Fighting hard on what was the toughest summit finish of the Vuelta a España thus far, Nicolas Roche yo-yoed off the back of the group of main favourites yesterday, battling back more than once, and ultimately rode strongly enough to preserve his podium position overall.

Strong performance
Roche had started the day just one second off the red jersey of race leader but while he slipped further back, he can be satisfied with what was a strong performance on the gruelling ascent to Alto Hazallanas.

The 41-year-old American Chris Horner made a big attack inside the final 5km and was able to quickly gain time on the others and with 2½km to go he was almost a minute clear.

Giro d’Italia winner Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) set off in pursuit. His faster cadence and more urgent style made it look like he was moving faster than Horner, but the American rider held him off and hit the line 48 seconds ahead of the Italian.

Last year’s runner-up Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) led a chase group in one minute and two seconds behind Horner. Roche had fought his way back up to this quartet, but lost contact shortly before the line.

He sprinted in a further eight seconds later, while the overnight leader Dani Moreno (Katusha) finished two minutes 22 seconds back and has probably lost his chances of winning.

'Dug deep'
"I went one hundred percent and really dug deep in myself all the way up the final climb, jumping in and out of the group of favourites," Roche said afterwards. "But I'm content and happy with my performance. After doing my very best and going to my maximum physical ability, I can't be disappointed."

He ended the day third overall, 10 seconds behind 2010 winner Nibali and 53 adrift of Horner.

The riders have the first rest day of the race today, giving Roche a chance to regain strength before tomorrow’s crucial time trial.

While races against the clock have been Roche weak points in the past, he has done a lot of work this year and believes he can put in a solid performance.He will continue battling onwards for what would be his best career result.