Liberty Seguros watches & waits

Liberty Seguros team manager Manolo Saiz says the heat will be the biggest factor in the Vuelta a España over the next few days, and his squad will be content to lie in wait in the peloton until the race's first major test, stage 6's 217km ride from Cuenca to Valdelinares with its cat 1 climb to a finish at 1400m.

"This heat will greatly tire the rider", said Saiz in a team statement. "This heat is equally bad for everyone, but clearly, we Spanish tolerate it better than foreigners."

"I am satisfied with my team," Saiz added. "Now we try to pass unnoticed until the stage to Valdelinares, see what happens then and what damage the heat has done to that point."