VaE: Lastras Rides solo in to the Red Jersey on Stage 3

Pablo Lastras pulled off a stunning solo ride, to win stage 3 of La Vuelta and take control of the red jersey.

Lastras attacked, with 11 kilometres to go, as the leaders reached the final summit and his breakaway companions struggled to catch him. The Spaniard time-trialled to the end and gained a well earned 15 seconds, on the chasing group. He dedicated his victory to, last year’s 6^th place rider, Xavi Tondo, who was killed in a freak accident earlier this year.

Sylvain Chavanel claimed second place, but it could have been more if he and the other chasers hadn’t argued over tactics. Lastras has a 20 second lead in the general classiment, with Chavanel sitting in second.

The breakaway began with Ruslan Pydgornyy, Nicolas Edet and Chavanel launching an attack, after 14km of riding. They were soon joined by Lastras and Markel Irizar, who finished third, and built up a gap of over seven minutes. Edet was the first to go, with 70 of racing left, when he dropped back to see the medical car and never regained the gap.

Red jersey holders, Leopard Trek, tried to set the pace and catch the quartet, but it was in vein and still had a minute to bridge when they crossed the line. Stage 3 was more undulating than hilly, but it still caught out several of the sprinters who would have been hoping for a chance at victory. Many of the stage favourites found themselves over three minutes behind the Movistar rider, struggling with the hills and with the heat.

Mark Cavendish looked unhappy, when he found himself in the second of the two main groups. The Manxman is yet to take any points, for the defence of his green jersey and is already down one teammate. HTC have been struggling to impose themselves on their final Grand Tour, as a team, before they disband at the end of the year. Christophe Le Mevel also looked aggrieved, when he was shunted off his bike by Yuri Trofimov. The Russian swerved, as he was looking over his shoulder, and the pair hit the deck at high speed.

Luis Leon Sanchez had a much happier time of it, as he rode through his home town and was welcomed with open arms.

Stage 4 will prove to be the first test of the favourites, with riding going immediately up the 1^st category Alto de Filabres. The mountain top finish could provide us with another breakaway victory, in the Sierra Nevada.