Nicolas Roche fought hard on the final climb at the Vuelta while Aqua Blue Sport made the breakaway on today’s stage 5.
Nicolas Roche drops some rivals on Vuelta stage 5
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Nicolas Roche is a little further away from the Vuelta leader’s jersey after stage 5 today.
But he has also put time into some of his biggest rivals should he stay in the general classification battle.
The 157.7km stage from Benicàssim to Alcossebre featured a short and steep climb of Ermita Santa Lucia up to the finish line.
Roche said before the stage he expected a GC battle to take place there and he wasn’t disappointed.
The remains of the day’s large breakaway – Aqua Blue Sport’s Michel Kreder among them – mopped up the first 11 places on the stage.
But over four minutes behind stage winner Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) it was Team Sky determined to split up the peloton.
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Its young Italian star Gianni Moscon softened up the bunch the select group for team mate and race leader Chris Froome.
And when Moscon had done his work Froome hit the accelerator and finished off the job. And only the strongest could go with him.
Ironically, having struggled on stage 3 when Froome attacked up the final modest climb, Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) not only stayed with the race leader but helped in the pace setting at the very end.
Froome’s burst would pull clear a small group featuring Contador, Michael Woods (Cannondale-Drapac) and Esteban Chaves (Orica-Scott).
They crossed the line in the same time, some 4:31 down on Lutsenko, who dropped his breakaway rivals on the climb for a solo win.
And behind the group of Froome the other GC men all lost time.
However, while Nicolas Roche was among those not able to hold Froome, he limited his losses very well.
Roche’s BMC Racing team mate Tejay van Garderen finished alone just 8 seconds off Froome’s four-man group.
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And three seconds later came five men, who would cede 11 seconds to Froome, Chaves, Woods and Contador.
Roche was one of them and he had climbed in good company.
Alongside him were Adam Yates (Orica-Scott), Fabio Aru (Astana), Wilco Kelderman (Team Sunweb), Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin).
Warren Barguil (Team Sunweb) was a further 10 seconds back with Simon Yates (Orica-Scott) and Carlos Alberto Betancur (Movistar).
Another five seconds back, and so losing 15 to Roche, was Vincenzo Nibali (Astana).
Some 35 seconds down on the Irishman was Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) while Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R La Mondiale) and Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) were gave 38 seconds away to the Irishman.
The gaps will mean nothing for Roche if, as the Vuelta progresses a little more, he decides to abandon hopes of a GC ride and goes for a stage win instead.
But it’s a question of so far so good. And if he can maintain this form and place well inside the top 10 would be a realistic goal for him.
He is already a Vuelta double stage winner and his best general classification ride was 5th in 2013; the year he won his first stage and led the race.
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In the end Roche would finish 19th and is 4th overall some 13 seconds off leader Froome.
Aqua Blue Sport’s Kreder did very well to make the 17-strong escape today and would survive out front to take 11th place.
Conor Dunne, one of only two Irishmen in the race, found the going tough, as expected in his first Grand Tour.
He came home in 188th place some 14:31 down. But the Aqua Blue Sport man will look to take his chances later in the race.
Tomorrow’s stage 6 is a long one; 204.4km from Vila-Real to Sagunt.
It features five climbs; four of them cat 3 ascents. But there is one cat 2 crested with just over 35km remaining.
Stage 5: Benicàssim-Alcossebre (157.7km)
1 Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 4:24:58
2 Merhawi Kudus Ghebremedhin (Eri) Dimension Data 0:00:42
3 Marc Soler (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:56
4 Matej Mohoric (Slo) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:11
5 Alexis Gougeard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:24
6 Marco Haller (Aut) Katusha-Alpecin 0:01:37
7 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Floors 0:01:40
8 Jetse Bol (Ned) Manzana Postobon 0:02:04
9 Matvey Mamykin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin 0:02:18
10 Jeremy Maison (Fra) FDJ 0:02:31
11 Michel Kreder (Ned) Aqua Blue Sport 0:03:20
12 Davide Villella (Ita) Cannondale-Drapac 0:04:00
13 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Trek-Segafredo 0:04:31
14 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky
15 Michael Woods (Can) Cannondale-Drapac
16 Johan Esteban Chaves Rubio (Col) Orica-Scott
17 Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:04:39
18 Adam Yates (GBr) Orica-Scott 0:04:42
19 Nicolas Roche (Irl) BMC Racing Team
20 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team
21 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb
22 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin
23 David de la Cruz (Spa) Quick-Step Floors 0:04:52
24 Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Sunweb
25 Jack Haig (Aus) Orica-Scott
26 Simon Yates (GBr) Orica-Scott
27 Carlos Alberto Betancur Gomez (Col) Movistar Team
28 Sam Oomen (Ned) Team Sunweb
29 Valerio Agnoli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida 0:04:57
30 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
90 Lawrence Warbasse (USA) Aqua Blue Sport 0:09:49
125 Stefan Denifl (Aut) Aqua Blue Sport 0:11:57
163 Peter Koning (Ned) Aqua Blue Sport 0:12:50
164 Mark Christian (GBr) Aqua Blue Sport 0:12:55
177 Aaron Gate (NZl) Aqua Blue Sport 0:13:49
183 Adam Blythe (GBr) Aqua Blue Sport 0:13:53
187 Lasse Norman Hansen (Den) Aqua Blue Sport 0:14:18
188 Conor Dunne (Irl) Aqua Blue Sport 0:14:31
General Classification
1 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 18:07:10
2 Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:10
3 Johan Esteban Chaves Rubio (Col) Orica-Scott 0:00:11
4 Nicolas Roche (Irl) BMC Racing Team 0:00:13
5 David de la Cruz (Spa) Quick-Step Floors 0:00:23
6 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida 0:00:36
7 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:00:49
8 Adam Yates (GBr) Orica-Scott 0:00:50
9 Simon Yates (GBr) Orica-Scott 0:01:09
10 Michael Woods (Can) Cannondale-Drapac 0:01:13
11 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb 0:01:28
12 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:37
13 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin 0:01:40
14 Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Sunweb 0:01:43
15 Sam Oomen (Ned) Team Sunweb 0:01:53
16 Carlos Alberto Betancur Gomez (Col) Movistar Team 0:01:56
17 Igor Anton Hernandez (Spa) Dimension Data 0:02:09
18 Jack Haig (Aus) Orica-Scott 0:02:19
19 Wout Poels (Ned) Team Sky 0:02:23
20 Jetse Bol (Ned) Manzana Postobon 0:02:29
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