Henao handles Vuelta's queen stage

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Indeportes Antioquia's Sergio Luis Henao proved why he deserves to lead the Vuelta a Colombia Tuesday, when he helped take a select group of three riders over the vicious La Linea climb before outsprinting EPM-UNE's Juan Pablo Suarez to take his second stage win of the Vuelta.

Henao crossed the top of La Linea second behind EPM-UNE's Francisco Colorado and nine seconds ahead of last year's winner, Loteria de Boyacá's Jose Rujano, before the three joined up on the treacherous descent into the town of La Tebaida. The group was met on the downhill by Suarez and this group of four barreled into town together before Henao took the win.

"I'm really happy to win this stage and maintain my hold on the leader's jersey," Henao said.

Thanks to the days climbing, Henao now has 3:29 on Colorado in second place and 3:31 on his teammate Óscar Sevilla in third. As with yesterday, Rujano jumped in the standings to 4th place, 3:47 seconds behind Henao.

Stage 10, 203km between Armero Guayabal and La Tebaida, was billed as this year's queen stage, with its four almost back-to-back categorized climbs culminating with La Linea expected to tear the field apart.

The peloton stayed together through the day's first climb, the category three Alto Rio Recio, but soon fractured when a five-man break struck out that included Indeportes Antioquia's Alejandro Ramirez and Loteria de Boyacá's Mauricio Neisa.

By the time the break reached the day's second sprint through Ibagué, Ramirez's teammates, Jannier Acevedo and Julian Rodas, had joined them, giving Indeportes Antioquia the opportunity to control the break as they saw fit.

"Because he is so close in the general classification, our tactic was to send Acevedo and put Rujano's squad to work," Henao said.

The break stuck together and had over four minutes on the peloton when they crossed the difficult but non-categorized Alto Boqueron. However, after descending and heading up the category three Alto del Perico, only four riders remained in the break: Acevedo, Neisa, two-time Giro d'Italia King of the Mountain's winner Freddy González of Nectar de Cundiamarca and EPM-UNE's Jorge Martinez.

On the day's third climb, the Alto del Tigre, González attacked, but was tagged by the break and eventually left behind by Acevedo and Neisa who crossed the summit 25 seconds ahead of him.

Acevedo and Neisa looked good until the approach to La Linea, where a group containing Henao, Rujano, Sevilla, Boyacá Orgullo de America's Freddy Montaña and others overtook them on the 21km climb's lower section.

This group pushed the pace up La Linea and began to shed some its members as the gradient steepened and the air thinned. Some of the early causalities were Montaña, Boyacá Orgullo de America's Fernando Camargo and Colombia es Pasión's Luis Felipe Laverde.

About halfway up the climb Rujano decided it was time to make a move and attacked on a steep curve, with disastrous effects for those trying to stay on his wheel. Henao and Colorado reacted well and were able to stay with the Venezuelan, but the move shattered the rest of the group and left many riders in its wake including Sevilla.

"The most important thing was that I had the strength to stay with Rujano when he attacked on the climb," Henao said.

Sevilla, who was walking gingerly before the stage due to his fall the day before, looked to be in pain as he gritted his teeth and tried to catch up to Rujano, Colorado and his teammate Henao.

The three lead riders, however, set a fast pace and never looked back. Colorado attacked approximately three kilometres from the top, but could only muster 25 seconds before the three reformed on the 46km descent to the finish where Henao outmaneuvered his companions for the stage win.

Wednesday is the Vuelta a Colombia's only rest day and will be much needed after the grueling last three days in the mountains.

The race picks up Thursday with a mostly flat 204km stage from Yumbo to Pereira. With only one climb on the day, the category three Pasavias, stage 11 should be the last day for the sprinters in the peloton to make themselves known.

After Thursday it's two more days of major climbing before the final time trial through Medellín on Sunday.

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