A crash forces Chente García Acosta to withdraw in the Vuelta a España for the first time after 14 consecutive editions, with ulna and radius fractures and a broken rib. Madrazo leads team performanceIt had to be a crash what avoided Chente García Acosta contnuing his finishing streak in the Vuelta a España, the Movistar Team being forced to abandon in his 15th appearance in the Spanish grandtour after a serious crash in the 75th kilometer on stage 5. Just 500 meters after the first passage through the finish in Valdepeñas de Jaén, the Spaniard, dropped from the bunch along with four other riders, went onto the asphalf after a sharp right corner and ended sitting on the floor. Quickly assisted by the medical services from the race and the second Movistar Team car, who was right behind him, Chente was moved by ambulance to the Neurotraumatological Hospital in Jaén, where the checks confirmed an ulna and radius fracture in his left arm and a broken 12-dorsal vertebra -with no medula affecation-, beside multiple bruises and twelve stitches to close an important wound in the eyebrow. The rider will stay for 48 more hours in Jaén before departing for Pamplona for an operation.

Movistar Team will now have to complete the Vuelta with eight riders, as the telephone squad tried to make the breaks from the start, firstly into a 25-man split including Erviti, López and Madrazo, then trying it with Madrazo himself into the definitive 8-man breakaway that got into the front during the first Valdepeñas climb. The young Spaniard showed his bravery during his first appearance in a GT and tried to keep himself into the front to end up overtaken by the favourites’ group with just over 15k from the finish. Sergio Pardilla and Marzio Bruseghin (8th and 10th in the current GC) represented again the Blue squad into the favourites’ group, with Rodríguez (KAT) taking the stage win as Chavanel (QST) kept the red jersey.

Before the start in Sierra Nevada, the organisers of the Vuelta a España paid a sincere tribute to Xavi Tondo, just few meters from the place where he found death last May. All Movistar Team -with T-shirts with Tondo’s logo- escorted at the starting line his brother Alfondo and his sister Elena, who received a present along with a giant portrait from the Catalan rider, which was respected an emotive minute’s silence before the neutralized depart.

Rojas 2nd in Poitou-Charentes
In turn, José Joaquín Rojas agian a step behind taking joy for Movistar Team during the second stage of the Tour de Poitou-Charentes, being ridden from Tuesday on French soil. The Spaniard road champion came 2nd into the tight sprint in Bressuire, only beaten by Hutarovich (FDJ) in the final meters after great teamwork in the finale, despite a crash by himself and Iván Gutiérrez just over 40k from the finish line. The bonus seconds take Rojas into the third place overall, the ranking still led by Italian Davide Appollonio (SKY).