Excellent time trial for Alejandro

Excellent time trial for Alejandro

He is now the second overall

After a great ITT, Alejandro is now the second of the general classification, 22” only behind Alberto Contador.

A bad crash of Alejandro’s team-mate and till then leader Nairo Quintana in the downhill of the Alto del Moncayo characterized today stage.

Alejandro’s quotes:

“I’m happy with myself – we’re staying in second place, really close to Alberto – but it’s a bittersweet taste with Nairo’s crash. I didn’t know anything, I was told when I finished. It’s awful to have such a crash, when you’re in the lead, clocking good times… being the two of us closer in the overall would have been better for our interests, but the only important thing now is that Nairo is still racing – I’m sure he will recover well, even though I’m told it was quite a blow. We’ll keep fighting to do great in this Vuelta.

This was a time trial like the ones I used to make when I felt well. When conditions are normal, I usually keep close to the main specialists. There were two good phases for me, plus one not so good. The section before the top of the climb, really good. The first part of the descent also went well, but then, into the rest of the descent, I struggled to get back into a good pace. With 12k to go, I started to feel better – I did superb in the last 7k. Losing so few seconds to Alberto and finishing before Froome and Purito is fantastic. I know tomorrow’s finish: it’s a demanding climb, really tough, and I just hope legs respond well. It seems like it’s going to be good weather up there and I hope it plays on my favour.”

Tomorrow: stage 11: Pamplona-San Miguel de Aralar (153 km)