Today's goal for me is to help the team. I'm not going to waste energies in a breakway this early in the race.

Here's the BOTD. Valverde, Kostyuk, Baugnies, Reynes, Samuel Sánchez and Zubeldia. Kinda of surprised to see this three in the breakway, they probably here to gain form too. Kevin de Weert is about to join them, making this a 7-man breakway.



1st mountain sprint of the day. Denis Kostyuk is 1st, Baugnies 2nd and Zubeldia 3rd. I'm really surprised to see that Valverde looses contact in such and easy climb.



It's an easy win for Sánchez in the 2nd intermediate sprint. Zubeldia is 2nd and Valverde 3rd. They're about to enter the clib with around 3'30 of advantage to the pack.



And the 1st attack comes few metres before the climb. It's SaxoBank Nicki Sörensen, but I think it's way too soon to make a move to try to got for it.



Söresen caught, now it's time for Casar to try. The FDJ rider attacks beeing countered by Sörensen and one of the Katusha's.



With this going, the attacks continue. This time it's �ngel Vicioso with Visconti. They're abble to create a small gap. I hope it's not enough.



2nd mountain sprint of the day. Kostyuk once again is 1st, this time in front of Valverde and De Weert. In the pack, finally a group is able to create a gap, wich one of them is Petrov.



And the win goes to Marcato! The Vacansoleil rider takes the win in front of Vicioso and GC leader Luis Léon Sánchez. Petrov is the best of the team finishing in 18th position on today's stage.



Crossing the line 6 minutes after Marcato is me. It's a definatelly improve after yesterday, where I lost 10 minutes.

Hardest stage in this year's Vuelta a Catalunya. A lot of climbing and a lot hardness should expect the team today. Danail and David will try their best to give the team a god result while I will try to go into the BOTD.

Today we start with pictures from the 1st climb. Antonio Piedra passes in 1st, beeing the only rider in the front, beeing chased by late attackers. 2nd is Sylvain Georges and 3rd Stephen Cummings.



And the photographers screw up the passage over the 2nd climb. Oh well, here's the results: Lieuwe Westra 1st, Battaglin 2nd and Bertloni 3rd. The pack is 9 minutes behing the breakaway.



And well, this is bad news for Colnago. Enrico Battaglin, who's in the BOTD, falls and loses a lot of time to the escapies. He will re-enter, but he's probably gonna have dificulties to go trough the rest of the hardness of this stage.



1st intermediate sprint of the day. Cummings is 1st, Piedra 2nd and 3rd is Westra.



And a little bit of climb later, this happens in the pack. Meyer attacks, Petrov with a horrible daily form (-5) bring Pimienta who has a very good daily for (+5) forward. And they gain gap.



And more riders try to create a gap. Jeanesson, Leipheimer and Porte a little back try to create a gap to the pack. It's still so early tough.



When getting to reach the break, Meyer launches an attack. Pimienta follows. The break is caught by this group, and apart from Pimienta, Piedra and Petrov also are in this group.



And finally, something is working in our favour. Piedra brings Meyer back, and on the background, you can see the pack where I'm in. It's an easy pace back their, while at the front it's an hard pace.



The 3rd climb is done. Cummings passes 1st, Nieve 2nd and Pimienta 3rd. I see you when the pack goes through the top as well.



And the pack goes over the climb. Rabobank, Katusha and Astana are the teams working. The team is positioned right back after this teams.



2nd intermediate sprint and the climb is gonna start. Meyer is 2st, Zabriskie 2nd and Richie Porte 3rd. The pack is 4 minutes at the back, beeing riding quicker, but not taking any time from the breakway.



And the attacks start in the pack. Gorka Izagirre attacks, with Casar trying to counter.



Leipheimer attacks! Petrov imediatelly comes forward to try to close the gap to the old american. Pimienta always on Petrov wheel, while the pack as catch the early attacks on the climb.



And now the serious attacks start. Joaquin Rodriguez attack, Marcos counter while the rest of the favourites sit back while they see Rodriguez launching an attack. LLS team continues to do the pace.



Last 3 km and this is the situation. Rodriguez has a 45 second gap to the leader's jersey group, while currently the team's best placed is Pimienta, but Garcia, Petrov or even I aren't that far away.



Under the flamme rouge, there's gonna be one happy men today: Joaquin Rodriguez has more than a safe gap to LLS to take the leader's jersey and the stage win.



And it confirms!!! J-Ro takes the win here in Port de L'Ainé. Great race from the spanish rider. Kreuziger is 2nd and 3rd is Luis León Sánchez. The best Caja Rural is Julián Sanchez Pimienta in the 22 position.



And I cross the line 8 minutes later. Altough the time says that this was a very bad ride, it isn't. A lot, lot better ride than the last two days makes me really happy. I finish 43th in the stage. Let's see if tomorrows I can try to go into the breakaway.

C'mon, let's hope that the pack let me join a break today. Let's hope for that. If no, Pimienta will try to gain one or two position in the GC.

Over the 1st climb, there's still no BOTD formed. Altough there alot of attacks, including me, no one has been able to create a gap. So over the 1st climb, Jan Barta 1st, Schär 2nd and Zubeldia 3rd. I'm with Zubeldia, but today the pack is an asshole.



And finally a group creates a gap. I'm not in it, but my team mate David De La Fuente is. Together with Enrico Battaglin, Jan Barta, Haimar Zubeldia, Rafael Valls and Michael Schär are in it too.



The BOTD starts to climb for the 1st the Alt de Paumeres. They are already through both intermediate sprint, both won by our won David De La Fuente.
The pack is 3'38 back, so the escapies won't have a chance today.



And over the mountain sprint it's Battaglin passing 1st. David passes in 2nd and 3rd is BMC's Michael Schär. See you when the pack goes through here.



Back in the pack, Moreno Moser attacks. One of the most talented riders in the peloton attacks with no one following.



And I go over the climb already on the back of the pack. I didn't feel so good all day because of the rain, so I decided to fall back. I'm gonna start worrying about getting to the finish line without any trouble and start my recovery for tomorrow.



And LLS attacks!!! He wants the GC, so he attacks on the hardest part of the climb. Let's see if he can make any diferences. The break is still 2 minutes ahead, so victory for them is still achievable.



And over the 2nd pass it's once again Battaglin in 1st. Valls 2nd and De La Fuente 3rd. There's a lot of spaces in the break and in the actual pack. See ya in a bit.



And the attacks in the break start. Valls atacks together with Zubeldia entering the las 10km, and the pack is 1'40 behind. It can go for them. David is the only one insterested in chasing this attackers, but he has some energy left.



And, well, at least the stage win is decided. The breakaway will take, C'mon David, you can do it. In the pack, there's alot of attacks, but Katusha doesn't let anyone get out.



Last 500 metres and Barta is leading. David can't follow anymore, while the back is not that far.



And BARTA takes it!!! The czech rider takes the win, beeing the strongest of the breakaway riders. 2nd is Zubeldia and completing the podium is Enrico Battaglin. David get's 6th wich is not bad considering he is a very weak sprinter.



And I cross the line now, 6 minutes behind today's winner. It was a hard day, let's hope that tomorrow is better.