Vino's victory: Strength or strategy?

Asked whether his remarkable feat in Stage 17 of the Vuelta was due to strength or strategy, new race leader Alexandre Vinokourov said it was a bit of both: "Thanks to the strategy of the whole team, we have obtained this result, but when I saw that Valverde was approaching [on the descent into Granada], I decided to attack alone and there it was a question of force."

Explained Vinokourov, "The day before [Stage 16] was different because it was after a rest day and Valverde was very strong. But I knew there still remained two days [in the mountains] and he [Valverde] could be without his team. [At those moments], I could make up some differences.

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