Jackson Rodriguez (Diquigiovanni-Androni) (Image credit: AFP)
The Vuelta Mexico Telmex began the stage on Friday with a new overall leader, with Jackson Rodriguez taking the yellow jersey from the shoulders of his Diquigiovanni-Androni teammate Gilberto Simoni after a successful breakaway on Thursday's stage five. Rock Racing racked up its second stage in a row thanks to a repeat win by Swiss rider David Vitoria.
Vitoria and Rodriguez finished 32 seconds clear of Mexican Carlos Lopez (Canel's Turbo) on a mountainous stage which included seven categorized climbs, beginning with the 1,500-meter Cacahumilpa climb 70 kilometers into the stage, and stair-stepping up over the next 110 kilometers to the top of the Zinacantepec volcano at over 3,500 meters over a 215-kilometer route.
Karl Menzies (OUCH Pro Cycling Team p/b Maxxis) resumed his lead in the sprint classification after he made the early breakaway and took three of the four intermediate sprints, all of which preceded the climbs. The break gained a maximum gap of nine minutes on the field, and stayed clear until the penultimate climb. "Karl did a great job of getting off the front and getting the sprint jersey back," said team directeur sportif Mike Tamayo. "Our goal the rest of the way will be to make sure he keeps it."
