Joaquim Rodriquez, won the sixth stage of the Vuelta a Epana this afternoon.
Today's 175.4km stage from Tarazona to Jaca brought another finish in a ski resort and saw Martijn Maaskant (Garmin-Sharp), Joost Van Leijen (Lotto Belisol Team), Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil-Dcm Pro Cycling Team), Pieter Weening (Orica – GreenEdge) and Kristof Vandewalle (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) attack with only ten kilometres gone.
After two hours of riding and 80 kilometres done, the escapers were still three minutes ahead of the peloton.
The two Belgans and three Dutchman were caught with 20kms to go. Thomas De Gendt shot away.
it looked like he would win but the peloton with Rodriquez and Froome on the front followed by Nicholas Roche chased him down and passed him.
Sky had three riders on the front going into the final kilometre. .
Rodriquez went, followed by Chris Froome and won the stage in a time of 4.35.22. Froome was five seconds back, five ahead of Valverde. Nicholas Roche was ninth.
Rodriquez leads the race by five seconds from Chris Froome.
Speaking after the race to the Vuelta press office, Joaquin Rodriguez, who kept his leader's jersey, said: "I just hope that the Barça wins the “clasico” after I won this stage. It was a very hard one. With a few teams well organized, it was a fight in the echelons before the last hill. It was a very steep one. It was more of an uphill sprint than a long climb in the mountains. I’m not sure of what happened to Contador. I was on Chris Froome’s wheel, so I haven’t seen anything behind. I wasn’t surprised to see Froome at that level. He was going so strongly at the Tour! He clearly came to the Vuelta with the ambition of winning."
Froome said that you rode very smartly to win the stage. How did you plan your efforts at the end?
"When you’re not as strong as the others, you have to make your brain work. Sky and Saxo Bank did such a great job that I had no choice but ride smartly and wait for the right time to pass Froome.
"I feel very good. I feel just as good as at the Giro and it’s important for me to have the same team around me as at the Giro, plus Denis Menchov. I feel good but I’m opposed to very strong riders like Chris Froome, Alejandro [Valverde] and Alberto [Contador]. The Vuelta is still a long way to go but I couldn’’t find myself in a better position than where I stand now."
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