Sanchez wins queen stage from three-man break

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For the third straight year Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) has prevailed on the mountain finish in Eibar-Arrate and with his stage victory the reigning Olympic champion moved into the overall lead at the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco.

Sanchez's finishing kick was too much for his two breakaway companions, Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) and Chris Horner (RadioShack-Nissan), who finished in second and third respectively on the Basque country's queen stage and also occupy the same positions on general classification, tied on time with Sanchez.

The trio escaped 4.5km from the finish on the day's seventh and final climb, the first category Alto de Usartza, and held off the pursuit of a chase group which grew in size from seven to 17 riders by the time it reached the finish. Bauke Mollema (Rabobank) took the sprint for fourth place, 12 seconds in arrears of the lead trio, followed by Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) and Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) in fifth and sixth.

As no time bonuses are in effect during the race, the riders in the chase group are now clustered on time 12 seconds behind the lead trio on general classification. Based on stage placings, Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) is the best of the bunch and now holds fourth overall.

The peloton had swept up the stage's final two escapees, Katusha teammates Giampaolo Caruso and Angel Vicioso Arcos, at the base of the Usartza ascent, setting the stage for a showdown amongst the general classification contenders on the stage's final six kilometres.

2010 Vuelta al Pais Vasco overall winner Chris Horner launched the initial salvo, rocketing off the front with Astana's Robert Kiserlovski in tow. Joaquim Rodriguez and Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) soon bridged to Horner and Kiserlovski, but the attack was short-lived and quickly shut down.

Sergio Henao (Sky) set tempo at the head of the race until Rodriguez launched an attack with 4.5km remaining. The Katusha captain was quickly marked by Horner and as the duo rode away from the lead group Samuel Sanchez was able to make the juncture in what would be the stage's decisive break. The Euskaltel-Euskadi rider was put under pressure as the three leaders hit the steepest pitch of the ascent at 11.6 percent, but Sanchez is very familiar with the climb and managed to claw his way back to Rodriguez and Horner as the road's gradient lessened slightly.

The Alto de Usartza summit is situated 1.4km from the stage conclusion at Eibar-Arrate, and there's actually a slight descent from the KOM to the finish line. Not wanting to arrive at the finish line in the company of Sanchez, Horner launched an attack with 2.5km to go, but it was quickly neutralised.

In the meantime, a seven-man chase group had formed behind Sanchez, Horner, and Rodriguez containing Damiano Cunego, Michele Scarponi, Sergio Henao, Bauke Mollema, Tony Martin, Robert Kiserlovski and Simon Spilak (Katusha). As the three leaders rode under the flamme rouge at 1km to go their lead was 11 seconds and on the twisting parcours to the finish line they were out of sight of their pursuers, who would increase in numbers to 17 just prior to the finish. Sanchez came to the fore of the lead trio in the finale and Rodriguez and Horner had no response to the Spaniard's final kick to the line.

Seven categorised climbs loom on queen stage

Under cool and overcast conditions, the race quickly sparked to life as the peloton headed out of Vitoria-Gasteiz for the 164km queen stage of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco. Numerous attacks were launched as riders attempted to form the early break, but the chemistry wasn't right until five men went clear after 24km had been covered: José Herrada Lopez (Movistar), Jussi Veikkanen (FDJ-Big Mat), Mads Christensen (Saxo Bank), Antonio Piedra Perez (Caja Rural) and Davide Mucelli (Utensilnord Named).

After dispatching of the day's opening climb, the category 2 Alto de Krutzeta, and with the second climb of the day approaching at 62.6km, the category 2 Alto de Asentzio, harmony in the break came to a cessation as Piedra aroused the ire of Veikkanen and Christensen. The FDJ-Big Mat and Saxo Bank riders began attacking the break in order to dislodge Piedra and as a result their lead dropped from 4:20 to 3:40.

On the climb of the Alto de Krutzeta Herrada and Christensen rode away from their three breakaway companions and after 72km of racing they held a 26-second lead on Veikkanen, Piedra and Mucelli while the peloton's deficit to the leaders grew to 5:35.

Veikkanen eventually separated himself from Piedra and Mucelli and joined Herrada and Christensen in the race lead.

Christensen led the break over the next two climbs, the category 2 Alto de Karabieta and category 3 Alto de Miñota, but on the first severe climbing test of the day, the category 1 Alto de Ixua, the break fractured under the impetus of Herrada, first dropping Veikkanen and then Christensen.

As the Movistar rider continued alone in the race lead through an ever-increasing throng of passionate Basque fans on the climb's upper slopes, his teammate and race leader Jose Joaquin Rojas was dropped from the peloton and would ultimately surrender more than 16 minutes and the leader's jersey.

Herrada crested the Alto de Ixua alone, followed by Christensen and the a pair of Katusha riders who had attacked the peloton on the climb, Giampaolo Caruso and Angel Vicioso Arcos. Much of the break's lead vanished on the ascent as the Katusha duo crossed the summit 1:15 back with the peloton only six seconds further behind.

Herrada managed to top the penultimate climb, the category 2 Alto de San Miguel at 143km, still alone in the lead, while Caruso and Vicioso dropped Christensen and arrived at the summit only 13 seconds behind the Spaniard. Euskaltel-Euskadi riders had massed at the front of the peloton with Egoi Martinez leading the main group over the summit 34 seconds later.

Caruso and Vicioso caught Herrada on the descent and the lead trio rolled through the day's final intermediate sprint in Eibar, 11km from the finish, with a slender 18-second advantage. Liguigas-Cannondale had now supplanted Euskaltel-Euskadi at the head of the peloton and as the road tilted upwards, just prior to reaching the base of the finishing Alto de Usartza ascent, the escape was neutralised and the stage set for fireworks on the concluding category 1 climb.

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