Dan Martin on the attack again in the closing stages of stage 9 of the Vuelta. He is now well within striking distance of a much higher overall placing.
Dan Martin’s Vuelta a Espana opening week was characterised by aggression in the finales of a number of stages, and today’s 185km scontest between Carboneras de Guadazaón and Aramón Valdelinares proved no different.
Just inside the final 2km on the summit finish, it was the Irishman who took up the challenge; attacking the group of big favourites even though the strongest men from the day’s main escape were the guts of three minutes up the road.
With Katusha’s Daniel Moreno on the front of the group and his team leader Joaquin Rodriguez in his wheel, Martin accelerated hard on the right of the road despite having 4½ hours in his legs, much of it in the rain.
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The Garmin Sharp man pulled out a gap and ploughed on alone, looking to gain time having lost a minute on the first summit finish of the race three days ago.
However, Moreno had other ideas and upped the tempo, bringing Martin back into the fold after just 400 metres out front.
While he was recaptured, the pressure of his attack had reduced the group even further and just as Martin had taken his place in the favourites group it was Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) who was next to jump.
This time he got a good gap, with Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Rodriquez eventually going after him, distancing the rest of the select group including Martin, Chris Froome (Team Sky) and race leader Alejandro Valverde (Movistar).
As Quintana and Rodriguez hunted down Contador, Lampre-Merida’s Winner Anacona was winning the stage on top of the cat 1 Valdelinares, having proven the strongest from the large early breakaway.
Contador looked very strong at the pointy end of a very tough stage and should press Quintana hard for his leader's jersey during Tuesday's time trial.
Among the early escape was Eduard Vorganov of the Katusha team, who was caught by Quintana and Rodriguez and despite having been up the road all day, he pulled hard for them and kept Contador at bay.
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Around 300 metres from the line, Rodriguez came around Vorganov and sprinted all the way to the finish, catching Contador on the line with Quintana on his wheel; those three some 2:16 down on the stage winner and with 10 riders from the early breakaway between themselves and the victor.
Martin would cross the line some 33 seconds later in a five-man group also containing Valverde, Froome, Rigoberto Uran (Omega Pharma Quickstep) and Fabio Aru (Astana).
Martin’s ride sees him sit 15th overall ahead of Tuesday's crucial 36.7km time trial after tomorrow's rest day. He is some 1:42 off new race leader Quintana, but is just 36 seconds off Aru in 7th place.
The Garmin Sharp rider would possibly have had the legs to move with Quintana and Rodriguez after Contador had he not attacked a little further down the road, and is now well within stricking distance of a top overall placing
Philip Deignan was called into action earlier in the day in aiding Team Sky’s pursuit of the breakaway and finished 64th, some 7:55 down. He is now 55th overall, 28:56 down.
Lampre-Merida’s Winner Anacona taking stage 9 on the summit finish and riding himself well into contention on the overall, where he sits 4th; just nine seconds behind new race leader Nairo Quintana.
Stage 9: Carboneras de Guadazaón - Aramón Valdelinares (185km)
1 Winner Anacona Gomez (Col) Lampre-Merida 4:34:14
2 Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:00:45
3 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Merida 0:00:50
4 Javier Moreno Bazan (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:04
5 Peio Bilbao (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA 0:01:12
6 Jérôme Coppel (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:01:21
7 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin Sharp 0:01:33
8 Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto Belisol 0:01:45
9 Bob Jungels (Lux) Trek Factory Racing 0:01:49
10 Fabio Felline (Ita) Trek Factory Racing 0:02:08
11 Dan Craven (Nam) Team Europcar 0:02:13
12 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:02:16
13 Joaquím Rodríguez Oliver (Spa) Team Katusha
14 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Col) Movistar Team
15 Eduard Vorganov (Rus) Team Katusha 0:02:22
16 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team 0:02:39
17 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team
18 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky
19 Rigoberto Urán (Col) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team
20 Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin Sharp
64 Philip Deignan (Irl) Team Sky 0:07:55
General Classification
1 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Col) Movistar Team 35:58:05
2 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:00:03
3 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:08
4 Winner Anacona Gomez (Col) Lampre-Merida 0:00:09
5 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 0:00:28
6 Joaquím Rodríguez Oliver (Spa) Team Katusha 0:00:30
7 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:01:06
8 Robert Gesink (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 0:01:19
9 Rigoberto Urán (Col) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team 0:01:26
10 Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Giant-Shimano
11 Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spa) Team Sky 0:01:33
12 Johan Esteban Chaves Rubio (Col) Orica GreenEdge 0:01:34
13 Samuel Sánchez Gonzalez (Spa) BMC Racing Team 0:01:35
14 Damiano Caruso (Ita) Cannondale 0:01:36
15 Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin Sharp 0:01:42
16 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 0:01:49
17 Daniel Navarro Garcia (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:02:37
18 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Team Katusha 0:03:17
19 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Lotto Belisol 0:04:16
20 Sergio Pardilla Bellon (Spa) MTN - Qhubeka 0:04:33
55 Philip Deignan (Irl) Team Sky 0:28:56
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