The 12km La Pandera climb to the summit finish of La Vuelta stage 14 proved a real battle for Nicolas Roche. There was action in the general classification group for the second half of the climb and the race split to pieces.
Nicolas Roche loses Vuelta battle with La Pandera
Ireland’s Nicolas Roche has lost time in the general classification battle on stage 14 of the Vuelta.
The final climb of La Pandera was 12km long with an average gradient of 7.3 per cent.
It was an ascent of two halves for Nicolas Roche. He stayed with the favourites for the first section before slipping off the back around halfway and losing time.
Up ahead the early breakaway of the day was being picked off one by one by the select group as it was whittled down.
One of the escapes, Rafa Majka (Bora-hansgrohe) had the legs for the long road. The Pole fought his way up the mountain to a stage win.
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Nicolas Roche would take 19th place. The only other Irishman in the race, Conor Dunne of Aqua Blue Sport, finished in 146th today.
He came home in a 50-rider group some 29:09 down, but surviving to fight on.
The real fight today was not in the breakaway but back in the favourites group. And the action there did not disappoint.
With just under 8km remaining in the race and the select group having formed on the climb, Roche looked uncomfortable towards the rear of the group.
Luis Leon Sanchez was on the front for Astana. And was putting his own team leader Fabio Aru into trouble.
Aru looked as if he was about to be spat out the back when Leon Sanchez eased back slightly on the front.
With just over 5km remaining Team Sky took over the pace setting. At that point Rafal Majka was still leading solo, with 1:25 in hand.
However, back in the 20-strong select group it was Romain Bardet (AG2R-La Mondiale) who attacked first.
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Team Sky did not panic; Wout Poels continuing to plug away on the front tapping out a very healthy pace.
Bardet eked out only a tiny gap, but Esteban Chaves (Orica-Scott), 3rd overall this morning, went after him.
He passed Bardet and pushed on hard. Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) would go after them and then Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain Merida).
The gaps on the road remained very small; though Roche and Aru slipped out the back of the Team Sky-led select group.
With about 3.5km remaining, and Majka’s gap falling slightly, Nibali took over the driving in the little group off the front of the Chris Froome group, which now numbered just five.
Nibali would pull clear with Contador, as Chaves went back to Froome and the those he was with.
Aru, , Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin) and Michael Woods (Cannondale-Drapac) were fighting to get back of Froome’s group, with Roche just a little further back the road.
And with just 2.5km to the finish, Froome took over the pace setting in his group, instantly splitting it.
Up ahead Nibali began arguing with Contador and Froome caught them, with Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) for company.
Just 2km out, and with Majka still holding 45 seconds, Wilco Kelderman (Team Sunweb) got back to the select group and attacked.
But his half-hearted effort was blown out of the water when Lopez jumped hard and got a gap immediately.
Poels would also get back to Froome; Roche, Aru, Bardet and others still battling to get back to them. But from that point the gaps simply opened more.
Nothing could stop Majka up front. He won the stage by just 27 seconds from Lopez.
Then four seconds later came Nibali, from Froome, Zakarin and Kelderman, all on the same time.
Contador was then 7th, losing six seconds in the final kick to Froome and those he was with.
Poels was next, 9 seconds later; then Chaves 11 seconds after him and Aru a further six seconds back, and 1:03 off the winner.
In the end Roche found the latter part of the climb very difficult once he had been distanced.
He was 19th on the day; 2:15 down on Majka and losing 1:44 to Froome and the others.
That meant he slipped from 11th overall this morning to 13th place in the standings this evening.
Nicolas Roche now trails race leader Froome by 6:09. And Roche is 2:21 off 10th place, filled by Lopez.
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