RadioShack-Leopard’s Chris Horner attacked race leader Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and took the jersey to regain the Vuelta a España lead for a third time. The American leads the race by the slender margin of three seconds with two stages to go.

“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,” Horner said on the Radio-Shack-Leopard website.

“Today was a game of tactics,” Horner elaborated. “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.” 

Stage 20 is the last climbing stage and it’s a big one. The holder 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.