Vasil Wins as Nibali Lead Squeezed

La Vuelta

Vincenzo Nibali of Italy saw his overall lead in the Vuelta a Espana cut to only three seconds after he finished 10th on stage 18 on Thursday.

Team Sky rider Vasil Kiryienka of Belarus won the mountainous 186.5km (115.9 mile) stage.

Nibali's nearest rival Chris Horner of the United States came sixth, 25 seconds ahead of Nibali.

Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodriguez both made up a handful of seconds on Nibali.

However, the Spanish duo remain in third and fourth place respectively in the general classification for the Vuelta, which finishes in Madrid on Sunday.

Thursday's 18th stage, from Burgos to Pena Cabarga, included five categorised climbs as well as a difficult final ascent.

Denmark's Chris Sorensen was the only rider to finish within a minute of Kiryienka and took second place in the stage.

Spanish duo Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodriguez both managed to make up a handful of seconds on Nibali, but remain back in third and fourth place respectively.

On Friday, the 19th stage is a 181km (112 mile) medium mountain stage between San Vicente de la Barquera and Alto del Naranco.

Result of Stage 18:

1. Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus/Team Sky) 4 hours, 46, minutes, 47 seconds

2. Chris Sorensen (Denmark/Saxo - Tinkoff) +28 secs

3. Adam Hansen (Australia/Lotto) +1'18"

4. Martin Kohler (Switzerland/BMC Racing) +1'34"

5. Egoi Martinez (Spain/Euskaltel) +1'42"

6. Chris Horner (US/RadioShack) +1'53"

7. Amets Txurruka (Spain/Caja Rural) + 2'02"

8. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain/Katusha) +2'13"

9. Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Movistar) +2'13"

10. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Astana) +2'18"

Overall standings after Stage 18:

1. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Astana) 73:39:35"

2. Chris Horner (US/RadioShack) +3"

3. Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Movistar) +1:09"

4. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain/Katusha) +2:24"

5. Nicolas Roche (Ireland/Saxo - Tinkoff) +3:43"

6. Domenico Pozzovivo (Italy/AG2R) +5:44"

7. Thibaut Pinot (France/FDJ.fr) +6:14"

8. Leopold Koenig (Czech Republic/NetApp) +6:35"

9. Samuel Sanchez (Spain/Euskaltel) +7:51"

10. Tanel Kangert (Estonia/Astana) +11:10"

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Horner Reclaims Red Vuelta Jersey

La Vuelta

Chris Horner reclaimed the leader's red jersey at the Vuelta a España after winning stage 10 on Monday with an impressive late charge on the final climb in Granada.

The American, who also led the Vuelta after winning stage three, broke away from a talent-packed group that included Vincenzo Nibali,Ivan Basso and Joaquin Rodriguezwith around five kilometres to go and none of his rivals could reel him back in.

Horner (RadioShack-Leopard) finished the 168km ride from Torredelcampo to Alto Hazallanas - the first mountain stage of this year's Vuelta - in a time of four hours, 30 minutes and 22 seconds.

Italian Nibali, the 2010 Vuelta winner and 2013 Giro d'Italia champion, tried to chase down Horner but he could only finish 48 seconds back in second spot, with Valderde third a further 14 seconds adrift.

Basso, Rodriguez and Thibaut Pinot completed the top six places, all three with the same time as Valverde. Ireland's Nicolas Roche crossed the line in seventh, one minute and 10 seconds behind Horner,

Spaniard Daniel Moreno, who took the red jersey with his victory on Sunday, finished 12th, two minutes and 21 seconds adrift of Horner, and that saw him lose first place in the general classifications to the 41-year-old American.

Horner now boasts a 43-second lead over nearest challenger Nibali (Astana), with Roche in third spot 10 seconds back. Spanish trio Valverde, Rodriguez and Moreno occupy the next three spots.

Tuesday is a rest day.

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Horner Takes La Vuelta S3

A daring break paid off for Christopher Horner as the RadioShack-Leopard rider claimed victory on stage three of La Vuelta between Vigo and Mirador de Lobeira.

The American pulled away from the peleton with less than a kilometre to go on the 172.5km course, passing leader Ivan Santaromita (BMC) with ease and making a dart for the finish.

Vuelta favourites Alejandro Valverde(Movistar) and Joaquim Rodriguez(Katusha) tried to close Horner down but were unable to catch him and had to settle for second and third place, respectively.

The stage win sees Horner take the lead in the general classification with an eight-second advantage over Vincenzo Nibali.

Nicolas Roche, riding for Team Saxo-Tinkoff, lies third in the Vuelta a España after adding a ninth-placed finish to his stage win on Sunday.

One of La Vuelta's stranger routes, Stage 3 featured an extremely smooth 172.5-kilometre stretch before spiking painfully at the end. This flat section plays host to a sharp ascent and the capacity to burn energy rapidly in the latter moments.

Daniel Martin finished in fifth place in today's stage between Vigo and Mirador de Lobeira.

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Roche Seizes Sunday Stage

La Vuelta 2013

Nicolas Roche clinched a solo stage victory and moved into second overall as favourite Vincenzo Nibali seized the lead in the Vuelta a España on Sunday’s first mountain top finish .

After overnight leader and Astana team-mate Janez Brajkovic of Slovenia lost contact with the front group on the final kilometre, Nibali now leads by eight seconds on Roche, with Spain’s Haimar Zubeldia in third.

“Today was a key day and it worked out perfectly,” Nibali, winner of this year’s Giro d’Italia, said afterwards.

“This final climb wasn’t really a good one for me, it wasn’t steep enough and I was basically following other guys’ back wheels rather than trying to attack,” the Italian, Vuelta winner in 2010, added.

“But my condition is good and I wanted to make the most of it. I had great support from my squad all the way up the climb, (Dane Jakob) Fugslang was with me and I can be very satisfied.”

Asked if he had not taken the leader’s jersey too early in such a grueling three-week race which has ten mountain top finishes to come, Nibali said: “We’ll just have to go on the day by day, and see what happens.

“Right now, I’m just pleased to be where I am.”

Nibali’s Astana squad had kept the pace high prior to the second stage’s main challenge, the final 11-km ascent to the Alto do Monte da Groba, a climb rearing high above Spain’s Atlantic coastline in the region of Galicia.

Three early attackers on the stage, New Zealand’s Greg Henderson, Dane Alex Rasmussen and Spaniard Francisco Aramendia fell back exhausted on the climb’s lower slopes as Spanish squad Movistar helped Astana pile on the pressure.

As the riders climbed through dense eucalyptus and pinewoods, the high pace saw two favourites, Spain’s Samuel Sanchez and Colombian Sergio Henao, slide out of a group of 25 before Roche attacked for his first Grand Tour victory in the last kilometre.

“This is really liberating for me, I’ve only won eight races in my career but I’ve had so many second places,” said Roche, whose father Stephen won the Tour de France in 1987.

“Roche is the rider who’s always in the front but never able to win. I’m over the moon.”

The fifth Irishman to win a stage of the Vuelta a Espana, Roche added: “I did the Tour this summer working for (Spanish team-mate) Alberto (Contador), but I’ve always had the Vuelta as a target for the last five years and this year was no different.

“I might finish fourth, fifth or sixth overall in Madrid, but this is what counts for now.”

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Astana Win Vuelta Time Trial

Vincenzo Nibali's Astana won the opening team time trial of the Vuelta a Espana to put Janez Brajkovic into the race leader's red jersey.

Astana won the 27.4km stage from Vilanova de Arousa to Sanxenxo in 29 minutes 59 seconds - 10 seconds clear of RadioShack Leopard.

Omega Pharma-QuickStep, featuring world time-trial champion Tony Martin, were six seconds further back in third.

Team Sky were led over the line 22 seconds adrift by Welshman Luke Rowe.

"It was a great time trial," said 28-year-old Nibali, who won the Giro d'Italia earlier this season.

"The team was fantastic. My condition is very good but the Vuelta is very hard and long, and has some very important stages. We'll have to see day by day."

Sunday's stage covers 177.7km from Pontevedra to Alto Do Monte Da Groba, featuring the first summit finish of the race.

The Vuelta is the final three-week Grand Tour of the season and finishes in Madrid on Sunday, 15 September.

Result of team time trial

1. Astana (Kaz) 29 minutes 59 seconds

2. RadioShack (Lux) +10"

3. Omega Pharma-Quick-Step (Bel) +16"

4. Team Sky (GB) +22"

5. Movistar (Sp) +29"

6. Saxo-Tinkoff (Den) +32"

7. NetApp (Ger) +35"

8. BMC Racing (US) +36"

9. Orica (Aus) +45"

10. Belkin (Ned) +49"

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Nibali Aims forCycling Double

Getty Images

Vincenzo Nibali is aiming to become the fourth rider to win the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana in the same year when the final three-week Grand Tour of the season starts in Spain on Saturday.

The Italian, 28, who won the Vuelta in 2010, claimed his second Grand Tour title by winning the Giro in May.

Colombia's Sergio Henao and Spanish pair Joaquin Rodriguez and Alejandro Valverde are among his chief rivals.

Nibali said: "I've got nothing to prove after the Giro but I want to do well."

Only Belgian legend Eddy Merckx (1973), Giovanni Battaglin of Italy (1981) and Spain's Alberto Contador (2008) have won the Spanish race in the same year as winning its Italian equivalent.

The three-week race is not as prestigious as the Tour de France and Giro but still attracts the biggest names in the sport - although defending champion Contador and Chris Froome, who became the second British winner of the Tour in July , are not racing.

With Froome focusing on the world road race in Florence at the end of September, Team Sky have chosen Henao to lead a nine-man squad that features 23-year-old Luke Rowe as the solitary British rider - the only other British rider in the race is Andrew Fenn, also 23, who rides for the Omega Pharma - Quick Step team.

However, Nibali has ambitions of using the mountainous route as a warm-up for the world road race, which is also expected to suit the climbing specialists.

"It's important to do well because a lot of people will be watching my performance here as a guide to how well I can ride there," he said.

"If I feel in good enough shape to win and have an advantage of just a minute or two, then I will go for broke in a single stage somewhere.

"If I'm suffering so badly I'm barely able to keep up with the rest of the favourites, I'll do things differently."

Valverde won the Vuelta in 2009 and is likely to feature highly but it is fellow Spaniard Rodriguez who comes into the race in decent form.

The 34-year-old Catalan finished the 2012 season as the top-ranked cyclist but is yet to win a Grand Tour, having twice finished third in the Vuelta (2012 and 2010), second in last year's Giro and third on this year's Tour de France.

"Winning one [Grand Tour] before I retire would be the high point of my career," the Katusha rider told Spanish paper AS.

"It's the difference between having a good career, like mine, and a magnificent one."

This year's Vuelta begins with Saturday's 27.4km team time trial from Vilanova de Arousa to Sanxenxo in north-western Spain and features 11 summit finishes. The penultimate 20th stage takes in the gruelling climb of the Angliru, which has gradients approaching 24%.

The race finishes in Madrid on Sunday, 15 September.

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