So history was made to day as Roberto Heras of Liberty Seguros team won his fourth Vuelta a Espaсa, is he going to do a “Lance” and win it seven times? He never shined in the Tour and his manager, Manolo Saiz, will have him concentrate on La Vuelta in the future, so it is possible.

The penultimate day of the Vuelta didn't promise any surprises, but delivered big-time in the astonishment stakes! Ruben Plaza confirmed his talent and his fine Vuelta placing with a thunderous ride on a pan-flat TT course to demolish the all-comers Grand Tour Time Trial speed record.

Today gave us an ever-changing picture of breakaways and chasers spread all over the place - a very exciting day’s racing. Not that you’d know from looking at the main field.

Another tricky stage out and back from the walled city of Бvila, just short of 200 kilometers with three 2nd Cat and one each of 3rd and 1st Cat climbs, this is where Aitor Gonzalez won the 2002 Vuelta with an attack on his team leader, Sevilla. This won’t happen this year, but there could be a surprise.

To day was not a super hard day, but it could have caused a few upsets. Heras is fairly safe in his overall lead; behind him the others have a lot to play for and to day could give them the springboard to move up.

I thought this was going to be an easy report to write. Blast out a few words, job done, jump on bike, go for a ride. But my cunning plans were thwarted by the thoughtless opportunism of a rider I’m now tempted to call ‘Mr X’.

With his Vuelta 2005 chances drinking resolutely at the last chance saloon, Roberto Heras needed to haul himself blinking into the daylight to have one last go at seeing off Denis Menchov.

Today was billed to be one of the BIG days of this years La Vuelta, Roberto Heras with 15 stitches in his leg had been saying this was going to be the most important day for the overall.

And that’s the polite way of putting it! If you’re going to screw up in a big-time ProTour race, then you better do it when the organisation has been so shambolic that you’ve got ready-made excuses.