Joaquím Rodriguez (Katusha) was expected to surge into attacking mode on stage 14 in Vuelta a España today, but he suffered in the cold weather conditions as the peloton hit the Pyrenees.

As Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Chris Horner (RadioShack-Leopard) went on the attack on the final ascent of the day, Rodriguez chose to continue at his own pace. Initially he lost some time but was eventually able to regain most of it, losing less than 20 seconds to Nibali on the day.

“In the beginning of the stage I didn't feel good because of the cold weather and the rain,” Rodriguez explained. “It was a pretty tough start, but during the stage I managed to find my rhythm. So, when I got to the last climb, I felt much better: but Nibali and Horner were too strong today. When they attacked, I decided to keep my own pace. Then, in the final part I tried to recover some seconds and I did. Let's see what's going to happen in the next days.”

Rodriguez currently lies 4th overall, trailing race leader Vincenzo Nibali by 2’57”.