Stage 9

The road

At the start

Barcelona, and a Barcelona rider in red

The Gallina left Froome thirty-three seconds down and Contador forty; Valverde won the stage and sits fourth at fifty. Today runs a long way east to Barcelona, which has not seen the Vuelta finish for thirteen years, with the climb of Montjuïc four kilometres from the line — a finish drawn for a puncheur, in the home city of the man wearing red.

How it was won

1. 125 km to go

   Katusha take over

   The four-man break, never more than five minutes clear, is swept up inside the last twenty-five kilometres by a coalition of Rabobank, Argos and BMC — and then Katusha come to the front, because their leader was born in this city.

2. 28 km to go

   Contador's surprise

   On the approach to Montjuïc, Contador attacks out of nowhere and upsets Sky's rhythm entirely. Richie Porte snuffs it out, but the effect is done: the climb will be raced, not ridden.

3. 36 km to go

   Rodríguez goes on his own roads

   One kilometre of climbing, four from the line, and the race leader shuts down Ballan and then bounds clear of the peloton with a disdain that borders on rudeness. Contador has nothing left to answer with; Froome and Valverde never move. Only Gilbert and Roche give chase, and only Gilbert makes it.

4. 4At the line

   Gilbert, at last

   A brief negotiation at the top of the descent and then two riders who have both had miserable seasons ride perfectly together into Barcelona. Philippe Gilbert takes the sprint and his first win in a BMC jersey; Rodríguez takes the seconds and keeps red.

The result