Countdown before crucial time trial
28 August 2012

Vuelta a España (st. 10)

Valverde still 4th overall at 2012 Vuelta after calm day on Galician soil, in the eve of a hilly, 39-kilometer ITT that will mark his GC chances

Movistar Team covered with no troubles the first Galician stage of the 2012 Vuelta a España, a 190-kilometer trek from Ponteareas to Sanxenxo with lots of very small climbs that didn’t make any changes in the GC as they offered another sprint finish won by German John Degenkolb (ARG). Alejandro Valverde and his team-mates -with José Joaquín Rojas on top of the Blues’ performance in 14th spot- saved this way their only compromise before the important, 39-kilometer individual time trial between Cambados and Pontevedra on Wednesday.

The ITT route, with ten kilometers of constant climbing towards the Monte Castrove (Cat. 3) halfway through, preceeding a technical descent into the capital, offer good sensations to Valverde, who took advantage from the rest day to recon the course: “We made it and it’s a really demanding time trial. It’s still a TT, which is not my strongest point, but to be honest, it suits me well because it has a rolling terrain before starting with the climb, and after the summit, it’s a long descent almost until the finish”. The Spaniard will try to keep his privileged position into the GC, where he now ranks 4th, 1.07 behind Rodríguez (KAT).