Vuelta Stage 3: Gilbert jumps at the last to deny home victory

Philippe Gilbert of Omega Pharma-Lotto attacked on the day's final ascent to win Stage 3 of the Vuelta a Espana in Malaga this afternoon, holding on from Joaquin Rodriquez of Katusha following another long day of climbing in baking temperatures.

Serafin Martinez of Xacobeo Galicia , who had got away in an escape early on, had seemed poised to take a remarkable maiden professional victory after attacking 35km out and even appeared set to wrest the race leader's red jersey from Mark Cavendish of HTC-Columbia, but agonisingly for the 26-year-old he was caught on the final 1.5km kick up towards the finish.

Instead, it’s the Belgian Gilbert who takes over from the Manxman at the top of the General Classification, with Rodriguez moving up to second. Cavendish eventually crossed the line in the autobus – the name given to the group, typically including the big sprint names, for whom a day in the mountains is one to be endured rather than relished – more than 25 minutes behind the winner.

Martinez, for his part, has some consolation in the shape of taking the blue and white polka dot jersey for best climber, taking the maximum 10 points available on the Category 1 Puerto del Leon shortly after launching his attack, with David Moncoutié of Cofidis, winner of the Mountains classification last year, the second man over the summit after bridging the gap to the remaining escapees.

While he may still be waiting for his first professional win, Martinez is no stranger to leading the Vuelta’s King of the Mountains competition, which he topped for 11 days in 2007, his first year as a pro.

The breakaway that Martinez had slipped into at the start of today’s 135km stage from Marbella as the peloton immediately headed up the Category 2 Puerto de Ojen also contained Blel Kadri of AG2R-La Mondiale, Javier Ramirez from Andalucia Cajasur, the Euskaltel-Euskadi rider Egoi Martinez, Jelle Vanendert of Omega Pharma Lotto, Milram’s Niki Terpstra and Mickaël Chérel of FDJ.

At one point, the group had opened up a gap of nine minutes on the peloton, with HTC-Columbia showing little inclination to defend Cavendish’s overall lead, and instead it was Liquigas and Katusha that began to ratchet up the pace and start to reel in the escapees. 

Meanwhile it was a disastrous day for Team Sky as illness – possibly food poisoning – swept through the team, with John-Lee Augustyn and Ben Swift, seventh on yesterday’s Stage 2, both forced to abandon.

According to the Team Sky website, the pair, as well as Simon Gerrans, were among six members of the Team Sky camp who fell ill overnight, the other three being backroom staff, and it was touch and go whether the trio would be able to start the stage in Marbella this morning.

Vuelta Stage 3 result

1 GILBERT Philippe      Omega Pharma-Lotto   4h 06' 12"
2 RODRIGUEZ Joaquin     Katusha                    + 3"
3 ANTON Igor            Euskaltel-Euskadi         + 13"
4 NIBALI Vincenzo       Liquigas-Doimo            + 15"
5 BOLE Grega            Lampre-Farnese Vini       + 15"
6 ROCHE Nicholas        AG2R La Mondiale          + 15"
7 MENCHOV Denis         Rabobank                  + 18"
8 MOSQUERA Ezequiel     Xacobeo-Galicia           + 19"
9 ARROYO David          Caisse d'Epargne          + 19"
10 VICHOT Arthur        FDJ                       + 19"
11 POZZATO Filippo      Katusha                   + 19"
12 TONDO Xavier         Cervelo TestTeam          + 19"
13 SCHLECK Frank        Team Saxo Bank            + 19"
14 PLAZA Ruben          Caisse d'Epargne          + 19"
15 BRUSEGHIN Marzio     Caisse d'Epargne          + 19"
16 SIVTSOV Kanstantsin  HTC-Columbia              + 19"
17 NIEVE Mikel          Euskaltel-Euskadi         + 23"
18 VAN GARDEREN Tejay   HTC-Columbia              + 23"
19 GARCÍA David         Xacobeo-Galicia           + 25"
20 SÁNCHEZ Luis León    Caisse d'Epargne          + 25"

Vuelta overall standings after Stage 3

1 GILBERT Philippe      Omega Pharma-Lotto   8h 55' 56"
2 RODRIGUEZ Joaquin     Katusha                   + 14"
3 SIVTSOV Kanstantsin   HTC-Columbia              + 22"
4 VAN GARDEREN Tejay    HTC-Columbia              + 26"
5 NIBALI Vincenzo       Liquigas-Doimo            + 28"
6 VELITS Peter          HTC-Columbia              + 28"
7 ANTON Igor            Euskaltel-Euskadi         + 35"
8 TONDO Xavier          Cervelo TestTeam          + 35"
9 SCHLECK Frank         Team Saxo Bank            + 36"
10 FLORENCIO Xavier     Cervelo TestTeam          + 41"
11 POZZATO Filippo      Katusha                   + 42"
12 SANTAROMITA Ivan     Liquigas-Doimo            + 43"
13 KREUZIGER Roman      Liquigas-Doimo            + 43"
14 SASTRE Carlos        Cervelo TestTeam          + 46"
15 CUESTA Iñigo         Cervelo TestTeam          + 46"
16 ARROYO David         Caisse d'Epargne          + 47"
17 BRUSEGHIN Marzio     Caisse d'Epargne          + 47"
18 PLAZA Ruben          Caisse d'Epargne          + 47"
19 LARSSON Gustav       Team Saxo Bank            + 47"
20 KASHECHKIN Andrey    Lampre-Farnese Vini       + 47"