Today was billed as a sprinters' day, which in the end it was, but as most of the top sprinters had gone home and due to the toughness of the stage, the winner was going to be one of the strong-men of the peloton. Like a Philippe Gilbert sort of rider...Peter Sagan is that type of rider!

Race report: For the fourth year in a row, the Vuelta is a very happy hunting ground for David Moncoutie, with yet another perfectly executed stage win in his preferred domain. Minutes behind him, the top cats chopped and changed with the man in rojo doing the work for his team-mate who becomes the new Vuelta race leader ...

Tony Martin's string of stellar time trials continued today on a course that favored the absolute specialists around Salamanca. In the GC battle, however, the pundits' collective jaw fell wide open when Chris Froome donned the red leader's jersey and not his Team Sky leader, Bradley Wiggins. Froome put in the ride of his life, and behind, the GC carnage was impressive. Read on!

Race report: After a few days with short, sharp shock finishes, it’s something approaching a proper mountain top finish – the riders are heading up La Covatilla, which has a shallow gradient early on before it kicks up with 8 clicks left. It’s not hard, but it’s hot again, and it could be a pretty nasty headwind on the final stretch to the summit.

Race report: Today would appear to be one for the sprinters on Stage 7 of La Vuelta from Almadйn to Talavera de la Reina. But nothing was typical as a massive crash in the bunch sprint took out half the field as Marcel Kittle of Skil-Shimano took the win. Read on!

Another hot day on La Vuelta a Espaсa and Liquigas was on fire with four riders (and Lastras) in the break that fought out the finishing sprint with Pablo Lastras trying to up-stage them. Nibali and Sagan were there to make sure the win went to one of the gasmen, it was close, but Sagan came good!

No rest for the weary for the Vuelta contenders. Yesterday was the first important date with destiny, and today, the second. While nowhere near as long as the climb to Sierra Nevada, the climb to Valdepeсas de Jaйn makes up for in wicked steepness - can you say 24%? Read on!

Today the Vuelta would give its first test to the climbers as the 170km stage started in Baza, and ended up the grueling Sierra Nevada climb, which climbed up over 2000 meters. This is the same climb that Cadel Evans had the world’s worst wheel change on in 2009, costing him the race. As if the heat wasn’t enough, eh?

Roadside:It’s still hot here in Spain and the racing doesn’t look like it will cool off either. It’s not all fun and games following a bike race you know! No lunch, constant air-conditioning and driving like a rally driver to stay with the action has its draw-backs...I wouldn’t swap it for anything!