Nicolas Roche has been aggressive at the Vuelta and went on the attack again today on the second of three consecutive mountain stages (Photo: Chris Auld)
If Nicolas Roche doesn't take a stage win away from Vuelta 2018 it won't be for the want of trying. The Irish rider was again on the attack on stage 14 today.
Roche would prove one of the strongest of a quality six-man escape on the 171km race from Cistierna to Les Praeres Nava.
However, with Michał Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) with them, and not completely out of the general classification battle at the start of the day, the breakaway was not given much leeway.
On some of the recent stages, escapes have not only survived to contest the finishes but also gained more than 10 minutes on the general classification men.
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But any similar scenario today would have put Kwiatkowski, who started the escape in the early kilometres, not only back into the race for the overall, but into the leader's jersey.
He began the day in 19th place, some 5:02 down on Jesús Herrada (Cofidis) but much closer to most of the overall contenders.
Top down: The day's breakaway, with Roche at the back. Yates wins the stage and takes the race lead. Lopez and Valverde cede just two seconds too the winner.
And so when Kwiatkowski went clear with Roche and four others today, they were never let get too far ahead.
With them was Michael Woods (Education First-Drapac) along with Ivan Garcia Cortina (Bahrain-Merida), Brent Bookwalter (BMC Racing) and Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal).
With Kwiatkowski in the company of five serious riders, they were never let get more than four minutes.
Movistar, whose leader Nairo Quintana is in contention to win this race, helped Cofidis to ensure a huge gap did not go out in the early part of the stage.
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And after a prolonged time out front, during which Roche could be seen at times urging the others on, the breakaway began to fall apart.
Bahrain Merida became active on front of the peloton as the race went on. And that decision by the team saw the end of Cortina’s contribution to the workload up front.
He would drop back to aid his team, with De Gendt also losing his place in the escape with over 40km remaining; after a mechanical.
As those up front rode onto the late Alto de la Falla de Los Lobos, with some 30km remaining, the others in the escape fell by the wayside until just Kwiatkowski remained; Roche and Bookwalter staying with him longest.
With 26km remaining Bookwalter was dropped and Roche was distanced a few kilometres later by the Pole.
Kwiatkowski sped down the climb and drove hard to the final incline of the day up to the finish. But he was swept up on that climb.
The peloton had been significantly trimmed back by that point. But it was on that final climb - a cat 1 up a concrete path - that the fireworks really went off.
Among those active off the front were Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo), Simon Yates (Mitchelton Scott), Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) and Quintana.
Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) was also in the mix but struggled; falling off the pace and labouring back.
After the favourites had pulled clear in a small group, it was Yates who had the most in the tank. He attacked and pulled clear to win by two seconds from Lopez and Valverde.
Herrada, who took the leader’s jersey when he made the breakaway on Thursday’s stage 12, lost nine minutes today.
That meant Yates took the red leader’s jersey by 20 seconds from Valverde, with Quintana next another five seconds back. Lopez is next at 47 seconds.
And the race to Madrid next Sunday, though there is still a long way to go, looks to be between those four.
Roche would pay later in today’s stage for his breakaway efforts and would finish in 27th at 5:10.
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