No big mountains today and a relatively flat one in the north of Spain. Yesterday saw a break take the victory and whilst the sprinters may hope for a mass group gallop to the finish there is plenty of interest in testing the reduced squads.
The break roll though the early sprint with Wiggins ahead of Walker and Danacek. But it feels sure that Jurgen Roelandts and Michael Van Stayen wish to add to their stage wins here as their teams chase.
Both the Belgians have dominated the sprints so far and they reel the break in, but there are plenty in the pack gambling that the weakening of both teams following the mountains will enable something to go clear.
Colom, Samoliev, Banos Ballester, Grivko, Zeits, Danacek, Bibby, Wiggins, Di Luca, and Vaugranard from the origninal break attack again with new names: Eric Berthou Thomas De Gendt Steven Cummings Egoi MartÃnez de Esteban Ethan Weiss
and Thomas Bontenackels
But with a couple of the Proximus Trek riders helping Bacardi and Carmuese out again this move is doomed.
Clearly the teams of the sprinters have expanded to include that of Mark Cavendish who has rather miraculously survived the Pyrenees and is looking for a pay off hire.
Just before the second sprint point and possibly our first big sprint battle however another move goes clear.
It is two familiar names to us in Jerome Coppel and Steven Kruijswijk both having gone close to going all the way with each other before in this years Vuelta. Can this couple do the business today? Well they go through the first intermediate sprint with Coppel ahead of the B and O man. Behind we get a scrap for the last bonus points...
Green jersey Van Stayen takes a couple of points, now sitting five points behind GC leader Madrazo.
Weiss attacks the pack too a bit later but unfortunately for Spyker it is a bit too late to jump across to the powerful roulers Coppel and Kruijswijk and he ends up in no mans land. Still it stops the battle at the final sprint point Coppel ahead of Kruijswijk and Weiss trailling some way behind.
Bacardi and Carmuese play a dangerous game allowing the duo a five and a half minute lead with 50km to go, with Weiss dangling between. They catch Weiss with 25km to go and they appear to of misjudged the duo who have still 3.30.
With 10km to go the gap is still 2.45 and finally these two ambitious riders will get their day to duke it out. Both are fairly evenly matched and as we saw yesterday leading out is not always the curse with Kruijswijk's teammate Keinath taking the stage yesterday. The young Dutchman decides that this is the best tactic here.
Behind it is still going to be a nice battle for the 3rd place and surprisingly perhaps Proximus Trek are going to oblige with the Sprint train of De Maar, Cavendish , Valverde
It is Roelandts and Maximiliano Richeze in the wheels.
Looking back we can see that Van Stayen is some way back with Nolan Hoffman in between he and the sprint train.
Under the kite go our two breakaways and Coppel is holding firmly to Kruisjwijk's wheel determined not to allow the gap as Cornu did yesterday with Keinath.
An orderly queue forms behind the Proximus lead out with Roelandts, Hoffman, Richeze, Matthieu Ladagnous, Van Stayen, Juan Pablo Forero, Dan Holloway, Paride Grillo and Martin Reimer all waiting for the chance of third.
Coppel makes his move with 450m to go....
... and he takes the stage win a nice reward for the attacking Milka team. B and O just miss out on an unexpected double.
The battle for third see's Cavendish give Valverde a good lead out and the GC rider could steal some seconds here and possibly move up in that points classification. Van Stayen eyes a gap between Hoffman and Richeze.
Valverde does well to hold off Roelandts and the quick finishing Van Stayen for third.
Hoffman is 6th, Richeze 7th and our new sprinter Ladagnous is 8th. Madrazo today can only finish 14th meaning we have a new points leader in Van Stayen.
Stage results
Only some Carmuese riders dropped today, who were largely sacrificed to chase early on.
Points
Van Stayen takes the points lead again, Roelandts remians close but with 3 mountain top finishes, 1 MTT and 3 flat stages left Valverde and Madrazo are in the points hunt. Coppel's late sorties could get him somewhere also.
Teams
Milka and B&O are not major team players on the teams classification, so no change here either. You'd fancy Pendleton's the only full team left in the race to keep trying for a break tomorrow.
