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Tony Martin prevails after Quintana crashes

Ireland’s Dan Martin moves up to 13th place in the General Classification at the Vuelta

Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador of the Tinkoff-Saxo team celebrates on the podium after taking the overall leader’s red jersey following the tenth stage of the Vuelta a Espana cycling race. Photograph: Javier Lizon/EPA
Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador of the Tinkoff-Saxo team celebrates on the podium after taking the overall leader’s red jersey following the tenth stage of the Vuelta a Espana cycling race. Photograph: Javier Lizon/EPA
Tue Sept 02 2014 - 18:00

Alberto Contador stormed into the leader's red jersery in the Vuelta a Espana after Nairo Quintana crashed and Chris Froome lost more time to his rivals in a dramatic stage 10 time trial today. Ireland's Dan Martin has moved up to 13th in the General Classification.

World time trial champion Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) won the stage in a time of 47 minutes two seconds, but it was Tinkoff-Saxo's Contador who lit up the general classification battle with a time of 47mins 41secs, fourth on the day, easing him into the red jersey so spectacularly surrendered by Movistar rider Quintana.

The Colombian had just crested the top of the sole climb on the technical 36.7km route from Real Monasterio de Santa Maria de Veruela to Borja when he went into the crash barriers on the side of the road and tumbled over the handlebars.

He was slow to get up before climbing on to his spare bike and resuming the race, having already lost two minutes to his rivals, and by the time he crossed the line he had given up a total of 3mins 28secs to Contador.

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The news for Team Sky’s Froome was only marginally better as he lost 53 seconds to Contador without the excuse of a crash.

Both men are recovering from injuries which ended their participation in the Tour de France early, but this stage suggested it is Contador who has found his form faster.

This technical time trial course saw the riders crest a significant climb early in the day, with the incline reaching 8 per cent near the summit before a long descent and the run to Borja.

Froome had already given up 28 seconds to Contador by the top of that climb, and it got no better for the Team Sky man.

That was a major disappointment given that Froome is seen as a strong time triallist, who would usually look to make up time in the discipline. Instead it was others who used the day’s stage to put themselves in contention.

While Contador was the big winner, Omega Pharma-Quick Step's Rigoberto Uran was the best placed of the GC contenders, taking third place on the stage — 15 seconds behind Martin and four behind Trek Factory's Fabian Cancellara — to move up to third overall, 59 seconds down on Contador.

Quintana's team-mate Alejandro Valverde sits second in the GC standings after a time of 48mins 3secs kept him in touch.

Froome is now down in fifth overall, 1min 18secs back, with Lampre-Merida’s Winner Anacona six seconds better off in fourth place.