Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) looked in good shape on stage one of the Tour of the Basque Country, and he proved he is not going to let Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) have it all his own way on stage two. Contador’s comprehensive win on stage one gives him a comfortable gap to his second-placed compatriot overall, but he was forced to be on his guard by Valverde’s attacking on the final climbs of the stage.
The pace was enough to split the bunch, and no doubt owed much to Gorka Izaguirre’s efforts in the break – with the peloton keeping a steady pace behind to ensure they were no threat overall. Contador matched Valverde, strike for strike, but he has been warned. If he wants to keep the yellow jersey to the end, he needs to be up for a fight.
