Nicolas Roche has shown top form at the Vuelta and misses the leader's jersey by only a tiny margin.
Nicolas Roche just misses Vuelta leader's jersey
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Ireland's Nicolas Roche (BMC Racing) has put in a great ride at the Vuelta and missed out on the leader's jersey by just seconds.
Today's stage was won by Vincenzo Nibali (Astana). Chris Froome (Team Sky) is the new race leader.
But Nicolas Roche is up to 3rd place overall and is just two seconds off the race lead.
Roche was 7th on stage 3 today; some 158.5km from Prades Conflent Canigo to Andorra la Vella.
He was part of a nine-man select group that pulled clear over the final climb and down the descent into the finish.
Nibali takes the final stage from the select group just behind including Nicolas Roche.
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On the very short final climb, peaked out just 7km from the finish, Team Sky sprinted into the base of the ascent.
And close to the top Froome would attack. The only one who could follow was Esteban Chaves (Orica-Scott).
They went over the top of that climb clear of a select group that was breaking up under the pressure of the chase.
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Roche was in that group, of about nine riders, until the last section of the climb when he drifted off the back a little.
However, going over the top with just the descent into the finish line to come, the gaps between the first 10 to 15 riders on the road were only very small.
Fabio Aru (Astana) and Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale) joined forces going down the climb. They were first to catch Froome and Chavez.
It looked like that quartet would survive to fight it out for the stage win.
But just inside the final kilometre five men would catch them, including Nibali and Roche in the climbers’ jersey.
With the Italian and the Irishman were David De La Cruz (Quick-Step Floors), Tejay Van Garderen (BMC Racing) and Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R La Mondiale).
Immediately his five-man group caught the four leaders, Roche went for a long one.
He attacked off the front with about 600 metres remaining but was quickly closed down.
Nibali attacked the moment Roche was caught. He got a small gap and it was enough to take the stage win.
De La Cruz was 2nd followed by Froome in 3rd; the top three benefiting from the time bonuses on offer.
Furthermore, Froome had also taken a two-second bonus at the final intermediate sprint just before the final climb started.
It meant the time bonuses lifted both Froome into the race lead and De La Cruz in 2nd. Roche will be kicking himself that he missed out today and also lost time yesterday in the crosswinds.
However, he can take heart that he is squarely among the best riders in this race.
In conclusion, Roche can also be sure he is hitting form for this race, as he has done so often in the past.
More to follow.
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