Egoi Martinez (Discovery Channel) was one of the first to attack the bunch from kilometre zero on...
Egoi Martinez (Discovery) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Martinez wanted it - and got it!
Egoi Martinez (Discovery Channel) was one of the first to attack the bunch from kilometre zero on today's stage 11 of La Vuelta, taking the riders from Torrelavega to Burgos. And he was also the first to reach the finish line, even though his attempt had not looked like it would be successful for most of the race. After many kilometres of solo riding and continuous efforts, Martinez reached Burgos on his own, beating Iñigo Landaluze (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Volodymir Gustov (Team CSC) by getting rid of them just at the right time, with 10 kilometres to go.
The sprint for fourth place was won by Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole) out of the day's main breakaway, initiated by the tall Norwegian at km 27. The group of 13 riders first included Martinez, but then the Spaniard took off in the stage's second climb, the Puerto del Escudo, with more than 100 kilometres yet to race. Later, Landaluze and Gustov joined him for the final - and flat - 50 kilometres, but Martinez proved to be the strongest and most determined today and outsmarted them all.
The peloton including race leader Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) got in 15 minutes later, with none of today's protagonists being a threat to the maillot oro.
