Alto de Monte Groba, Vuelta a Espana, stage two

As the Vuelta a Espana began in earnest after the previous day’s team time trial, the riders were treated to a  stage with many flat sections. Only the category three ascent of the Alto de San Cosme had to be negotiated in the first 160km. Anybody anticipating an easy day was sadly mistaken however, with the summit finish of Alto de Monte Groba awaiting – its 5.6 per cent average gradient doing little justice to the ferocity of the ramps at the foot of the mountain, or towards the peak of the 11km climb.

GC hopefuls including Sergio Henao (Team Sky) and Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) were among those shelled as the Movistar-led peloton set a frightening pace on the lower slopes, but the Spanish team’s leader, Alejandro Valverde, was to be disappointed.

Nicolas Roche, who had long toiled in the shadows of his Triple Crown-winning father Stephen, was among three riders to catch Leopold Konig (NetApp-Endura), whose daring attack blew apart the leading group just as the GC contenders prepared for a private shootout.

Bridging across with just one kilometre remaining – and with the slopes approaching an eight per cent gradient – Roche launched a stinging attack with 300m remaining, sprinting long and hard for the line. And the Irishman’s move proved decisive as he crossed the line for the biggest victory of his career.