I spoke to Colom after the stage yesterday and told him he had ridden really well. He was obviously very pleased with the result but was surprised when I told him this was my first race of the season. He already has 19 days of racing in his legs.
Stage 4, 148km
Today will be decisive. There are bonus seconds at the finish and the final climb should see the field split. We will watch Colom and when he goes I will try. Joaquim? He will go too, maybe with me or maybe before. Moreno, too, I hope will be a factor.
We would like to put a man in the break and Garcia Acosta follows an early move.
The others teams do not seem to want it to happen though and LA-MSS, CSC and Astana slowly but surely reel them back in. Astana want everyone to suffer on this first climb and the old warhorse Rubiera is on the front putting the hammer down. I hear in my earpiece that Portal and Drujon are struggling at the back already.
Over the top and the Astana tactic becomes evident. Kloden surprises me by jumping away after Pozzovivo of CSF. Gil too is after him. These are dangerous riders.
Too dangerous in fact. And we do not even need to chase. Four or Five teams collaborate and drive things along at the front. The escapees are gradually brought back over the next 15km.
They are brought back and I am told in the earpiece that there is an intermediate sprint 5k up the road. I will go after the bonuses, I am feeling good. Hondo opens the sprint up and no-one is able to hold his wheel, though I come through in 3rd to take 2 bonus seconds.
Everyone is tired it seems now. Yesterday's TT was hard and the first 70k today have been ridden fast. There is a truce in the pack and no-one attacks. I am able to recover from the sprint, but know it is only a matter of time before someone tries again.
We are into the final 50k and the terrain is getting a little hilly. Ribiero tries his hand and as others follow Astana up the pace.
It is too early for us to try yet and we let Astana chase. The gap comes down to about 30 seconds and as we approach the foot of the final climb. The Astana riders are look tired and myself and Jouquim follow Moreno to the front. We are in perfect postion to mark the attacks.
Guerra of Liberty is the first to try and Colom follows. Moreno up front tries to follow Guerra, while Joaquim goes after Colom. I, of course, follow Joaquim.
The climb is a hard one and the attacks just keep on coming. We cannot shake Colom and he cannot shake us. Mosquera has managed to take advantage of the situation and build a short lead over the top. Simoni takes off after and Joaquim in the white is struggling to hold on. Colom looks to go after Simoni but seeing Joaquim in trouble he eases off. Maybe he is not so strong today, I think to myself...
Simoni bridges across to Mosquera and I order Moreno to the front. He absolutely buries himself for me and Joaquim. We need those bonus seconds....
He gives us a gap on the downhill section, but the two leaders still have about 20 seconds on us with 1km to go. He has nothing more to give and Joaquim and I come around him. Joaquim is having to dig deep too and I am surprised to find that I am the stronger.
Simoni opens the sprint up first and begins the dive for the line....Mosquera though has more left and comes around him. I give it my all and try to maintain the gap over Colom. Joaquim I hope is able to hold my wheel....
I am 3rd and Joaquim is fourth. Colom, it seems, we managed to damage on the climb. He has nothing to give in the final 1km and is unable to pass even Moreno, who I will call Daniel from now. He has earned it today.
We will hold the jersey today. No excuses. We will let a break go and keep it on a tight leash. There is a climb about 40k from the finish, but I do not think it is long or steep enough for anyone to get away and stay way. We will be watchful though.
Mosquera I spoke to at the start line and he was still smiling about his first win of the season yesterday. He will be one for Oscar to watch in the Vuelta a Espana, this year.
But, back to the racing. A break does go, and with some dangerous riders too. There are 7 and include Mouron (Xacobeo)@4'21 and Gonzalez (Scott)@4'42, but we give them a bit of slack. It is hot today and this seems to discourage others from trying to join them. We move to the front and never let the lead get above 4 minutes.
With 60k to go Serramenti and CSF move up to take over the chase duties and the break looks doomed. Still, there is the final climb of the Vuelta to come. The race is almost mine...
The lead is hovering at the 2 minute mark at the bottom of the climb and it is time for Daniel to make certain of the jersey. He moves to the front and hammers out a high pace all the way up the climb.
There are attacks, but not from my main rivals. Daniel rides them all down in a show of sheer power. Over the top and anyone thinking of challenging me has decided there will be other days...this race is mine.
Only one of the break survive and the sprinters teams can smell the win bonuses now, so he is doomed. If I keep out of trouble, I will win.
It is a sprint, and Hondo shows once again that no-one here in Murcia can touch him. Richeze doesn't even try to come around him in the last few hundred meters and the two of them blow Rojas clean off their wheels in the final kilometer. Rojas can be pleased too though, and holds on to take 3rd.
So, I have won here in my 'home' race. The sponsors may not be impressed, but it is important for me to have put on show in front of people who have watched me since I was a boy.
I am surprised that I have won here this year - riders like Colom, Mosquero and Simoni are farther along in their season's than me.
I hope I will wear the yellow jersey again later this year....
I thought I would write a quick update just to tell you how things stand.
I am training hard and riding between six and seven hours each day. It does not leave me much time write, but the good news is my condition is good and I am tranquil after the win in Murcia. For me, to feel tranquil is the most important thing. My next race will be March 25th at the Vuelta a Castilla Y Leon. I will look to make a showing again, before the bigger days come in April.
We have teams at Paris-Nice and Tirrenno-Adriatico. Both races are yet to finish. Sanchez is our leader in France, and Rodriguez our man in Italy. The news from there is not bad, but we do not know yet if the races have been a succes for Caisse or not...
Fear not, when they are finished I will update you.
Paris-Nice also began the day I won in Murcia. Our sponsors wish for us to win a stage here and we go into the race with Luis Leon Sanchez leader of the team. It is a big responsibilty for a young rider, but Luis has shown some good form already this season and we have confidence in him.
Stage 1
This is a 7.6 km individual ITT. We do not expect Luis to win here but we would like to limit our losses and not lose anymore time than we have to. Sanchez puts in a decent time and comes in 14th, 15" down on Bert Grabsch's winning time of 6 mins 56 seconds. He is the only rider to break the seven minute mark. Carlos Sastre shows some good early season form too I hear, and finishes 3rd, 9 seconds back.
Stage 2, 188km
This is obviously a day for the sprinters and as we have none in the team, we have to look to the break. Lastras manages to get with the break that sticks but it never looks like winning the stage. He leads them over the days only categorized climb and takes the mountains jersey, without even trying for it. QS and Columbia set the pace up front and duly sweep up the break. We do not move anyone up to the front to try and contest the finale. Ravale of Agritubel jumps off the front of the peloton in the final few kilometers and manages to hold off a marauding Tosatto and Boonen at the line in a surprisingly steep finish - the gradient peaks at 9.4% in the last 300m.
Stage 3, 201km
This is the first stage we think Luis has a chance in. The climbs at the end may be enough to soften the sprinters up. And in the event, it is a hard, hard stage. Cross winds gust at 55kmph and the peloton is broken into echolons as it bears down on the days escapees, just before the race enters hilly country.
We move up front to force the pace, and try to give Sanchez a springboard for an attack. He has the legs and over the final climb he is 40 seconds up the road with Cunego. Cunego is too strong for him though in the final flat kilometers into the finish and the pack sweeps him up 300 meters from the line as Cunego celebrates his first win of the season.
Boonen gets second from McEwen and Van Avermaet. Luis Leon Sanchez has to settle for 5th.
Stage 4, 170km
Here is another stage that may suit Luis with a tactic similar to yesterday. The final climb is longer and harder so he has a chance again. Lastras is sent up the road again and once more manages to be in the break that gets away. It's an interesting one and contains 15 riders, so at first we are hopeful it may stay away. The lead is up to about 4 minutes, when Kohl decides he wants to try and bridge from the pack. The pack will not let him go, but do not ride too hard in chasing him down. The lead of the group Lastras is in also starts to come down little by little.
All is back together as we hit the final climb and once more our riders move to the front to set a fast pace at the foot of the climb. Some do attack, but are ridden down. Cunego and Sastre wait until our guys are tiring, then they go. But Luis is along for the ride too as the race splinters. He is over the top first and alone and has 19km to ride for victory. Today, he looks to have the legs to hold the chasing pack off. But, No!
Vansummeren time trails away from the pack and is moving too quick for Luis to hold his wheel. He sweeps past him and takes the stage. Luis is strong enough today to hold off the fast finishing puncheurs. 2nd...but we need a stage win to keep our sponsors happy, so it is impossible to feel satisfied especially after coming so close. Still, Luis is getting better.
Tommorrow, Mount Ventoux looms.
Edited by fenian_1234 on 19-10-2008 03:58
This stage finishes up the top of Mount Ventoux and Luis is probably not enough of a climber to win here. He will be looking to do well though, and maintain a high overall placing. Our tactic is to try and get a decent climber into a break...and it seems everyone has the same idea. There are constant attacks over the first 30k and when a break finally does manage to get away there are 10 riders in it who can't climb and are no threat on the overall...
By the time the race reaches the foot of fabled Ventoux the break only have a minute or so. We set the pace on the lower slopes hoping that a reasonably high tempo will discourage too many atttacks, but, Ventoux, as is proper, will be won by the best climber in this year's race. Luis thinks that is probably Sastre and it is when he goes, 8k from the summit, that the peloton shatters. Luis goes after him but Sastre is too strong on this day. Luis will finish 6th, 1'20 back on Sastre. Cunego shows good form again in taking second.
Stage 6, 172km
On paper the sprinters might fancy this stage, but we still need a stage victory, so we'll be looking to get away in a break and if that fails, Luis will try his look on the bumpy finale.
We did get two in the break, and the lead got up to about 8 minutes before the pack started bringing the gap down.
So, it was once again down to Luis to try and do something. He attacked near the top of the final 'climb' of the day and then drove hard down the other side. He built a lead of about 40 seconds, but the peloton were moving fast behind him.
He put his head down and gave it his all again....and again he was passed in the last 500 meters...Tom Boonen and the Portuguese, Candido Barbosa, charging past see that he has to settle for 3rd. Heartbreak again for Luis, and more pressure heaped on him for the final two days of racing. A high place overall, the points and young riders jersey look to be his, but the sponsor wants a stage win and that's what the team still need to deliver....
Stage 7, 200km
++First time I played this stage it crashed at the bottom of the final climb. Second time I played it, Luis Sanchez passed Rebellin right on the line to win the stage. Then the game f:'king crashed. 3rd time I played it, I hit x8 to the last 20k and played from there.+++
Same kind of race - the favorites attacked on the final climb. A group of 8 got away, among them Luis. They battled it out over the final 10k for the stage win. This time Luis was second behind Cunego.
Stage 8, 131km
Our last chance to get perhaps the easiest of our sponsor goals. Luis has looked strong all race without quite having enough to bag a win. This is a short stage and finishes with a quick descent after a fairly difficult climb. If Luis wins, because of the time bonuses he's likely to also take the overall, which would be some achievement for a rider as young as him.
We give Rujano and Lastras carte blanche to try and get themselves into the break. There are the usual flurry of attacks and at one stage Lastras is up the road in a break with just under 2 minutes on the pack. They are brought back though as others too dangerous to be let go try to bridge. Rujano then chooses the next move and he gets away with a group of 11. He's way down on GC after some of the work he's done for Luis so far. The break builds up a decent lead and over the Col de la Porte with 80k remaining, there is a gap of 4'29 to the peloton.
The peloton are not riding particularly hard and the gap continues to inch up. With 50k to go it has grown to 5'20, and as riders in the break are starting to feel optimistic the pack up the pace. At the foot of the final climb though, the break, now down to 10, has about 2'30 on the pack.
Rujano is probably the best climber in the group and feeling strong he decides to ride to the front and set a pace he hopes will be high enough to drop his break away companions and hold off the attacks from the likes of Cunego and Sastre back in the pack. He goes over the top with a lead of around 30 seconds on the break and about a minute or so on the GC guys, including Luis, who manages to stay with Sastre and Cunego, despite coming very close to being dropped.
For Jose, he just has to hold the others off on the downhill to take victory....
The lead comes down a little, but the Venezuelan has the legs and announces that he's back on the scene in a big way.
We have our stage win!
Luis comes in with the second group and secures 3rd overall behind Cunego and Sastre. He also secures the points and young rider jersey, and because of Jose's stage win, the team have plenty to celebrate.
We would like to do well in the overall and win a stage here. Joaquim will lead the team and he should do well if his form in Murcia is anything to go on.
Stage 1
This turns out to be a difficult stage. On paper it looked like one for the sprinters and our plan was to sit in the pack and wait for other days which will suit Joaquim better, for we are without a sprinter here again.
A break went, but it was chased down and as we hit the hills the pace was very high. Patanchon and Portal were blown out the back quickly and they were not the only ones. We sent Daniel and David up front and they also caused others pain. It was a fairly big group that went over the final climb together, but many riders were tired. Joaquim was feeling good and only concerned with being up front. Freire and Hushovd were in the group, but it was mainly made up of puncheurs - guys like Nuyens, Gilbert and Di Luca. Joaquim told me on the phone that he was not thinking of winning but he took Gesink's wheel anyway, who was looking strong. Then he managed to jump onto Gilbert's and finally Nuyens who was opening a gap on the others at the front.
He held the wheel and and then tried to come around in the final few hundred meters. And he did it, right on the line. No one was more surprised than him, I can tell you.
So, a stage win and a great start for Joaquim in the pursuit of the overall.
Stage 2
What looks to be another day for the puncheurs turns out to be just that. Our goal is to hold on to the jersey and for Joaquim to finish with the lead group of riders as we think an elite group will get away. That's exactly the way it turns out too. A flurry of attacks mark the business end of the stage, and while Joaquim is not good enough to win again, he's happy with 3rd behind Bruseghin and Devolder. The leader's jersey remains his too.
Stage 3
Today's stage is fairly flat with a hell-ish climb up to the finish in Montelupone. If Joaquim wants to keep the jersey thru' today then he will need to dig deep on this climb.
The team decides they'd like to take things easy today and manage to put Coyot in the break of the day. He's with 4 others include Voeckler and Talabardon and their lead maxes out at about 10 minutes with 120km. Obviously, Coyot is not going to contribute too much more after this point and an alliance of Liquigas, CSC, Lampre, Lotto and Quickstep begin to reel them back in. They have no chance against the might of these teams.
Once all is back together, Pellizotti attacks near the penultimate climb with about 20k to go. Gilbert goes after him, but Joaquim decides to bide his time and save energy for the final climb. We put a few guys up front to help with the chase, though Pellizotti proves strong and holds his lead up to the final climb. And it is absolutely hellish....
Joaquim is positioned close to the front and when Pfannberger and Simoni make their move, Joaquim follows. Pellizotti has a gap though and it proves too much for the chasers to close. Victory for the Italian, and the race has a new leader.
Stage 4
Today's profile looks like it'll be one for the sprinter's to have a go on - and after missing out on stage 1, they'll probably make certain this one is a real sprint.
Still, fortune favours the bold, and we send Portal up the road early. Seems everyone else thinks today will be a sprint too, and only one other rider - Corti from Barloword - joins him in the day's break. They build a decent enough lead, but with 80k to go it has been brought back down to about 5 minutes. It is evident that they are not strong enough to hold off the chasing bunch.
There is some action on the final climb to the finish - Joaquim marks an attack from the race leader Pellizotti - but the climb is not long or steep enough to be decisive. Things as expected come down to a sprint, and it is World Champion Paolo Bettini who takes it from Duque and Petacchi. Joaquim follows Pellizotti over the line in 9th. Hondo, so dominant just over a week ago in Murcia, has nothing in his legs for the sprint and is only 11th.
The screens are fine for me - I have uploaded them again though - as I realized I've been forgetting to reduce the file sizes for the last few batches. Also added a few screens I found to Paris-Nice one - just the team selection and the stage 2 sprint.
Joaquim does not expect to do so well today - the time trail is not his greatest strength - but I get a text message from him telling me he will do his best to maintain a high overall position. There are some very good TTers in the field, and most people will look to see the kind of form Cancellara is in as Milan-San Remo looms.
Joaquim gives it his best shot, but he's well off the pace and comes in 57th, nearly 2 minutes behind the winner Cancellara.
The good news though is he manages to hold on to a Top 10 position overall.
Stage 6
Our last real chance to do something more in this year's race. The finish suits a sprinter with a big engine, but the run in is hilly and may favour a breakaway.
The first 30k of the stage are very hard - Coyot and Portal try and fail to get themselves into a break. Then when it looks as if the peloton are finally about to let one go - we send Arroyo up the road to bridge across the 1 minute gap that has suddenly opened. One or two others go with him - meaning that there are 11 riders in the break. It looks to be fairly promising. With 100k to go the lead is up to 7 minutes, but has started to come down a little, with Lampre driving the pace at the front.
The escapees are working well together and this one is a long way from over.
It's windy too and with no-one up front helping Lampre they struggle to bring the break back. With 52k to go the lead is 4'10, and then it starts to inch back up. Lampre have decided this is one break they can't bring back. Strangely, QS and Rabobank are refusing to help out in the chase.
Over the final categorized climb of the day - with 30k to go - the lead is back up over 5 minutes. It looks like today is one for the escapees.
16k to go and Balducci makes his move. Arroyo thinks Mori is the most dangerous rider in the break and waits for him to respond. He doesn't - maybe his goose is cooked?
Arroyo jumps away and is soon up alongside Balducci.
Balducci though won't (can't?) work with Arroyo on the final climb and Arroyo makes the decision not to try and hold off the chasers. He lets them come back to him, before launching his bid for the stage with 4km to go.
Mori is the man to lead out the sprint for the chasers and no-one is strong enough to come around him - not even Petacchi. They sweep past Arroyo in the final 500 meters and the team knows that tactically we have screwed this one up. We know we should have won this stage, but that the way it goes sometimes...
Behind the break, the race splinters in the run in and the big winner is Denis Menchov who gets away in a small group and opens a gap just big enough to take the overall lead. Petacchi's role in the break today, also means he has a chance to take the points jersey from Joaquim tommorrow.
Stage 7
This looks like a sprinters stage and the plan is to sit in the pack all day and get thru' the day safely.
The reace still has one or two more surprises in store for everyone though...
Moreno has a free role for the day, and as he's feeling good, he decides to get himself into the break. There are seven riders - all with big motors - and they quickly build up a big lead of just over 8 minutes.
The peloton is not in the mood to let this one go and the pace is high as the breakaway is reeled in.
The wind is strong again - over 50kmph - so Joaquim is careful to position himself up close to the paceline. The break is brought back and as the race enters the final 15km there is a split! The sprinters teams cannot control the race in this wind.
A small group gets away, Joaquim included. Di Luca tries to jump away from them and go for the stage win.
Joaquim takes Tonti's wheel in the hope the QS rider will be the strongest in the group and strong enough to bring Di Luca back. The Killer though is in fine form today and there is no way he'll will let himself be caught.
Joaquim is pleased enough with 6th - though if he hadn't lost Tonti's wheel, he might have been higher. Still, he has secured the points jersey.
But there is more to come. The winds have caused some big splits in the groups coming in behind the leaders and the judges give the first 59 riders the same time, and then the one's coming in after are adjudged to be 1'34 down.
Menchov is furious - but Paolo Bettini is declared the race winner. We are happy and Joaquim is catapulted from 9th into 2nd.
So, a stage win at both Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico. 3rd for Luis in France and 2nd for Joaquim in Italy. The points jersey at Tirreno and the white jersey at Paris-Nice. The team are very pleased with how things went. The sponsors? - not so much.
Alejandro here again. I did not race La Primavera but wanted to tell you what happened as it is one of the biggest races of the season.
Milan-San Remo
Our tactic here is simple - Joaquim and Luis will try and survive until the Poggio. Then after nearly 300km, they will will attack if they have the legs.
The team
It's a beautiful day for the race.
The attacks start early. We, as one of the teams without a sprinter want to make sure we are in the break and when Brajkovic attacks, we send Lopez after him. They are joined by Barla (Mil), D'Hollander (Lotto) and Apperibay (Eus). The pack are happy to let them get away and everyone settles down to a nice predictable ride next 100km.
The gap is up to 12'06 as the race hits the coast road to San Remo and the pack then begin to up the pace. Columbia, QS and Liquigas are the teams doing the most work and the gap comes down fairly quickly. To no-one's surprise a break will not win today.
There are attacks - most notably from Frank Schleck and Ballan - but they are mercilessly hunted down by the sprinter's teams. At the bottom of the Cipressa the pace is high, but Voigt still has the legs to attack. No one else does and he opens a gap and holds it all the way to the bottom of the Poggio.
He has a minute's lead. We have Joaquim positioned well up close to the front. Because of Voigt's lead the pace is too high for any attacks on the climb, and at the top Voigt's lead is down to 17 seconds. He's swallowed up by the pack on a hair-raising descent. Joaquim is looking for the right wheel - he tries Boonen's, but he is much too clever in these situations to let a rider like Joaquim have his wheel. We do manage to latch on to Cancellara.
Bettini is leading out Boonen and these two are the strongest guys in the race. Inside the final kilometer and they've left the others in their wake. All that's left is for Boonen to come around Bettini in the final few hundred meters and take victory here in the season's first real big race. Joaquim can't compete with the likes of Bettini, Boonen and McEwen in a sprint, but he's more than happy with his 10th position here.
Apologies for the lack of screenshots here - I did take them, but the game crashed before the podiums came up and when I looked in the screenshots folder there was only the first 4 shown here. Just relieved that the results stand.
My second race of the season - the Vuelta a Castilla Y Leon begins today. I go into this race calm after my win in Murcia, and do not have any designs on the overall here. It is a good race to build form - and I will look to make a showing on Stage 4 where we have the only mountaintop finish of the race.
Luis Leon Sanchez goes into the race aiming for the overall, and Rojas will look to do well in the sprints. Apart from us three, the rest of the team do not have much racing in their legs yet. Gutierrez is riding for the first time this season and guys like Losada, Acosta and Erviti will simply be looking to get some racing in their legs in preparation for the Giro di Italia.
Stage 1, 10km ITT
We were drawn as the first team to go, and I decided I would be the first of the Caisse riders to ride the course.
I took it fairly easy and did not push myself too hard - the overall is not for me here. In hindsight, I think I probably took it a little too easy - my time of 12'31" over the 10 kilometers meant that I finished 88th, 1'02" back.
I first realized that I had taken it too easy when Gutierrez (in his first race of the season - remember?) rode the course seven seconds faster than me.
When Luis sets off, Vande Velde had set the fastest time of the day - 11'29, with Savoldelli second, 5' back.
They were fast times and Luis would have needed to ride very well to match them. He gave it his best, but still came in a full 15 seconds behind Vande Velde.
No one was able to get close to the times set and at the end of the day, Luis' time was good enough for 3rd.
Today will most likely be a sprint and the decision is taken for us to sit in the pack all day and for Rojas to try his hand in the sprint.
There are attacks aplenty though in the opening kilometers and a group of 10 riders eventually get away. Their lead is 4 minutes close to the top of the days only categorized climb and with 76k still to go it does not look as if they will make it.
Garmin are at the front pullling the break back in order to protect the leader's jersey and they have help too from LPR and two other continental teams.
The break is brought back and as positioning for the sprint starts, Rojas manages to grab Petacchi's wheel. Things look good for Rojas and we are optimistic of a good finish.
Petacchi though does not have a devasting turn of speed in his legs today and he labors hard trying to move up past other 'slower' sprinters. Ventoso of Andalucia-Caja Sur is the man who is strongest today. Rojas has to settle for 5th, while Ale Jet sneaks second right on the line.
It was Ventoso's first win of the season, and he must be delighted to get it after only 6 days in the saddle.
There is no change in the overall, and Rojas is happy and knows that he has a chance in the sprints remaining. And me? I sat in the pack all day and had time to catch up with a rider I have not spoken to for a while - Oscar (Sevilla). He tells me, he too, will be looking to ride well 2 days from now.
Stage 3, 147km
We expect today to be like yesterday and decide that no-one from the team will try and get in a break. We will wait for the sprint and hope that Rojas can deliver us something.
There are breaks as expected and I wonder if any can take a wild guess as to the identity of this rider?
Yes, it is Thomas Voeckler and for a while it looks as if he will try to win the stage all by himself. Eventually though a chasing group of 12 riders will catch him and they will work to build up a lead for over 6 minutes.
Once again, it is Garmin, LPR and the Continental teams who do the work to bring the escapees back. Dan Martin impresses me with some of the big turns he puts on in the front, and as the race hits the only real uphill of the stage near the finish it is clear the remnants of the break will be caught. I feel good powering up this 4%-5% incline. I do not try anything, as I am here for tomorrow.
It will be a sprint again and once more Rojas positions himself fairly well. Today he is on Ventoso's wheel, as Ventoso is quicker in getting Petacchi's.
Today it is Ale who proves himself the strongest. Rojas probably leaves it just too late to try and come around Ventoso. Still, he is 3rd and can be fairly pleased with his day's efforts.
Overall, Vande Velde still leads from Savoldelli and Luis.
And me? Again, I have spent a non-taxing day in the group. I am encouraged by the way I feel so far, so I would say that anything is possible on the climb up the Alto de Navacerrada tomorrow....
Sometimes in cycling there are days when you have nothing in your legs and you can give no more no matter how much you want.
Luis tells me had one of those days today. There is nothing that can be done. You put your head down and turn the pedals and hope the agony will finish.
Anyway, I get ahead of myself.
The profile:
Incidentally, later this year, this climb will be used in the Vuelta for the mountain time trail.
This is the stage I wanted and as we have done little in the race so far, we send Rojas up the road to go for the intermediate sprint points.
He is successful in getting away and dutifully takes both intermediate sprints.
The pack do not let his group get too big of a lead though and with 70k to the finish the gap is 3'30.
It starts to widen though and it is clear that Garmin and LPR expect us to do some chasing. We don't and the gap gets bigger. When it reaches 6 minutes with 35k to go, I decide enough is enough and order 3 of our riders up front to chase. I do not wish to sprint for 10th at the top of the Alto de Navacerrada.
LPR, CSC and Garmin now also join in the chase and the gap comes down. The pace is high as we approach the climb, I will soon see how my legs are and if Vande Velde can hold on to the jersey....
At the bottom and I feel good. Vande Velde is a rider I will watch, but my old fried from Murcia, Colom, is who I think the dangerman is. One rider goes - who I wasn't sure - and another follows. Then I see Oscar Sevilla making the move he told me he would. I do not respond and neither do the likes of Vande Velde, Colom, Schleck or Di Luca.
Garmin are continuing to keep the pace fairly high and I feel good. Luis is behind me - 5 or 6 bike lengths back and I think to myself he should be closer to the front. Perhaps today is not his day? Then I see Ruben Plaza make his move and decide that my time has come. It is easy for me to jump after him, but he sits up quickly.
I do too and wait for the riders behind me. Savoldelli and Colom come past and I go after them. We are quickly up to the remnants of the day's break. Vande Velde has made it across too. Luis I do not see - but learn later that he could not live with the Garmin rider, blew up and struggled up the climb.
I, though, am feeling strong and when Colom goes again it is easy for me to follow. We are in front, but Vande Velde is strong too and comes back to us. There is an uneasy truce among the front group and it is I who lead us up the mountain. I feel good and am comfortable at the pace I set. I am able to recuperate for a final attack.
The 1k to go banner comes up, and I make my move. I know one big effort here will win me the stage - I jump away and when I look back no-one has responded. The final 500m flatten out and I have time to celebrate my first stage win of the season.
Vande Velde holds on to his jersey, Savoldelli keeps hold of 2nd, Ribeiro moves into 3rd and I am 4th. It is probably as high as I will go as tomorrow's final stage does not look difficult enough to decide the classification. I do not care though - I have done what I set out to do.
I think Valverde will have a magnificent season
