VaE: Cobo takes red as Sky falter on the Angliru

Juan Jose Cobo assumed the lead of the Vuelta a Espana, after a solo attack up the very difficult Alto de l’Angliru on stage 15.

Cobo went off the front, with 6km left, and never looked troubled, even on the 23% sections. The Spaniard kept pedalling at a constant rate, which enabled him to gradually pull out a big enough gap to take the red jersey. In contrast Bradley Wiggins struggled and even began to weave across the road, on certain sections.  By the time he reached the finish line, he had been distanced by his teammate Chris Froome.

Nobody was aware of the distancing until they came to the line, as the camera bike following them succumbed to the gradient and fell over. With the time bonuses taken in to account, Cobo now sits at the top of the GC with Froome 20 seconds behind him and Wiggins down to third. The directors at team Sky will have a tough rest day, deciding who will assume the race leadership. Wiggins may now be forced to work for Froome, to try and ensure Sky leave the race with the red jersey.

Wouter Poels and Denis Menchov came over the line with Froome, but the pair swallowed up the vital bonus points. Menchov’s ride puts him in to sixth place in the GC, seemingly turning his Vuelta around. Poels now sits in 10^th place and could move further up, depending on how Jurgen Van Den Broeck performs in the final week.

Many people pipped Vincenzo Nibali for the victory, in an attempt to salvage something from this year’s race. This wasn’t to be and the Shark fell off the back of the peloton pretty early had a lonely ride up to the top, with a few spectators for company. Joaquin Rodriguez managed to hold on for a little longer than he has done in previous stages, but eventually he fell foul of the Angliru. Rodriguez eventually lost one minute 35 seconds, while Nibali crossed the line 2:37 behind Cobo.

Igor Anton had a significantly better day than previous, coming across the line with Wiggins. The Euskaltel rider did go on the attack, near the bottom of the Angliru, but he couldn’t keep it up and was taken back in to the main group.

Monday will see a well deserved rest day for the riders, before they go back to the flat in stage 16. Rodriguez will have to fight off Peter Sagan, if he hopes to be still wearing his green jersey. With two intermediate sprints and a few bonus seconds available, some of the GC riders could use this as a chance to close the gap to Cobo.