Welcome to the Queen stage, all the jerseys are for grabs here, over 206km including 2 massive climbs. The biggest motivators is yellow, where just 9 seconds separate our three leaders, and the three favourites for todays stage. Cunego and Ricco finally found their way past Henao Montoya yesterday. Does he have it in him to get back into yellow. Also Cunego has found himself with a 7 second deficit on Ricco, and despite his effort in the tour, I'm not sure if he would back himself to get that back tomorrow.
Berthou, Bochman, Barton, Mourey, Levarlet, Sacrponi and Signorini are our break through the fist sprint.
7 men is an unlucky number so 6 more eventually fight their way across the gap: Oste-Macdonald, Moschella, Poels, Voss, Ortega and Kadri.
Bochman gets sprint 2 over Oste-Macdonald and Ortega. The gap is 8 minutes with 90km to go, and the peloton have no intention of having the stage win dissapear. All of the top 3 want the bonus seconds to be on offer.
Scarponi jumps past Moschella and Levarlet to claim the KoM half way up the climb.
Colombia are hammering the pace, and driving riders out the back door in large groups.
Up front Berthou is the first man who gives up the ghost.
The pace isn't high enough for some though as Delgado and Keinath attack with 72km to ride.
Kadri also drops off the front group. We still have 17km of climbing before we reach the summit, so expect this climb to be a slow burner.
Colombia's pace has paid off with 71km to go, as Mugerli and Perget let go, leaving Ricco completely isolated.
8km after their attack Keinath and Delgado cathc Berthou. THey haen't managed to get more than 75 seconds clear of the peloton, but their gap to the break is now down to 4'12"
Ricco is slipping back now, trouble? or does he just need water?
Just water, and 5km later he is back at the front of the bunch.
Scarponi again attacks to take the climb, Levarlet and Oste-Macdonald follow. 52km left to race.
Bochman dropped in the final km and is picked up over the top, by the attackers at 2'37".
Abal leads the 57 man peloton over at 4'49". They haven't really gone full bore up here, but should have plenty of time to pull back the break still. Kadri is about to be reeled in.
Poels struggled over the top in the main break, but couldn't quite stay with them at the start of the descent and quickly lost time.
Through the sprint point goes Moschella, Levarlet and Ortega following.
Colombia and Milka string the peloton out, but Cunego and Henao Montoya have got themselves badly positioned, while RIcco is right at the front.
18km to go and Oste-Macdonald and Moschella attack their companions. One can't help but feel they are not confident about the upcoming finish. On the plus side the peloton are still 4 minutes back.
They turn onto the climb just 20 seconds ahead of the rest of the break. Keniath and Delgado are at 3'04", with the peloton at 3'40". If the bunch takes a while to attack the break could make it here.
That won't happen though, as before the climb proper even starts, at the bend just ahead, Henao Montoya and Machado attack. Pedraza follows quickly.
Hacecky and Gadret also follow as they blow past the mid stage attackers. It was a bold move by Delgado and Keinath, risking it all. However they didn't climb well enough up the first climb, and never looked like staying away.
Abal has done a massive stint on the fornt today, riding all the atttackers down, and taking almost 2 minutes off the breaks lead.
Machado, Pedraza and Hacecky are not done yet, utilising this 13% section to get clear.
Rohregger is now trying to pull them back, as Pedaza comes allong side a stuggling Signorini.
Pedraza and Machado catch the breakaway riders.
Serpa decides this is his time as well. He needs over a minute on Taaramae to make the top ten, so wants to make today hard. We are 2km into this climb, and the gradient is still above 10%, so I don't think he needs to do much to ensure that it stays hard though.
Abal's pace now pulls 11 riders clear, B&O are probably the only team to be disappointed on missing out.
All the attackers are pulled back. Uran also seems to have missed the split. I wonder if he is saving himself for the TT, where he should be clear favourite.
Nope, Uran was just poorly positioned, as he pulls 20 riders back to the lead group.
Machado has been attacking with abandon all tour, and here he goes again. The Portuguese rider is clearly comfortable that he can defend his 4th place no matter what.
Serpa and Gomez Merchante now follow.
The road is a farily sedate 7% so they struggle to break the elastic. Machado is just about managing to when Henao Montoya throws down the Gauntlet to Ricco, Abal and Cunego. Colombia should probably force Ricco to do more work, but it isn't entirely clear who Abal is riding for, so he may be ignoring team orders again.
In fact it's Martin who insures that no one gets clear. The group is back down to 15, with Kohl and Uran no joining the other favourites. Amazingly it's 14 of the top 15 overall, with just Suaza missing out.
Machado leads under 5km. They are all waiting for it to kcik back up from 7% to 10%+ to throw in the final attack.
We have a km at 10% but everyone is just watching. Finnaly, Henao realises it's now or never, and lays down the hammer.
Machado and Ricco are striaght on his wheel, and don't let him go anywhere. Cunego looks alert, but seems to be saving himself for the sprint and TT. I guess it worked in the tour, but it's a cowards way of winning.
As Machado takes the lead, Ricco is winding up. Cunego is straight into his slipstream. The Colombian has had his fun, now the European big boys want to show him how it's done.
The pace is enough to crack the group. Serpa making it will allow him to put time into those right above him.
Ricco has been neutralised. Cunego goes straight past him.
And with 2km left of the final climb of the 12 stage Vuelta a Colombia, Cunego finally shows the power that won him the tour.
The rest of the riders are left shellshocked, allowing Taaramae to power the 6 back too them.
After staring at Ricco for what seems like hours, waiting for him to respond, Machado decides not to die wondering.
This shocks Ricco, Henao, Gomez Merchante, Serpa and Pedraza into action.
Machado still ha a gap with 1km to go.
Ricco tried to challenge Cunego and failled, now he suffers the ignominity of seeing rider after rider go past him.
They all start to sprint, bar Abal, who can just smile, knowing his error on stage 4 won't cost him his job.
The road is still 10% uphill, but that won't bother Cunego, who takes his hands off the bars, looks round a couple of times, and then raises his arms skywards. He is unbeatable in stage races.
Over a minute later, Machado grinds his way over in second. Well deserved, he was aggressive every stage, and it has paid off.
Henao and Gomez Merchante are next at +1'20"
Uran leads in the peloton at 1'44". Ricco looks despondent, having spent just one day in yellow. I guess he knows now that he will never be a better rider than Cunego. Maybe his pink jersey will allow him to sleep tonight though.
So Ricco is now third, 23 seconds behind Henao, but just 9 ahead of Machado, could he drop off the podium? At least his teams weakness can't hurt him tomorrow.
