Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Kristof Vandewalle tried his best to get a high placing, or a victory, in La Vuelta a Espana Stage 6 on Thursday. He made a break with five others riders that had more than 4 minutes of a gap at one point in the 175.4km stage.
Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil-DCM), in the break with Vandewalle, attacked on Cat 3 Puerto del Oroel — a 12 km climb with an average gradient of 2.8 percent. De Gendt went solo as the break was down to four, and the gap was down to within a minute.
However, the peloton still pulled him back with 3km to go. Team Sky ProCycling kept the pace so high at the front of the climb to the finish that no attacks were made until 500 meters to go. Chris Froome (Sky ProCycling) was the first to attack, and only race leader Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha Team) could stick to his wheel. On the final turn before the finish line, Rodriguez dropped Froome and won by five seconds. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) was 3rd.
"It was hard on the attack," Vandewalle said. "We had a lot of headwind. We had a strong group but the headwinds made it hard. When we passed the feed zone it was a little bit easier because of the wind, but then it was a bit up and down so it was still difficult. Then we were still with four people riding hard, and OK, it was good, but 1km to the top of the first climb, De Gendt attacked. I let it go because the peloton was not very far behind. It was better to wait. But the little group of five, we all understood Dutch. One guy was in the break with us earlier from Astana, but I think he saw we were all speaking Dutch, so he probably thought 'I don't belong in that group." It was important that we had one guy in the front for OPQS. We went after 10km. The others were a little in front so I attacked to go with the break. Then it was really hard to stay in front. We didn't have much of an advantage. Three minutes, four minutes — the peloton did not want to let us go."
OPQS looks next to a 164.2km stage on Friday.