Spanish rider Igor Anton reclaims Spanish Vuelta overall lead after winning tough 11th stage

Anton reclaims Spanish Vuelta lead with stage win

ANDORRA LA VELLA, Andorra — Igor Anton reclaimed the Spanish Vuelta’s overall lead by winning his second stage Wednesday with a tough uphill climb to the finish.

Anton surrendered the leader’s red jersey to Joaquin Rodriguez a day earlier, but edged Ezequiel Mosquera of Xacobeo Galicia after breaking away over the last kilometer for a 3-second edge in the 11th stage. Anton finished the 129.5-mile ride in 5 hours, 25 minutes, 44 seconds.

“It was a little too close,” said Anton, who rides for Euskaltel Euskadi. “I wasn’t expecting to win — I was mostly looking to go for the red jersey and to put some distance between myself and the competition.”

Xavier Tondo ensured a Spanish top-three as the Cervelo cyclist finished 10 seconds behind Anton. Rodriguez was 59 seconds behind in 17th to surrender his overnight lead.

“I managed to regulate my rhythm and it turned out OK,” Anton said. “There’s still a lot of racing left but I feel good. I’m going well and my body is responding to the demands.”

Mosquera jumped ahead of the pack near the finish and, although Rodriguez initially stayed with his fellow Spanish rider, the Katusha cyclist faded with just over a mile remaining.

Anton blew past Rodriguez and Vincenzo Nibali of Italy before finding an extra push to beat Mosquera in a leg that ended with a sharp 600-meter ascent to the finish line in the neighboring principality of Andorra.

Anton’s overall time halfway through the 65th edition of the Spanish classic is 47:37:15, good enough for a 45-second advantage over Nibali of Liquigas-Doimo. Luxembourg’s Frank Schleck is 10th overall — 2:30 behind, while defending champion Denis Menchov slipped 8:55 back in 28th.

The 12th stage Thursday is a 107.2-mile leg back into Spain, to the city of Lleida.