Alexey Lutsenko proved his worth for Astana in tody's tricky stage of the Vuelta a Espana. The former U23 world champion reacted quickly when the peloton split in the crosswinds and managed to bring Fabio Aru and Mikel Landa back to the front group.

“It was unexpected when Tinkoff went to the side of the road and opened up gaps in the crosswind," Alexey Lutsenko said after stage 5 of the Vuelta a Espana. “I closed the hole for Aru and Landa and brought them to the front just when the race was getting crazy for the General Classification."

Lutsenko was attentive at precisely the moment when the peloton began to speed up and come apart, led by teams intent on breaking up the race in the crosswinds.

With experience, riders learn to watch their rivals in these tense moments, and anticipate the chess moves that determine race strategy. Lutsenko’s sharp eyes kept his teammates Fabio Aru, Mikel Landa and Tanel Kangert safe in their General Classification times ahead of Thursday’s first mountain stage.

Andrea Guardini slipped and fell early in the race on his left side. He was not seriously injured, and was active until crosswinds split him and Andrey Zeits from the main bunch.