Weather:
Sunny with some clouds, no rain likely

Wind:
Very light and inconsequential

Temperature:
Between 23 &27° C

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The climb at 10km from the finish, which mounts for about 4km, could be bad for Petacchi.

20km from the start, as the race already develops a rapid pace, 15 racers leave the peloton, 4 German riders among them:

Lobato
Aebersold
Schweda
Quesada
Arrieta
Laguna
Horrach
Grabsch
Nieto
Cerezo
Schreck
Righi
Pospeyev
Isasi
Torston Rund

They have 28" on the peloton.

The peloton rolls at 70 km/h; the average speed after 35km is 50 km/h.

The peloton relaxes; the 15 have a little over a minute's lead.

Macciarelli & Piepoli try to catch the peloton; Kroon & Zaballa attempt to catch them in turn.

Kroon & Zaballa depose Macciarelli & Piepoli in the pursuit of the leaders.

The gap reaches 2 minutes
The Once Team rides at the head of the peloton.

Macciarelli & Piepoli are retaken.

For the 15, they've attained a 2'15" margin, with Kroon & Zaballa in pursuit.

The peloton is stretched out, and accordians in & out.
Above all Domina Vacanze takes the peloton in hand.

Kroon is retaken and then Zaballa.

The race arrives at San Martin de Valdeileisias at km 65, leaving 85 km to go.

So far in this Vuelta, 2,548 km has ben ridden, with 400 km left in the tour.

A new record is recorded, making this Vuelta (so far) the fastest ever, with an average speed of 42.799 km/h, just surpassing that of the edition won by Angel Casero.
Possible reasons:
-shorter and more "nervous" stages
-virtually no rain in these 18 stages
-the wind has been more often a tailwind than headwind

The gap has shrunk to 1'48".
In 2nd hour the average speed has fallen noticeably.

In front, 5 try to leave group, but the 15 reform.

Jesus maria Manzano of Kelme leaves peloton during small climb.

Passing Robledo de Chavela at 43km from finish, the 15 have 1 minute advance on the peloton.

Manzano is retaken.
In peloton Iker Flores and 1 Ibanesto rider fall, but recover to remount their bikes.

David Etxebarria attacks from the peloton on a hill; and catches Righi, then has other 14 in his sights.
Righi falls back to be taken by the peloton.

In front Arietta mounts attack; now 3 alone in front:
Issasi, Horrach,& Arrieta .

The 6 in pursuit:
Lobato, Quesada, Laguna, Acosta, Cerezo & Schrek.

D. Etsebarria joins the 3 in front.
The peloton seems resigned (to a successful escape), with Once at the helm.

At 29km from the finish, 5 are holding a lead in the front.

8 or 9 riders are in pursuit, back by 53".
The distance increases to 1'21".
The peloton is back 2" on the lead group.

Garcia Acosta extracts himself from pursuit group to chase the leading 5.

Lopeboselli leaves peloton during a climb, trying to catch escapees.

Aebersold no longer in escape group.

Horrach leaves pursuit group.
Both Horrach & Acosta succeed in putting themselves between pusuit group and the lead 5.
In the last hills before the finish, Acosta struggling in the wheels of Horrach.

The 5 are caught, now making a lead group of 7.

With a 2'35" deficit, 4 others form a 2nd group, among whom are Kroon & Lopebozelli.

Lobato attacks in front all alone with 18km to go.

7 riders are in pursuit:
Acosta
Laguna
Quesada
Isasi
Arrieta
Horrach
Schweda

Lobato still out in fron with 15km to go.

Under the impulsion of Horrach, Laguna & Arrieta are overtaken and distanced, leaving a pursuit group of 5.

Picture:
Lobato in front
5 in pursuit
2 further back (Laguna & Arrieta)
5further back still--Etxebarria, Kroon, Piccoli, Noval & Loprbozelli

At 10km from finish Lobato has 2'30" on the peloton.

The Kroon group is taken by the peloton.

With 3km left, Lobato has 58" advance on group.

With 1 km left Lobato has healthy 1 minute lead.

LOBATO crosses finish line all alone.

Behind in the pursuit group Constantino Zaballa rallies to take 2nd in all out sprint.

The peloton has serious gaps as it crosses the line (of over 2 minutes).

Valverde arrives behind peloton, trapped by a split in the last kilometer, but is not penalized, but is awarded same time as peloton.


Le classement de l'étape

1 - LOBATO
2 - ZABALLA à 44"
3 - ARRIETA même temps
4 - SCHWEDA même temps
5 - GARCIA ACOSTA même temps
6 - ISASI même temps
7 - HORRACH même temps
8 - LAGUNA même temps
9 - QUESADA même temps
10 - ZABEL à 58"
11 - PETACCHI même temps

le Général reste inchangé

1 - NOZAL

le classement des grimpeurs

1 - Cardenas 194
2 - Osa 112
3 - Horrach 101
4 - Valverde 88
5 - Perez 72

Le classement des points
1 - ZABEL 151
2 - Petacchi 135
3 - Valverde 125
4 - Cardeans 97
5 - Nozal 92

Le classement du Combiné

1 - Valverde 12
2 - Cardenas 15
3 - Rasmussen 20
4 - Nozal 21
5 - Perez 24