Attrition in the peloton sees a number of favourites dropped; Chavanel takes the race lead
Daniel Moreno (Katusha) won the first mountain finish of the Vuelta a España at the top of Sierra Nevada to take stage four. The Spanish rider followed an attack from Chris Anker Sørensen (Saxo Bank-SunGard) in the closing kilometres of the 2112 metre climb, then jumped away from the Dane in the final few hundred metres to take the victory.
Sørensen followed Moreno over the line three seconds behind him, while Daniel Martin (Garmin-Cervélo) led the much-reduced peloton across just 11 seconds later.
“I wasn’t well at the beginning of the stage but I found a comfortable rhythm later on,” said a delighted Moreno after the finish. “With five kilometres to go, I spoke with [Katusha team leader] Purito [Rodriguez] and he told me to try and go for the stage win. This is the kind of scenario that we’ve spoken about my times together before the Vuelta but not only about today’s stage.
“I didn’t enjoy the head wind towards the end of the climb to the Sierra Nevada. The wind is my biggest enemy. I thought I was faster than Sørensen and I knew that the last 300 metres being uphill, it would favour my plans. I’m having my best season so far but it’s also the season in which I’ve been training the most, with a lot of altitude training camps.”
Runner-up Chris Anker Sørensen (Saxo Bank-SunGard) was clearly in very good shape, doing most of the driving on the front in the finale. He showed that he bounced back well after the disappointment of losing time yesterday due to a puncture, but had hoped for more. “I’m disappointed that I finished only second because I gave a lot to win today,” he said. “Maybe I’ve made the mistake to spend too much energy but I’m really happy with the shape I have. I couldn’t beat Moreno though. He was really strong.”
The day was dominated by a seven-man break, made up of Guillaume Bonnafond (AG2R La Mondiale), US champion Matthew Busche (RadioShack), Yohan Bagot (Cofidis), Thomas Rohregger (Leopard Trek), Eduard Vorganov (Katusha), Jose Vicente Toribio (Andalucia-Caja Granada) and Koen De Kort (Skil-Shimano), which escaped in the opening kilometres. On the climb to Sierra Nevada it was reduced to just Busche, Bonnafond, Rohregger and Voganov but was finally overcome by the move from Sørensen with just five kilometres to go.
Behind the break, pressure from a number of teams, including the Liquigas-Cannondale squad of defending champion Vincenzo Nibali managed to thin the peloton down to less than thirty riders. The highest profile victim was race-hopeful Igor Antón (Euskaltel-Euskadi), who lost 1’38” to Moreno.
Although he was distanced by the peloton in the closing kilometres, French champion Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step) managed to hold on to take over the race lead from stage three winner Pablo Lastras (Movistar), who was dropped early in the climb.
“I hung on during the whole ascent to the Sierra Nevada thinking that the red jersey was at the end of the road,” he said. “It was difficult because I could feel the fatigue of yesterday’s breakaway in my legs. I wanted to pass the first five or six kilometres of the final climb with no problem because I knew that it would be easier further up, but when the Liquigas team accelerated with nine kilometres to go, I blew. I hung on as much as I could. I’ve lost a bit of time at the end but I had a margin [over the other riders – ed.]. I’m delighted to have the red jersey on my shoulders after having been the leader of the Vuelta for one day in 2008.”
The Vuelta hits the high mountains in week one
The 170.2km stage between Baza and Sierra Nevada was to cross the 1st category Alto de Filabres, after just 31km, and the 3rd category Puerto de los Blancares, with 45km to go, on the way to the final climb to the finish. While the Sierra Nevada is not steep enough a climb to open up too many gaps, it would be tough enough to catch out any of the overall favourites that had come to the race in less than peak form.
“This is a difficult stage where we’ll confront each other,” said defending champion Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) at the start. “The Sierra Nevada is a long climb; it can have an impact on GC but maybe not at all. I’m having a very good first week, so I’m confident.”
For red jersey Lastras, and his Movistar team, the stage was to have extra significance since teammate Xavier Tondo – to whom Lastras dedicated his stage win the day before – was killed in a freak accident on Sierra Nevada back in May.
“I’ll have that in mind when we’ll start climbing and I’m sure it’ll help me ride better than normal,” said Lastras at the start. “We won’t be nine riders from Movistar today but ten. It’s such a special day for me. I’ll do my best to keep the red jersey.”
The usual attack gets away and is given a long leash
After an initial flurry of attacks the seven-man group got clear after just ten kilometres, just as the 21km climb to the Alto de Filabres began. Just as on the day before, the group was deemed acceptable by the peloton and it was allowed to build a sizeable advantage.
With Movistar leading the peloton the group’s lead grew to 7’20” on the climb, but had reduced slightly to 7’05” as De Kort took the maximum points over the top.
Rohregger was the best placed of the group, 3’18” behind Lastras in 47th place, although this was reduced to 3’12” as he took first place over the intermediate sprint in Huéneja after 76km. Having dropped to below six minutes on the long descent from the Filabres, the lead was growing again as the group passed through the feedzone in Alcudia de Guadix after 95km; after 116km it reached its maximum of 8’09” as they approached the foot of the Puerto de los Blancares.
At the base of the climb the septet’s lead was 7’55” but, as De Kort took the maximum points over the top once more, the Rabobank team had taken control of the peloton and reduced it to 5’55”. De Kort and Rohregger briefly jumped clear of the other five, but they all rejoined as they hit the long descent to the base of Sierra Nevada.
It was at this point that Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) abandoned, having suffered on every climb of the race so far,
The gap comes down as the climb to the finish approaches
Rabobank kept the pace high as the peloton hit the descent and, with 30km to go, the gap was down to 4’45”. As Rohregger led through the intermediate sprint in Pinos Genil, just before the base of the final climb, the pace proved to be too much for some in the group. First De Kort and Toribio, and then Bagot, were dropped, leaving just four up front.
The rear of the peloton was also splitting as Rabobank’s Matti Breschel kept the pressure on as the peloton hit the base of the climb. With 20km the gap was down to 2’30”, as Bauke Mollema took over with Robert Gesink tucked in on his wheel.
Having done his best to stay with the leaders Lastras was dropped. Chavanel was still in the front group, poised to take over the red jersey from the stage three winner, as Katusha took over the chase. With 15km to go, the gap to the four up front was a little under two minutes.
Vacansoleil-DCM took over, with Ruslan Pidgornyy apparently out to take the vacant red jersey to replace the combination one that he was wearing. Chavanel was still there however, and it would be the French champion that took the race lead if he were still there at the finish.
Meanwhile, up front, Toribio managed to chase his way back up to the leaders. Just as he made it on to the rear of the group though, he cracked spectacularly and virtually ground to a halt in the road.
Trouble for Igor Antón as Liquigas-Cannondale turns the screw
At the back of the peloton Igor Antón looked to be in trouble, dropping off the back before lifting himself out of the saddle to rejoin once again. With 10km to go, as there was a brief descent on the climb, the gap was consolidated at 1’30”; Lastras though, was now 5’15” behind the peloton.
Liquigas-Cannondale, seemingly aware that Antón was in trouble, took over and began to increase the pace. The Euskaltel captain was dropped, and teammates Gorka Verdugo and Amets Txurruka dropped back to help him.
At 8km to go the four up front were ahead by just 53 seconds. As Anton passed under the banner, where his name was painted all over the road, he was having to get on his radio to ask his two teammates to slow down.
At the front of the peloton, Nibali became the first of the favourites to show his hand and attacked. The climb was not steep enough for the Italian to get a decisive gap though, and he was chased down by the Rabobank team. The flurry of activity had further distanced Antón though, and cut the lead of the four fugitives to 34 seconds at the 7km banner.
Sørensen goes and Moreno follows
As the peloton looked at one another Robert Kiserlovski (Astana) jumped away, and Chris Anker Sørensen chased and joined him and, as they passed under the 5km banner the two attackers caught the leading four. Sørensen attacked straight away, with Bonnafond following him, and the others could do nothing to stop them and drifted back to the peloton
With Vorganov caught, Katusha launched Moreno up the road after Sørensen and Bonnafond and he caught them within a few hundred metres. Sorensen accelerated, finally dropping Bonnafond, and he and Moreno set off for the finish. The peloton was not far behind though; just 13 seconds back under the 3km to go banner.
Chavanel gets dropped but there’s not far to go
Chavanel was beginning to struggle at the rear of the peloton as Lampre-ISD began to set the pace and, as he reached the 2km to go banner, he finally lost contact.
Sørensen attacked again but Moreno clawed him back, as Team Sky took over control of the peloton, with Chris Froome pacing Bradley Wiggins.
Into the final kilometre Sørensen was still doing almost all of the work in front, with the peloton 15 seconds behind them. Moreno was out of the saddle, itching to go, and finally jumped with 400 metres to go, getting an immediate gap over the Danish rider.
Having made his move, Moreno took the stage with ease, pausing only to zip up his open jersey before he hit the line. Sørensen followed him just three seconds back, with Martin outsprinting the very small peloton 11 seconds behind to take third.
Although Chavanel had been dropped, the French champion managed to limit his losses to 57 seconds to Moreno. With Lastras far behind, the Quick Step rider takes the race lead in the Vuelta, having first worn the leader’s jersey in 2008.
After the finish, he confirmed that he also wants to land a stage win. However that will have to be put on hold for the moment. “I have this target at the back of my mind but I know that I’ll only have the possibility to try and do so once I’ll be a bit behind on GC,” he explained. “And for now, I’m going to defend the leader’s jersey. Stage five ends up with a climb that has an uphill section at 23% but I’ll give everything. It doesn’t suit my characteristics like Rodriguez but I’m not going to finish five minutes behind him. I’ll give a call to Philippe Gilbert to ask him if I can hire his legs for one day…”
Moreno will also be psyched starting tomorrow, but said that his energies will be directed towards his team-mate Joaquim Rodriguez, who led the race last year. “I’m not thinking of making the final podium of the Vuelta or getting any particular position on GC,” he confirmed. “I’m only here to ride for Purito [Rodriguez] and to take my chance when there is some freedom like today.
“I think his chance of winning the Vuelta is very high because we have a great team for this race, notably for the flat stages. This is the big opportunity for Purito to win the race.”