The escape contested the win in stage three, with the Colombian Quintero finishing fourth and rising to 17th overall. That’s the fate of those riders who make a living of their gut and aggressive style, those “born attackers” fans naturally fall in love with: the balance between attempts and success is always vastly uneven.

Today, in Vuelta a Burgos stage 3 (Castrojeriz – Villadiego, 165 km), Colombia-Coldeportes Carlos Julian Quintero’s attempt finally went to the finish, and the four escapees had the chance to contest the win in spite of Astana Team’s chase. Russian Vladimir Isaychev (Katusha) proved the fastest finisher of the four, ahead of Matteo Busato (Southeast), Manuel Benito (Caja Rural) and Quintero himself.

After the stage, the 29-year-old from the Caldas region of Colombia could not hide a pinch of bitterness for not seizing the opportunity:

“I admit, it hurts not to have been able to deliver after such a break, but I knew I certainly was not the fastest man around… Anyway, I am really happy with the feelings I am having at this Vuelta a Burgos, particularly looking ahead to the Vuelta a España.”

The four riders got away about 80 km after the start, when an early attempt – including Juan Pablo Valencia and with a 2.30 maximum advantages – had already been caught, as well as another short-lived one with Brayan Ramirez in it.

The four leaders had a 3’ maximum advantage, and were helped to remain clear of the charging bunch by the tailwind in the last kilometres, coming home with a 15-second gap on the first part of the peloton, broken into echelons into the final 20 km.

After today’s stage, Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana) held on the overall lead, while Carlos Quintero moved into 17th, 41 seconds behind the Spaniard. Rodolfo Torres, Brayan Ramirez and Miguel Angel Rubiano also finished in the first part of the bunch, and Fabio Duarte continues in the climbers classification’s red jersey.

“We reacted very well to an under-par team time trial,” Sports Director Oscar Pellicioli said. “We took part in every move, and we went close to the goal with a fighter like Carlos Quintero: he really puts much effort in what he does, is always eager to give it a try, and he will rewarded for that sooner or later. Maybe even at the Vuelta. Today it was also important to protect Torres, and Duque gave a key contribution in helping him stay in the first echelon in the finale. Now we have two uphill finishes left, tomorrow and Saturday, and we will tackle them with full confidence.”

The first in line will be tomorrow, Friday August 7th, at the end of a 161 km effort from Belorado to Pineda de la Sierra. The road will point up steadily in the final 40 km of the race, providing an interesting preview of Saturday’s decisive queen stage.