For the most part, race leader Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) enjoyed a relatively uneventful day in the saddle during Thursday’s Vuelta a España stage. Towards the end of the stage, however, Nibali could be seen at the front of the bunch surrounded by his team mates as they sought to steer clear of problems in a finale that was always going to be hectic.

“We suffered a lot in the finale, so I preferred to work at the front with my team-mates in order to avoid problems and crashes.”

Nibali’s team-mate Andriy Grivko elaborated on the Astana tactics during the closing phases of the stage:

“We saw that Belkin tried to open an echelon. Straight away, Katusha and Sky looked ready to go as well. It created a bit of distress in the bunch and it meant risks around the corner. So we decided to ride hard at the front and avoid troubles. I don’t understand why GC riders [like Bauke Mollema] go for one second bonus while we have a 40-km time trial ahead and mountains where differences will be in minutes, not seconds.”