Gilbert claims Vuelta stage and overall lead
Omega Pharma-Lotto rider Philippe Gilbert prevailed in difficult conditions during the Vuelta a Espana's first mountain stage, claiming his second ever Grand Tour stage win.
Stage three finished on an incline with the peloton storming ahead, led by the Liquigas-Doimo team, but it was Gilbert who broke loose to win comfortably ahead of Katusha's Joaquin Rodriquez. Igor Anton of Eusakaltel finished third.
Gilbert's win saw him claim the red leader's jersey from HTC-Columbia's Mark Cavendish, whose shortcomings on the ascents saw him finish 142nd.
"I came to the Vuelta for gearing up for the world championships and with the ambition of winning a stage. The second goal is already reached. I felt it was a long time since I last won a race. It was stage one of the Tour of Belgium in May," Gilbert told the press after the race.
"The surprise comes from the fact that I get the red jersey as well. It's a nice surprise because it's my first leader's jersey in a Grand Tour. Now I'll do my best to respect this jersey."
Promising breakaway by Martinez
Stage three took riders from Marbella to Malaga on Spain's Costa del Sol. The 157km ride forced riders up two category-one climbs, with a category-3 climb occuring right at the start of the stage. It was clear from the outset that sprinters were not going to be favoured.
The day's first breakaway came during the first climb, as Niki Terpstra, Javier Ramirez, Egoi Martinez, Biel Kadri, Jelle Vanendert and Serafin Martinez raced ahead of the peloton. The sextet gained a sizeable lead of 8:30 over the rest of the pack.
The pressing heat gave spectators reason to believe that the breakaway would be able to hold off the peloton until the finish line, as riders were bound to struggle on the two large ascents.
And when the riders hit the Puerto del Leon after 120km, the peloton did start to crumble. Led by Caisse d'Epargne, general classification contenders Liquigas, Saxo Bank and Rabobank managed to retain their speed on the climb.
But as the peloton began to wear thinner, so did the breakaway group. Cofidis rider Martinez was the only one to hold on, and his determination during the final stretch looked certain to seal him the stage win.
Teams catch up, Gilbert breaks loose
But the chasing group, now led by Liquigas, caught up with Martinez by the final kilometer and Gilbert, who had studied the route closely in a car earlier during the day, raced clear to claim the stage and the overall lead.
"I received a great help from my teammates, especially Jan Bakelandts, who closed the gap to the Galicia rider [Martinez], and Greg van Avermaet, so I managed to start the final climb in the first five positions. I accelerated 600 metres from the finish line," said the victorious Gilbert after the stage.
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