Movistar Team's block -leading teams' overall- could not beat Sánchez-Rodríguez duo at first mountain-top finish, still putting Pardilla, López and Lastras within the day's top-6 What's expected to be a spectacular 2011 Vuelta a Burgos kicked off today with the first of four uphill finishes at this year's Castillian race. Movistar Team showed the strength of their block during the 2k climb to San Juan del Monte and leads the overall classification after taking several of their riders into the main group. With the Samuel Sánchez-Joaquim Rodríguez duo with a gasp of meters of advantage, Sergio Pardilla came in 3rd place while David López and Pablo Lastras entered the finish just behind Menchov, making the telephone squad have this way three riders into the best six of the day. The riders led by José Luis Arrieta will have another good opportunity to show their forces on stage 2, a loop around Burgos with the finish on tp of the Castillo climb (Cat. 3), where the riders will go through for the first time with 7k remaining.

On the other hand, at the Tour de Pologne, the three sprint finishes witnessed up to date left room for complicated finishes like today’s stage 4, finishing in the Polish-Czech border in Cieszyn. Slovak champion Peter Sagan (LIQ) took a convincing win over a 35-rider leading group where a recovered Marzio Bruseghin took Movistar Team’s colors to the fore, with Madrazo not being able to contest after a crash during the final lap. The Spaniard, along with Oyarzun and Pasamontes, came across the finish into the second pursuit group, just half a minute behind Sagan, the new race leader. Tomorrow, and after an endless 230k transfer awaiting for the Movistar Team riders, another hard trek will be covered around Zakopane, with five laps over a circuit including a Cat. 1 climb plus another Cat. 2 minor ascent.

Picture: Ainara Hernando