Valverde Wins Vuelta a Andalucia Stage Two

Last updated : 21 February 2014 By Covsupport News Service

 Movistar's Alejandro Valverde made it three out of three when he won the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol Stage Two

The 197km stage started without six riders including Marcel Kittel of Giant Shimano and on a stage from La Guardia de Jaén to Cabra, Branislau Samoilau (CC Polsat), Andrey Zeits (Astana), Jordi Simón (Ecquador), Markel Irizar (Trek), Simon Geschke (Giant-Shimano), Tim Wellens (Lotto-Belisol) and Romain Zingle (Cofidis).got into the first break after eighteen kilometres.

They built a lead of over four minutes but it was down to 3.42 ahead of a peloton including race leader Alejandro Valverde with 75 kilometres to go.

The parcours of the stage might not have been as arduous as the first stage but there were still plenty of hills to be dealt with before the summit finish at Cabra.

A minute had been knocked off the escapers time with 42kms to go and inside the final twenty kilometres, the gap was 1.22.

Through the town of Cabra and the riders had 34 seconds going onto the final climb of the pto. Virgin de la Sierra.

With ten kilometres left, Bradley Wiggins brought the Team Sky up to the front and they passed the escapers and split the peloton in a devastating attack.

Six Sky riders were on the front of a group of about twenty riders, winding their way up the climb.

Geraint Thomas was taking his stint on the front going into the final kilometre, followed by Porte, Valverde, Scarponi and Pardilla.

Thomas swung off with 500ms to go. Porte tried but Scarponi, Navarro and Valverde had other ideas.

Valverde attacked and won the stage in 5.02.51 for the third day in a row, ahead of Sanchez and Navarro.

Valverde, who leads Richie Porte in the overall classiication by twenty seconds, told Eurosport: "We did brilliantly again. "I just took advantage of what was before me to win. I will enjoy my three wins."