STAGE 12: Pamplora - Eibar 150 KM's

Stage Favourites:
***Battaglin(EML) Van der Sande(AES)

Stage 12 was a really hilly affair, perhaps Rojas or a strong puncher will come to the fore, if the GC men don't decimate the field.

Already a stage winner Miles (Apple) attacked with 72 kilometres to go, despite a decent pace upheld by the peloton. With 19 kilometres to go he has 3:30 over the GC lead group.

We hit the final climb with 17 kilometres to go of about 5 kilometres, Gautier and our man Izagirre is real active. Pinot isn't, but is still there as we approach the flat finish.

Miles holds on for his second win, a really good performance despite fatigue really setting in in the closing meters.

Izagirre finishes with a lot in the tank but chooses the wrong wheel, Gautier, in the sprint.

STAGE 13: Bibao - Santilla del Mor 162 KM's

Stage Favourites:
**Van der Sande(AES) **Battaglin(EML) *Kittel(EUS)

Into the Basque country. This stage is mostly flat with a slight uphill finish hence the mixture of puncheurs and sprinters being amongst the favourites:

A 14 man break got away and Schmah wins for Bretagne...good for him.. but that wasn't the talking point of stage.... OH Boy no!!!!.....

AHHHHHH...

AHHHHHH........

Pinot so far in this Vuelta had managed to avoid both crashes.......

Not this time! With 15 kilometres to go Pinot falls himself causing a massive crash. Ouch. PINOT FALLS PINOT FALLS. Just a few kilometres after a crash as well. Izagirre....

Is unscathed... Yes...

We send Kritskiy to the front to nail down the pace and try and create a big gap back to Pinot.

Pinot..... Is coming in at a very leisursly pace with his teammates. He looks in discomfort... That means...........

Izagirre is the new GC leader . Qatar Optics has its first GT leader's jersey on the back of one of its riders.

Pinot lost a huge amount of time and Eijssen lost even more. WHAT A DAY. EPIC. TRULY EPIC!

CQ rankings for continental teams:

We have almost done it, we are almost guaranteed promotion mathematically. For the second spot it could be one of any number of teams. Norwegian team Jardar are currently second thanks to 1000 points from Lavery. Kenda and Salomein (1500 CQ points) certainly can't be discounted.

STAGE 14: San Vicente de la Barquera - Aviles 160 KM's

Stage Favourites:
***Battaglin(EML) *Van der Sande(AES) *Cavendish(YTE)

Similar to stage 13 this is a lumpy stage which should favour sprinters.

Today was a good day. We were riding on the front defending the red jersey, no other team was willing to ride so the break would succeed.

However, with 30 kilometres to go, American Express really upped the pace in the bunch. Many riders were dropped the biggest name GC wise was Gautier, Dyson.
We took up the pace with Kritskiy and Felline but couldn't drop any big GC names.

Young Italian Palazzo takes a first GT stage win outsprinting former world champ and reigning Italian champ Moser in the uphill finish. We retain the red jersey ahead of a brutal stage 15. Rojas takes the bunch sprint

RACE: Morteau - Pontarlier 193 KM's

This was an eventful race. Despite being caught with 20 kilometres to go after being in the break Milan takes a great win for Dexia outsprinting the favourites. A nice placing by Bakelants, is our legacy in the race.

Stage Favourites:
***Pinot(KAT) **Eijssen(RAB) *Gautier(DYN)

What a brutal stage, there is over 5500 meters of climbing, brutal. There are three HC climbs on the day. We end on the final climb summit which is 17.6 kilometres @ 6%.

On the rocky road surface of the Trobaniello climb with the break having 7:00 of an advantage with Katusha and Lampre on the front, when blue polka dots jersey man De Clercq attacks from the peloton. He is 14:00 down so is allowed to go.

Astonishingly he catches the break on the same climb and claims the max 30 points on offer maintaining the advantage of 7:00 over the peloton, ending Orbe's chances of getting the KOM jersey.

The peloton is down to about 22 riders as we hit the final climb, De Clercq has about 7:00 over the peloton.

With 12 kilometres to go the attacks start with Garrabay, Izagirre comes to the front and looks good. He sets the pace up the climb with 7 kilometres to go.

But with 5 kilometres to go there is another injection of pace from Stortoni and Pinot....

We hit the real steep stuff with 3 kilometres to go and the snow comes down. Izagirre is really suffering now....our red jersey out the rear of the Pinot group..

Out front De Clercq takes an epic win and pretty much sures up the KOM jersey in the process. Behind Stortoni attacks late on and......

thanks to his time bonus of '12 seconds will move into the race lead. Izagirre really suffered towards the top losing a lot of time in the last 2 kilometres.

He is now second @ '11 seconds with the rest day to follow, before another mountain top the finish, the final one, not counting the mountain TT.

Stortoni: