Horner: “They say the third time’s a charm so hopefully I have good legs tomorrow and can keep the jersey. It’s so close and Nibali is a very good rider. Plus Valverde is good and he’s always been one of my favorite riders to watch throughout my career. Of course he’s a little younger than me so I’ve watched his entire career and I enjoy his tactics. Plus Rodriguez and I were teammates before so I know him well and enjoy racing with him.” The climb was only a category two, but steep enough to make a difference in tired legs after 19 stages of racing. Coming under the red kite signaling 1000 meters to go, Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) opened up a gap to go for the stage win and quickly animated the other GC contenders to follow suit. Horner was up to the task and stamped over the pedals for a few hundred meters to gain the three seconds he needed plus three more to take the lead. It’s his third time in the red jersey but this time there are only two stages remaining to defend it and this time the stakes are claiming the overall victory on Sunday. Horner: “Today was a game of tactics. I was never on my limit on the last climb but I didn’t want to sprint for the time bonuses. I knew I couldn’t win that. But mentally and physically I felt just fine on the last climb. I wasn’t thinking of going for the red jersey. It just came on its own.” The move by Rodriguez gave the Spaniard the stage win, followed by Diego Ulissi (Lampre) and Katusha teammate Daniel Moreno for second and third. Horner was fifth, six seconds ahead of Nibali. Horner continued: “I feel good and my legs are fantastic at this moment. I didn’t expect to have the jersey today but I’m happy to have it and look forward to defending it on the stage tomorrow. I have a strong team to look after me to the base of the climb. Then it’s important to keep an eye on Nibali and Valverde who are my biggest threats, plus Purito will attack Valverde to get on the podium.” Asked about the final stage of climbing on Saturday with only a three second margin, Horner said: “I can’t worry about tomorrow. If I have the legs tomorrow and win, that’s great, but if that doesn’t happen I can still say it’s been a great Vuelta. At my age I don’t lose sleep about being three seconds ahead or three seconds behind. I’m used to disappointment as well as victory. Clearly this would be the biggest victory of my career. I’ve had big surprises in my life and to win here would certainly be a big one.” Stage 20 is the last climbing stage and it’s a big one. The wearer of the jersey at the top of the super steep L’Angliru will win the 2013 Vuelta in Madrid on Sunday. The 142.2km stage begins in Aviles and ends atop the Alto de L’Angliru with sections hitting the 23% mark. Hang on – it promises to be a wild ride.
Posted on: Sat, 14 Sep 2013 05:43:58 +0000
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