MEN'S CYCLING:Irish pro Philip Deignan yesterday showed off his climbing ability once again in the Vuelta a España with another excellent showing in the mountains, reports Shane Stokes.

After placing 16th on Sunday, the 24 year old Ag2r Prévoyance rider went even better yesterday, crossing the line in Andora Arcalís in 12th place. Race leader Denis Menchov (Rabobank) won a seven-man sprint to take the win, outsprinting Cadel Evans (Predictor - Lotto), Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel - Euskadi) and four other contenders to the line.

Deignan finished just 51 seconds behind, and has moved from 146th to 70th overall in two days. Menchov leads closest challenger Vladimir Efimkin (Caisse d'Epargne) by two minutes and one second.