Vuelta Stage 6: Sagan takes win in Cordoba after Liquigas show of strength ahead of bizarre finale

Liquigas-Cannondale, the team led by defending champion Vincenzo Nibali, put on a big show of strength in the Vuelta this afternoon, taking four of the first five places on Stage 6 in Cordoba after hammering down the final descent. Peter Sagan was the first man over the line, which earned him a rebuke from Nibali, despite saving the team's blushes as Movistar's Pablo Lastras, who finished second, almost stole the win. Nibali rises to third on GC, while Sylvain Chavanel of Quick Step retains the race leader's red jersey.

It was a bizzare end to the stage, with the apparent confusion among the Liquigas riders contrasting sharply with the way they had seized control of the race on the way down from the Category 2 Alto del Catorce por ciento, perhaps not the most romantically named climb in pro cycling, but one that presumably does what it says on the tin, at least in Spanish.

As he had done over yesterday’s final categorised climb, it was Cofidis rider David Moncoutié, winner of the mountains classification in the last three editions of the Vuelta, who led the race over today's last summit after attacking shortly beforehand in a quest for more climbing points.

Tony Martin of HTC-Highroad was the second man over, and he and the Cofidis man were joined on the descent by Kevin Seeldaeyers of Quick Step and Geox-TMC rider David de la Fuente.

Lastras, winner of Monday’s Stage 3, was the first man to go off in pursuit of the quartet, but behind him, the lime green shirts of Liquigas Cannondale were massing and on an undulating road inside the closing ten kilometres they hit speeds of 90 kilometres an hour as they swept up the breakaway and gained a few vital seconds over the chasing peloton.

Only Lastras proved able to stay with the four men from the Italian team, and the Spaniard very nearly caught them napping, which would have been hugely embarrassing for Liquigas-Cannondale, given their four to one advantage.

Eros Cappecchi had already eased off, and Nibali and Valerio Agnoli were coasting for the line, ahead of Lastras and Sagan. Suddenly, the Movistar man went and passed the two Italians to their right, catching them napping, almost as though they hadn’t realised there was a man from another team with them.

Luckily for Liquigas, Sagan had hung back alongside Lastras and was able to not only respond to the Spaniard’s move, but beat him easily in the sprint for the line, although that did not appear to save him from a tongue lashing from Nibali afterwards.

One rider whose race finished today was the Dane from Rabobank, Matti Breschel, who was taken to hospital after landing on his chin in a crash during the neutralised phase of the stage before the start proper.

Immediately prior to the stage, Breschel had revealed high hopes of putting in a good ride today. “On paper, it is a race for me”, he stated. “I think there will be a breakaway. We’re not going to chase it down because Rabobank has different cards to play and ambitions on GC, so I’m gonna wait for a sprint of 50 to 60 riders.”

Instead, with his injuries subsequently confirmed as including broken bones in his hand, the man who finished second in the UCI Road World Championship in Geelong last year looks like he will miss the chance of going for gold in his native country next month.

Vuelta Stage 6 Result 
1  SAGAN, Peter             Liquigas Cannondale     4h 38' 22''
2  LASTRAS, Pablo           Movistar                Same time
3  AGNOLI, Valerio          Liquigas Cannondale         "
4  NIBALI, Vincenzo         Liquigas Cannondale         "
5  CAPECCHI, Eros           Liquigas Cannondale           + 3''
6  FUGLSANG, Jakob          Leopard Trek                 + 17''
7  RODRIGUEZ, Joaquin       Katusha                      + 17''
8  BRUSEGHIN, Marzio        Movistar                     + 17''
9  MONCOUTIE, David         Cofidis                      + 17''
10 CHAVANEL, Sylvain        Quick Step                   + 17''
11 MARTIN, Tony             HTC-Highroad                 + 17''
12 NIEVE, Mikel             Euskaltel-Euskadi            + 17''
13 COBO, Juan José          Geox-TMC                     + 17''
14 SEELDRAYERS, Kevin       Quick Step                   + 17''
15 SCARPONI, Michele        Lampre-ISD                   + 17''
16 BENNATI, Daniele         Leopard Trek                 + 23''
17 GAVAZZI, Francesco       Lampre-ISD                   + 23''
18 GASPAROTTO, Enrico       Astana                       + 23''
19 MONDORY, Lloyd           AG2R                         + 23''

Vuelta Overall Standings after Stage 6 
1  CHAVANEL, Sylvain        Quick Step            22h 41' 13''
2  MORENO, Daniel           Katusha                     + 15''
3  NIBALI, Vincenzo         Liquigas Cannondale         + 16''
4  RODRIGUEZ, Joaquin       Katusha                     + 23''
5  FUGLSANG, Jakob          Leopard Trek                + 25''
6  KESSIAKOFF, Fredrik      Astana                      + 41''
7  MONFORT, Maxime          Leopard Trek                + 44''
8  VAN DEN BROECK, Jurgen   Omega Pharma-Lotto          + 49''
9  PARDILLA, Sergio         Movistar                    + 49''
10 BRUSEGHIN, Marzio        Movistar                    + 52''