Vuelta a España 2013 Stage 6: Guijuelo to Cáceres

Yesterday we finally got some things that this Vuelta had been lacking. Stability in the race leadership and a bunch sprint.

Yeah finally the sprinters got their day and actually apart from Daniel Moreno and Fabian Cancellara spoiling things for him yesterday it was the man who lead the bunch home yesterday who proved the strongest. On the narrow, winding, wooded run in to the finish the World Champion Philippe Gilbert tried to pull away for his first win in the rainbow jersey, but he was pulled back in by the lead out trains.

In the end it was Michael Matthews of Orica-GreenEDGE at just 22 and in his first Grand Tour who sealed the win, ahead of Maximiliano Richze (LAM) and Gianni Meersman (OPQ).

With a breakaway picking up the points in the two category three climbs on the day Nicolas Roche (TST) kept both his jerseys and Vincenzo Nibali (AST) retains the overall lead.

Today from the start in Guijuelo La Vuelta is also going to head in largely the same mainly southerly direction all day another first for this race, as well as losing altitude as the day goes on. There are no categorised climbs until the big ones at the weekend.


The finish town of Cáceres is a world heritage site containing some twenty towers and defensive bastions, 41 palaces and fortified houses that provided refuge to noblemen. It is belnd of the Roman, Moorish, Gothic and Italian renaissance architecture.

But today the historic walled city will be invaded by cycling fans ahead of the arrival of the knights on their bicycles, following their lead out trains. They will storm the bastion of Cáceres to see who will be crowned victorious in the tournament today.