David Arroyo was one of the big losers in today's windy stage of the Vuelta a Espana. The Spaniard missed the split in the crosswinds and lost 53 seconds to his main rivals.

Having already got his race off to a bad start in the first mountaintop finish, David Arroyo suffered another unfortunate time loss in today's windy stage of the Vuelta a Espana. The former Giro runner-up was unable to keep up with the best in the crosswinds and despite good work by his Caja Rural teammates he never mader it back to the front.

"The feeling was good but the position was not the best and it meant that I missed the split," he said. "It is a shame to lost time but I have to thank the whole team for their great job which is a continuation of what they have done in all stages of the Vuelta."

Earlier in the stage Francisco Javier Aramendia has been part of one of his trademark breakaways.

"We tried again but the tension rose when the wind got stronger and that made it impossible for us," he said. "It is a shame that David lost time but there is plenty of racing and he is strong. Yesterday's crash was not good, my wrist got a little worse but I hope to get better."

To complete a bad day for Caja Rural, Antonio Piedra was involved in a spectacular solo crash.

"It was not as bad as it seemed," he said. "I have some road rash on the hip. It was a big shock but nothing more. Now I will see how I get through the night. I will sleep on the other side. The next stage which finishes in Valdelinares will be complicated but then we have a rest day and a time trial which will be more bearable. I hope to be good later in the race."