Vuelta a Espana 2013 - Stage 9

La Vuelta a Espana continued with another difficult stage, with a first category climb and a tough ramp up to the finish. The peloton raced up the same final climb in 2011, and it was Joaquim Rodriguez who took the victory that day. The stage itself was 163.7 kilometres from Antequera to Valdepenas de Jaen. It would be difficult with the finish as it is for Nicolas Roche to protect his red jersey from the likes of Moreno, Horner and Nibali, who were all in close proximity.

A break went up the road early in the stage, including one of the only two Brits in the race, Luke Rowe of Sky Procycling. Also present were Anthony Roux (FDJ), Javier Aramendia (Caja Rural), Lloyd Mondory (AG2R La Mondiale) and Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil-DCM). The gap went upto over 6 minutes, before being gradually pulled back after combined efforts from most of the peloton. 

With 25 kilometres to go the race came back together, in time for the first category climb, where the race heated up. Attacks came from the likes of Amets Txurruka (Caja Rural) and Robert Kiserlovski (RadioShack). However, then Edvald Boasson Hagen attacked, and managed to make it stick. Luis Leon Sanchez of Belkin tried to bridge the gap, but could not manage, Boasson Hagen had really hit out in a bid to take the stage. 

He managed a maximum gap of around twenty seconds, but Movistar and Katusha wanted to make sure their key men were going to have a chance to take the stage, and Boasson Hagen was brought back with 2 kilometres to the finish. The descent of the climb had done considerable damage, a group of 25 or so select riders were all that remained.

Daniel Moreno, Joaquim Rodriguez's first lieutenant, attacked early on in the climb, and although Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodriguez chased hard, they couldn't catch their fellow Spaniard, and it was Moreno who took the win. 

Nicolas Roche did not manage to save his red jersey, losing it by a solitary second. Although dissappointed, he was philosophical about losing the jersey, he was only a second back after all.