Nicolas Roche is continuing to show his best form of the year at this Vuelta. He has ridden well on the shorter, sharp climbs. The Irishman is 3rd overall with almost one week of three completed.
Roche 3rd Van Garderen crashes twice at Vuelta
Nicolas Roche has moved up to 3rd at the Vuelta as Tejay Van Garderen crashed twice on stage 6 today.
The American, and BMC Racing team mate of Roche’s, crashed heavily with around 40km remaining. And then had a more minor second fall as he was chasing back on.
He would limit his losses well, giving up just 20 seconds to the general classification group.
But that time loss saw him slip from 2nd to 4th overall. Roche and Esteban Chaves (Orica-Scott) both nudged one place higher on GC to 2nd and 3rd.
The cat 2 climb towards the end of the 204.4km stage from Vila-Real to Sagunt really split things up.
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#LV2017 La caída de Tejay van Garderen y Betancur en el Garbí. #VueltaRTVE
?via @Archiduxpic.twitter.com/Q8Rc2FHCuu— Brain on Wheels ? (@BrainOnWheels) August 24, 2017
And an 18-man group including race leader Chris Froome (Team Sky) would finish 26 seconds behind the three leaders.
Roche and most of his rivals for a top general classification placing were present.
But with almost the first week of three on this race completed, Nicolas Roche is looking in the best form he has shown this year.
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He is now just 13 seconds off Froome and two off Chaves.
Just like yesterday, the stage was won by a breakaway; this time 27 riders initially going clear though only five would survive.
Tomasz Marczynski (Lotto Soudal) claimed the three-up sprint at the finish. He won from fellow Pole Pawel Poljanski (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Spanish rider Enric Mas (Quick-Step).
Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana) and Antonio Pedrero (Movistar) had been with them. But in the closing kilometres they sensed they were about to be caught and so they sat up.
However, they then got stuck in no-man’s land between the three leaders and favourites group.
And that’s where they would finish, taking 4th and 5th places on the day.
That was despite realising their mistake and trying to catch the three leaders in the last few kilometres.
On the final climb, the Puerto del Garbi, it was Alberto Contador and his Trek Segafredo team who pushed hard.
However, while that pressure split what remained of the peloton, the strong men would regroup on the descent. And an 18-man group would arrive at the finish together just after the leading trio.
Stage 6: Vila-Real to Sagunt (204.4km)
1 Tomasz Marczynski (Pol) Lotto Soudal 4:47:02
2 Pawel Poljanski (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe
3 Enric Mas (Spa) Quick-Step Floors
4 Luis León Sánchez (Spa) Astana Pro Team 0:00:08
5 Jan Polanc (Slo) UAE Team Emirates
6 Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Sunweb 0:00:26
7 Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
8 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky
9 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team
10 Jack Haig (Aus) Orica-Scott
11 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team
12 Nicolas Roche (Irl) BMC Racing Team
13 Adam Yates (GBr) Orica-Scott
14 Wout Poels (Ned) Team Sky
15 Johan Esteban Chaves Rubio (Col) Orica-Scott
16 Ricardo Vilela (Por) Manzana Postobon
17 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
18 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb
19 Daniel Navarro Garcia (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
20 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin
21 Michael Woods (Can) Cannondale-Drapac
22 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Trek-Segafredo
23 Darwin Atapuma (Col) UAE Team Emirates
24 Sam Oomen (Ned) Team Sunweb 0:00:30
25 David de la Cruz (Spa) Quick-Step Floors 0:00:43
90 Stefan Denifl (Aut) Aqua Blue Sport 0:12:31
107 Aaron Gate (NZl) Aqua Blue Sport
134 Lawrence Warbasse (USA) Aqua Blue Sport 0:15:03
148 Michel Kreder (Ned) Aqua Blue Sport 0:17:40
154 Mark Christian (GBr) Aqua Blue Sport 0:23:11
156 Conor Dunne (Irl) Aqua Blue Sport
162 Adam Blythe (GBr) Aqua Blue Sport
165 Peter Koning (Ned) Aqua Blue Sport
186 Lasse Norman Hansen (Den) Aqua Blue Sport 0:23:47
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