Carlos Sastre attacked on yesterday's final climb up to the summit finish of Calar Alto but was distanced slightly by the repeated accelerations by Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) and Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne). He finished fifth, five seconds behind his two biggest GC riders, but had the satisfaction of seeing Andrey Kashechkin drop from second to fourth overall.
Although it is looking increasingly likely that the battle for the final race victory is between current leader Valverde and second-placed Vinokourov - who is now equal on time to Sastre - the affable Spaniard told reporters this morning that he will keep battling.
