By Hernan Alvarez Macias
The big question of today’s stage at the Vuelta a España was Roberto Heras' condition. The Liberty Seguros Würth team leader had suffered a bad crash during yesterday’s stage and everyone wondered how he would respond to racing with 15 stitches in his left leg. "My knee hurt me," said Heras to the press post-stage. "It was a crazy stage because when Liberty doesn't take command, the stages go wild." Heras said that he was in pain during the whole day, but that he also felt a lot of support by his team. "I passed another day, even though it wasn't my best one," commented the Spaniard.
The three-times Vuelta winner complained about the wind and about the hard time everyone had when the race went out of control. He believed Lagos [de Covadonga, tomorrow’s stage number 14 mountaintop finish] is a mountain for climbers like him, and that it’s worth to follow somebody's wheel because there are parts with up to 14 percent gradient and others with 10 percent that one should climb alone. He hopes that Dariusz Baranowski recovers from the hit he suffered today.
"In Lagos we will try it. I think the most dangerous man is [Francisco] Mancebo because [Vuelta leader Denis] Menchov just stays in my wheel," he added. Liberty team director Manolo Saiz hoped that Heras will be in better shape tomorrow. "I'm sure it will be a big show on that climb," concluded Saiz.
