Late surge hands Valverde win

Alejandro Valverde took his second stage victory of the Vuelta a Espana as he snatched victory atop the Collada de la Gallina.

The controversial rider, who is still trying to establish himself in the sport following his two-year doping ban, played a major role on the final climb alongside race leader Joaquim Rodriguez and Alberto Contador. It was in fact the returning Contador who looked favourite to win the day, as he surged clear in the final metres but Valverde's late surge saw him take the stage, with Rodriugez coming home second. However, probably the big news on Saturday were the struggles of Tour de France runner-up Chris Froome, who lost 15 seconds in the standings and now sits 33 seconds adrift on the general classification.