to go banner. He grits his teeth and drives for the line. The gap to Zaugg is 7 seconds.
3k to go and Zaugg, pedalling through the pain, is struggling to close the gap. If Gutierrez does not blow, he looks to be heading to the stage.
Cunego, though, has opened up a huge gap on the Astana-led pack and with 2k to go there is a chance he will catch the leaders.
Gutierrez though is not going to let this one slip. 500 meters to go and he has enough in the legs to sprint for the line.
In the team car we go crazy as Gutierrez crosses the line and takes the stage.
He takes the Maglia Rosa from Leipheimer for the second time this Giro and also retakes the points jersey from Freire.
Really bad luck in the time trial. I hate it. I think the only way to win is to have a slow pace in the beginning, then, when the hill starts, set the pace fast
Really nice with the stage after the TT
Must be really dissapointing in the Cataluna race. Don't let Valverde do the sprints, he'll get more tired of that. You know the thing on the right on the screen before the loading screen, like excellent, very good, good etc. He will get bader faster.
Hola - Alejandro. This is the one I wanted and it has left me exhausted. From the profile you will understand why.
There was a break - we had Perez Arango in it and he picked up some points in the mountains competition, but the real racing started 30k out when Cobo attacked and Menchov went after him.
We moved up to help Astana, and we brought Cobo back quickly. Menchov was stronger though and had opened a gap as we hit the second last climb, the Alt de la Comelia.
He rode strongly up this climb and behind him, Evans sparked the other favorites into life with a big attack. I went and Contador was on my wheel very quickly. I was second over the top, but could not get up to Menchov.
Menchov eased up on the descent though, and we were able to catch him.
With just over 6k to the mountaintop finish, I was with the strongest riders in this race. Monfort was strong again today too, and he led Mosquera, Dessel, Cobo, myself, Menchov, Evans, Lovkvist, Sammy Sanchez and Alberto up the climb.
I was feeling good, but this was a hard stage and the others were all great riders.
I think it was Mosquera who made his move first. Someone followed him - maybe Lovkvist. And then I tested my legs. I was strong and the group splintered.
Alberto and Evans were too strong to shake and as we went under the 1k banner we were together and trying to recuperate before one final effort.
The gradient was very steep and a truly nasty way to finish a ride of 200k. But, if you win on a day like today, then it is all the sweeter.
And tonight, I am so very tired because it was Alberto who was the stronger. I could not match his acceleration and he took the win.
There was no doubt in our minds that today would end in a sprint. A break went, we kept the pace steady at the front and eventually the sprinter's teams took over and brought the break back.
10k to go and all we really had to worry about was keeping Gutierrez out of trouble. He moved up front as the race enters the finale. We have not forgotten how Kroon lost the leader's jersey.
We are fortunate we did as there is a touch of wheels in the pack and a large number of riders go down. Frank Schleck is the highest profile casualty.
The top sprinters avoid the crash and it is Cooke that puts in a huge effort to launch his captain, Hunter.
Hunter comes around in the final kilometer and wins the sprint easily. Cooke even manages to hang on for second.
1 Karsten Kroon Team CSC - Saxo Bank 0 22
2 Fränk Schleck Team CSC - Saxo Bank 0 10
3 Martin Elmiger AG2R La Mondiale 0 9
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Volta a Catalunya
Stage 5
A mountain time trail, and I hurt all over this morning.
Still, if I do well the headline writers will have an easy day - the Green Bullet shoots to victory or something similar no doubt.
But, I do not feel like a bullet on the bike today and my legs are heavy. Contador shows a complete lack of respect when he tries to pass me on the climb and I find my anger feeding strength into my legs.
6k to go and I am back with Alberto and determined to show I am a rider not to be crossed.
Over the line and I am pleased with what I have done to Alberto over the final kilometers.
Cadel Evans has set an amazing time and I come in 52' down. Only Alberto can go faster now....
But not even Astana can touch the Australian today.
This looked like another day for the sprinters and we decided to put someone in the break and sit back and let their teams do the work. If Freire wants to extend his lead in the points competition, then let Rabobank do the work.
Surprisingly, no one stepped up to set the pace and the break quickly built up a huge lead. With 80k to go the lead was up to nearly 14 minutes.
We moved to the front and set a pace that kept the lead hovering around the 13 and a half minute mark. Arvesen was the best placed rider in the break, 18 minutes back, and we had no intention of gifting him the Maglia Rosa.
Others teams eventually did take over at the front, but by then there was no chance of catching the break. Cummings, knowing this, was the first to make his play for victory 10k from the line.
Francisco Perez had nothing left and could only watch in frustation as his fellow escapees left him behind in their pursuit of Cummings.
The Barloworld rider was caught with 3k to go and CSC's Frank Arvesen proved the strongest in the sprint and swept to victory.
Gutierrez came home safely in the pack and will wear the Maglia Rosa for one more day. But, it is very likely it will also be his last.
Unfortunately, David Arroyo came down on the run-in and our hope in the mountains lost just over 2 minutes on the stage. He was also, none too happy about being asked to ride on the front earlier in the day....
1 Karsten Kroon Team CSC - Saxo Bank 0 22
2 Fränk Schleck Team CSC - Saxo Bank 0 10
3 Martin Elmiger AG2R La Mondiale 0 9
U.E.
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Volta a Catalunya
Stage 6
To be honest my friends, when I woke this morning I found I was still angry about what Alberto tried to do yesterday. The uphill finish in tommorrow's stage will give me a slim chance of snatching the lead from him. Today, though, would seem to be for the sprinters.
A break got away early and the pack kept the pace fairly high. Their lead never really got to look too big. It was windy and with 65k to go the race really came to life.
There was a split in the pack as Columbia drove things along. I was there with helpers. Alberto and Cadel were stuck back in the pack.
Astana and Silence worked hard, but it still took them the better part of 30k to get Alberto and Cadel up to us.
It was a hard, hard day's racing in the wind and Astana and Alberto were once again in danger of losing contact with us. Alberto takes matters into his own hands and tries to drive across the gap.
He shows a lot of power and makes it across. It is clear that the winner will come from this elite group.
Rojas sacrifices his chances for me and as we go up the final little rise before the finish he gives his all protecting me from the wind as much as possible. I meanwhile turn the screw.
I am on the front as we crest the rise and as I increase the pace a gap starts to open in the wind.
Down towards the finish those behind are struggling to close.
The gap widens as I open up the sprint.
Over the line and I punch the air. This win means a lot to me after what happened over the last few days.
And as for tommorrow, well, I am feeling very good again....
Editor's Note - There must have been too much testosterone swilling around Alejandro's blood after this stage as he forgot to export the results.
Our hope here was that the pace would be slow and the main contenders would hold off attacking until the final climb up the Alpe di Pampeago.
Unfortunately, we didn't get what we wanted and over the first categorized climb of the day a lot of riders were already in difficulty.
For us, Jose Vicente Garcia Acosta, who had come in last on yesterday's stage, was forced to abandon. He has been in a lot of pain over the last few days after his fall earlier in the week.
With about 80k of the stage left, Frank Schleck is the first of the big guns to attack and he puts in a big dig at the top of the categorized climb.
Astana and Rabobank increase the pace to chase him down and suddenly it becomes a race of survival for the Maglia Rosa.
The mighty Passo Manghen looms and Gutierrez is suffering. 10k to the top and it looks as if he is about to slip off the back of the rapidly thinning lead group.
Rujano works hard to protect him and Gutierrez is still there with 5k to go to the summit.
3k and Rujano has done all he can. Gutierrez is fighting hard to stay in contact.
1k to go and he's desperately trying to stay in contact with the leaders. If he can just make it to the summit, he will be able to recuperate on the downhill.
Over the top though, and the strongmen are opening gaps up. Soler is the King of the Mountain.
As for the Maglia Rosa, a heartbroken Gutierrez can see it dissapearing over the summit with the best climbers in this race.
This second group has a lot of good climbers too, and as it approaches the final 10k and the climb up the Alpe di Pampeago, Gutierrrez is once again fighting hard to hang on.
No one in this group has the legs to attack and they struggle up the steep gradient to the finish.
At the front, it is Cunego, Leipheimer, Zubeldia and Dekker, in the white jersey of best young rider, who are going to battle it out for the stage win.
As Cunego launches a final attack, Dekker surprisingly has nothing left to give. He is going backwards down the mountain. Zubeldia responds, but soon sits up.
Today will belong to Cunego or Leipheimer.
Finally, the Italians have something to celebrate again.
Gutierrez keeps on turning the pedals, but on this day when he gave it his all and certainly did not disgrace himself, he has lost the leader's jersey.
..the gravel
