Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) got safely through today's windy stage of the Volta a Catalunya but still finds himself 4 seconds behind Joaquim Rodriguez in the overall standings. However, the Spaniard is ready for one final attack on tomorrow's difficult circuit that includes the small Montjuic climb.

The 172 kilometer long sixth and penultimate stage of Volta a Catalunya from El Vendrell to Vilanova i La Geltru was another fantastic scenery unfolding in hilly terrain through the Catalan countryside. With 4 four seconds away from the overall lead, Tinkoff-Saxo Spaniard was naturally keen on finding the keyhole to bridge that time gap.

The fairly easy stage in terms of terrain was however hardened by severe crosswind sections. Nine riders including German veteran, Jens Voigt (Trek Racing) and Pierre Rolland (Europcar) jumped up the road to form the breakaway of the day and they made it very hard for the peloton to bridge the gap. Because of the late initiative from the sprinter teams, the pace was insanely high and attack from the field was absolutely hopeless.

Entering the final ten kilometers, 42-year-old Voigt launched a wild attack from the front group but no ones leaves Voigt out of sight and the gap was shut show immediately. And from then on, it was attack upon attack and eventually the king of the mountains, Stef Clement (Belkin) made the crucial gap and soloed his way to the finish line to win the stage.

Tinkoff-Saxo’s Alberto Contador is still second overall and will keep fighting to step up to the top spot of the podium:

“Well, today’s stage was rather windy and with a loop around the finish town, we had both headwind, crosswind and tailwind," sports director Philippe Mauduit said. "As the stage progressed, the chance of splitting the field with an attack disappeared and our focus was to protect Alberto and bring him safely across the finish line. Tomorrow’s finale looks pretty hard and surely, there will be an opportunity or two for Alberto to make a move to gain the four seconds he needs."