VUELVA d ESPANA - UPDATE.

SATURDAY 10^th/ SEPTEMBER 2011.

Just a quick update on the ‘ Vuela a Espana; I have been following it on the PC via ITV4 or the web-page on Eurosport late at night. At the start of the week Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins were second and third after Juan Cobo of Spain climbed to victory on the final climb last Sunday up the fearsome Alto de Angliru, the 12.5m ascent with gradients up to 23.5% is the steepest stage on any of the grand tours and the riders end up at a walking pace, even the TV motorbikes struggle! Two stages later and Froome won after a thrilling hill climb beating Cobo by one second, the first Englishman to win a mountain stage in a grand tour since Robert Miller in 1984 ! Yesterday the stage entered the Basque region for the first time in over 30 years when it finished in Bilbao,the Spanish rider, and one time favourite to win the Vuela, Igor Anton, riding for the Basque team ‘ Euskatel ’ won and Bilbao went mad !Today’s stage is to the capital of the Basque region,Vitoria before the final stage on Sunday to Madrid, so it looks like the Red Jersey will stay on the back of Cobo. Yes he won !!

PS; England have just beaten Argentina in their first match of the World Cup in New Zealand at Dunedin; 13-9! Wilkinson missed five penalty kicks but the Argies also missed six ! England had to come from behind to scrape a nervy win.

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