Caisse d'Epargne quietly confident

Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) climbs

Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) climbs (Image credit: Lavuelta.com)

Prior to the start of stage nineteen, Caisse d'Epargne directeur sportif Alfonso Galilea told Cyclingnews that if Alejandro Valverde preserved the same time gaps over his rivals by the end of the day, the team would be satisfied. Things worked out better than that, with closest rival Robert Gesink dropping to sixth overall and the Spaniard nabbing a 16-second time bonus for second on the stage.