Martin wins as Wiggins moves further up Vuelta GC
Vuelta a Espana 2011, stage nine photo gallery by Graham Watson>>
Daniel Martin (Garmin-Cervélo) won stage nine of the 2011 Vuelta a Espana at the summit of La Covatilla this afternoon as Team Sky's Bradley Wiggins rode brilliantly to finish fourth.
Martin jumped out of a small group containing Wiggins and team-mate Chris Froome, defending champion Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas), Bauke Mollema (Rabobank) and Geox-TMC duo Jose Cobo and Denis Menchov.
Mollema took second with Cobo in third, while Wiggins finished four seconds back.
Race leader Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) lost touch with the leading group 3km from the finish, and conceded the race leader's red jersey to Mollema.
A family affair
The peloton were all together when Martin attacked 5km from the the summit of the hors catégorie finishing climb, and was immediately followed by his cousin Nicolas Roche (Ag2r-La Mondiale).
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
The pair initially worked well together until Roche lost contact; sensing an opportunity, Nibali jumped out of the bunch and soon caught the lone leader.
It took a while for a reaction to come from the chasers, and when it did it was from Froome, who once again worked tirelessly for Wiggins.
Before long, the now whittled-down chasing group were notably not only catching the leading duo, but also putting race leader Rodriguez in difficulty. It was therefore no surprise when he lost contact with the chasers shortly before the finish.
Froome was still driving the group on while Wiggins continued to look extremely comfortable, evoking memories of his largely-unexpected performance on the road to Andorra during the 2009 Tour de France.
Once they had bridged the gap to the leaders, Wiggins took over the pace-setting for the final 1.5km in an attempt to gain as many seconds on Rodriguez and the likes of Jakob Fuglsang (Leopard-Trek) and Jurgen Van den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto) as possible.
Although Martin rounded him on the approach to the finish, followed by Mollema and Cobo, he can be more than happy with his ride, particularly going into tomorrow's 47km individual time trial.
Rodriguez came home 48 seconds later, meaning he now trails Mollema by a slender second on the GC.
Wiggins moved up to 13thoverall, 1-00 off the pace with Froome just one place - and three seconds - back.
Results
Vuelta a Espana 2011, stage nine: Villacastin - La Covatilla, 183km
1. Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Cervélo in 4-52-14
2. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank at same time
3. Jose Cobo (Spa) Geox-TMC at 3 sec
4. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Team Sky at 4 sec
5. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky at 7 sec
6. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale at 11 sec
7. Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis at 12 sec
8. Denis Menchov (Rus) Geox-TMC
9. Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) RadioShack
10. Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Astana all at st
Brits
136. Ian Stannard (GBr) Team Sky at 18-46
Overall classification after stage nine
1. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank
2. Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha at 1 sec
3. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas at 6 sec
4. Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Astana at 16 sec
5. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto at 27 sec
6. Daniel Moreno (Spa) Katusha at 35 sec
7. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Leopard-Trek at 37 sec
8. Kevin Seeldraeyers (Bel) Quick Step at 42 sec
9. Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) RadioShack at st
10. Jose Cobo (Spa) Geox-TMC at 46 sec
Brits
13. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) at 1-00
14. Chris Froome (GBr) at 1-03
148. Ian Stannard (GBr) at 1-36-02
Chris Froome leads Bradley Wiggins
Dan Martin and Nicolas Roche go on the attack
Dan Martin wins
Bauke Mollema takes the overall lead
Vuelta a Espana 2011: Related links
Vuelta a Espana 2011: Cycling Weekly's coverage index
Vuelta a Espana 2011: Latest news
Rodriguez wins again in Vuelta to take overall lead
Farrar taken to hospital after Vuelta crash
Arvesen quits Vuelta with crash injuries
Anton suffers again but Rodriguez becomes Spain's top contender
Wiggins pleased with strong ride in Spanish sierras
Cavendish abandons Vuelta a Espana
Cavendish battles on in summer scorcher in Vuelta
Vuelta heads for first major showdown on Tuesday
Matt Goss first rider to abandon Vuelta
Team Sky's TTT horror on troublesome course
Dan Martin confident and collected as Vuelta team leader
Pro predictions: Who will win the Vuelta?
HTC-Highroad's reservations about TTT course
Vuelta team time trial start order
Sky plans early start for Vuelta team time trial recon
Wiggins looking to minimise losses in testing Vuelta TTT
Riders voice support for Hushovd over Vuelta exclusion
Cancellara late to Vuelta after being hospitalised by bee sting
Nibali back for victory again in 2011 Vuelta
Wiggins: "I'm in a great position going into the Vuelta"
Wiggins confirmed as Sky leader for the Vuelta
Freire: It'll be tough in the Vuelta with Cavendish
Hushovd left out of Vuelta; Dan Martin to lead Garmin-Cervelo
Cavendish and Wiggins on provisional Vuelta start list
Climbers set to dominate in 2011 Vuelta
Millar on 2011 Vuelta: 'Modern-looking and very challenging"
2011 Vuelta set to return to Angliru and Basque country
Angliru back in 2011 Tour of Spain
Hushovd left out of Vuelta; Martin to lead Garmin-Cervélo
Vuelta a Espana 2011: Teams, riders, start list
Vuelta a Espana 2011: Who's riding?
Vuelta a Espana 2011 team list
Vuelta a Espana 2011: Stage reports
Stage seven: Kittel wins chaotic bunch sprint
Stage six: Sagan takes Vuelta stage win in controversial circumstances
Stage five: Rodriguez takes second win for Katusha but Chavanel holds on
Stage four: Moreno wins first mountain skirmish at Sierra Nevada
Stage three: Lastras solos to stage and takes red jersey
Stage two: Sutton grabs stage win to set things right for Sky
Stage one: Leopard-Trek win opening TTT to put Fuglsang in front
Vuelta a Espana 2011: Photo galleries
By Graham Watson
Stage seven photo gallery
Stage six photo gallery
Stage five photo gallery
Stage four photo gallery
Stage three photo gallery
Stage two photo gallery
Stage one photo gallery
Vuelta a Espana 2011: TV guide
Vuelta a Espana 2011: ITV4 TV schedule
Vuelta a Espana 2011: British Eurosport TV schedule
ITV to show 2011 Vuelta
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Founded in 1891, Cycling Weekly and its team of expert journalists brings cyclists in-depth reviews, extensive coverage of both professional and domestic racing, as well as fitness advice and 'brew a cuppa and put your feet up' features. Cycling Weekly serves its audience across a range of platforms, from good old-fashioned print to online journalism, and video.
-
Forget distance covered, these are the key stats to note in your Strava Year in SportWe asked a coach how to best analyse our end of year Strava data
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'She should show a bit more respect' - Lotte Kopecky responds to Demi Vollering commentsThe pair seemingly had one last fractious year together at SD Worx-Protime in 2024
By Tom Davidson Published
