La Vuelta tends to be geared more towards climbers, so I'm sure the sprinters were all chomping at the bit at today's stage profile. With a category 3 climb just 10 kilometers in, the remaining 164k promised to be dead flat. It remained to be seen whether the winds would split the peloton into echelons, but as it turned out the entire pack of 198 riders came roaring into San Fernando together after 4 hours in the saddle. Below: the peloton with 300 meters to go.
I was hoping John Degenkolb would take the win but I thought Nacer Bouhanni might end up with the stage instead. Looks like my instincts were dead on as Bouhanni won and Degenkolb was second.
Sammy Sanchez is easy to spot in his gold shoes.
Dan Martin, Maciej Bodnar, Fabio Aru, and Dominik Nerz.
Jurgen Van Den Broeck.
Ryder Hesjedal.
Dan Craven, Johan Vansummeren, and Pieter Serry.
In an unusual move, Rohan Dennis recently switched from Garmin to BMC mid season, but he can't seem to stay away from his former teammates. Below: Dennis and David Millar.
Waiting to start his post race TV interview, Bouhanni on the phone.
Degenkolb was a bit lost after the stage as he looked for the anti doping control vehicle.
Bouhanni on the podium for the stage win.
Castroviejo lost the leader's jersey to his teammate, Alejandro Valverde. Valverde and Castroviejo along with 4 of their teammates, have the same overall time after 2 stages, but Valverde crossed the line ahead of Castroviejo in the sprint.
I was super excited to see Nathan Haas take the King of the Mountains jersey! With a whopping 3 points, the maximum up for grabs today, I'm not sure how long it'll rest on his shoulders but it's always great to see Garmin on the podium.
Javier Aramendia rode aggressively in a 4 man break today and was named the most combative rider.
A last minute substitute when defending champion Chris Horner was struck ill ahead of the Vuelta, Valerio Conti received the white jersey.
Bouhanni also got the sprinter's jersey which earned him a battery (seen below) and a lightbulb. I'm sure I'll always remember that detail but I have no clue who the sponsor is, so I think their advertising is somewhat flawed.
Movistar was once again the best team.
Meanwhile, back at the buses, half of the teams had already cleared out but with Alberto Contador standing in front of his bus' swindle, the sudden crowd meant Tinkoff had to stay put a little while longer.
Esteban Chaves gave an interview to the Colombian press seated on the steps of the Orica bus.
After a long day in the sun, the last of the team buses started the short drive back to Jerez.