Once again Daniel Moreno proved to the world that he might in fact be too good to be a lieutenant for Joaquim Rodriguez. On the second stage he nearly took a stage win when he finished second behind Nicolas Roche, and today he turned that into a win when he irresistibly accelerated in the finale. 

Moreno is only a lieutenant for Rodriguez but today he proved today that this is only because of Rodriguez' exceptional qualities and not because of his own lack of quality. Earlier this year he also shone in the Fleche Wallonne when his captain was unable to compete at 100 % due to an injury. Whenever Rodriguez gives his lieutenant the freedom to take his chances, he grabs it with both hands. 

“I'm very happy with this victory. Yesterday I said to my teammates that I would have liked to try to win today because I liked this stage a lot. I have to thank all of them, especially Luca Paolini who helped me a lot in the final part in order to put me in the best position for my attack, and Purito: we know each other very well, we know which stages suit us best. He's the leader, but he usually leaves me some chances for myself. I have to be focused and take advantage of them. The race is still very long and maybe I'll have some more chances. It was a great victory in a very demanding stage. Mirador de Ezaro was really tough and was expected to make the difference, but maybe nobody wanted to try to make a huge selection because it was still a long way to the finish line”.

While it is 100 % certain that Rodriguez will be Katusha's GC leader, it will be interesting to follow Moreno in the high mountains. The Spaniard finished 5th overall while helping Rodriguez to a spot on the podium.