The race passed through some parched grasslands on its way to a sprint finish today in Valladoli
Nicolas Roche has suggested his chances of a top ten place at the Vuelta are either gone for this year or are slim following his time loss on the road to Fuente De yesterday when Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff) blew the race apart.
Roche was part of a group that lost 4:48 to the flying Spaniard, who not only took the stage but also the race leadership from Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha). The Irishman came home in 26th place, losing time to many of his GC rivals and slipping from 10th to 12th overall.
With just three stages remaining after the bunch sprint finish today, Thursday, Roche is now 16:22 down on leader Contador and is 2:12 off his stated aim of a top ten place, with Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Movistar) currently in 10th.
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Roche really only has Saturday’s massive stage in the mountains to try and make that time back and move once again into the top ten.
However, writing in his Irish Independent Vuelta diary today Roche accepted this was now a tall order after yesterday’s result.
“Finishing 26th on the stage, with our 16-man group coming in four minutes and 48 seconds down on Contador, I lost out to both Intxausti and (Gorka)Verdugo -- who took fourth on the stage -- and they both leapfrogged me in the overall standings.”
“I'm 12th overall now and pretty p****d off. The only chance I have of breaking back into the top 10 is on the second last stage on Saturday, which finishes up the savagely steep climb to Bola de Mundo. Anything can happen but I'm two minutes and 11 seconds behind 10th-placed Intxausti now and that's a lot.”
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He added while he had missed some of the key moves when Contador began his rampage on the penultimate climb of the day, he had earlier gone on the attack but was pegged back by some of those going for the minor places in the top ten.
On one such occasion a group containing former Vuelta king of the mountains David Moncoutie (Cofidis) went clear. A large chase group formed after him and this contained some of Contador’s team mates. Roche said it was clear Contador wanted to let them away so they would be up the road later to help him when he attacked.
“I tried to get across t o the move a few times on the climb but every time I moved I was nailed by one of the Rabobank duo of Laurens ten Dam (eighth) or Robert Gesink (sixth), who were afraid I would gain enough time to overtake them in the overall standings.”
Roche added that when Contador finally made his attack, the group he left - which contained Roche - split on the penultimate climb under the pressure of the chase after the Spaniard.
When the Irishman found himself in the first part of that split he tried to attack that group because he could see some of his rivals for the top ten GC placings were several groups back. However, he was again closed down by Ten Dam and Gesink.
“That's the difference between me and Contador,” Roche writes.
“When I attack, Gesink is able to follow me. When Contador attacks nobody is able to follow him.”
Roche finished in the main peloton on today’s stage 18 – Thursday - from Aguilar de Campoo to Valladoli. Daniele Bennati (RadioShack-Nissan) just about edged out Team Sky’s Ben Swift for the win by the narrowest of margins after 204.5km. There were no changes overall.
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