Basso's level rising

Italy's Ivan Basso (Liquigas) at the Vuelta a España

Italy's Ivan Basso (Liquigas) at the Vuelta a España (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

Liquigas captain Ivan Basso showed flashes of his old form on stage thirteen to Sierra Nevada, placing fifth on the stage and showing that he is maintaining his strength as the race progresses. While other general classification contenders such as Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel Euskadi) are showing the strain of a fortnight of hard racing, the Italian is still in the hunt for overall victory. That said, he needs to make up one minute and two seconds to move into the maillot oro.