Karpets keeps Castilla y Leon control

Vladimir Karpets of Caisse d'Epargne remains the overall leader after Castilla y Leon stage two. The 26 year-old Russian won the stage one time trial on Monday and then his Spanish team controlled affairs on Tuesday to ensure his continued reign.

"The day has been a quiet one," said Karpets after he arrived in Salamanca, the end of stage two. "All my teammates worked very well to put an end to the breakaway so that we arrived together.

"At the beginning of the stage, my legs were stiff as a consequence of yesterday's time trial but the problem was resolved after a few kilometres. Tomorrow's stage, with less than 150 kilometres, will probably be a very fast one and I think that the wind could be the main protagonist."

The five-stage race continues today with a 147 kilometre run from Salamanca to Valladolid.