Menchov takes penultimate Vuelta stage as contenders have one last dig

Denis Menchov wins stage, Vuelta a Espana 2012, stage 20

published 8 September 2012

Billed as a ‘now or never' Vuelta a Espana stage for both the general classification as well as teams looking to salvage something from the race, it turned out to be a bust on both counts - though not for want of trying. Denis Menchov won the stage to save his season, although it was hardly compensation for Katusha not carrying off the overall.

As far as the battle for the overall classification went, Menchov's team leader Rodriguez gave it his best shot inside the final four crazy steep kilometres, but it was never going to be enough to recover the more than two minutes lead Contador had on him at the start of the day - short of Contador breaking down physically or mechanically. It didn't happen and Contador has - barring disasters - won the 2012 Vuelta.

Predictably, a weary looking bunch allowed a break of no fewer than 20 riders to go clear at 18 kilometres and they rode steadily away for a lead of 10-56 with around 70km to go. At which point, for reasons we can only speculate about, the entire Euskaltel team made its way to the front of bunch to make sure that was as big as the lead was going to get. In as much as their team leader Igor Anton was sitting in ninth place overall and had appeared to be struggling for most of the race, it looked like a desperately hopeful move. Either that or they were riding for Contador.

On a day where temperatures were positively clement and the roads were damp in places, Tony Martin of Omega Pharma decided not to bother risking his still healing wrist and packed. Having battered himself for the best part of three weeks, the German obviously reckoned that he had done enough ‘training' for the upcoming World time trial championships. If he fails to get on the podium in Maastricht it'll be a shock.

Although the efforts of Euskaltel and later Movistar reduced the advance of the escapees, the break still had the best part of five minutes as they approached the final climb to the summit of the ski station at Bola del Mundo. But by the time the break hit the lower slopes of the nine kilometre climb, they were quickly whittled down to six, although they all looked legless. Less weary legs were attached to Richie Porte (Sky), Denis Menchov (Katusha), Frederik Kessiakoff (Astana), Kevin De Weert (Omega Pharma) and Eros Capecchi (Liquigas), though very quickly there was a leading trio battling it out for the stage win - De Weert, Menchov and Porte.

With only 2.7 kilometres to go, Menchov and Porte were battling on the ski lift service road, another ridiculously steep piece of concrete, as though the organisers thought it would be interesting to take the riders up a glorified goat track. A road so steep and narrow lined by crowds so deep that any attack would have required a shoulder charge to barge the crowd out of the way first. It's bike racing Jim, but not as we know it...

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Menchov takes penultimate Vuelta stage as contenders have one last dig

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