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Menchov takes over at Murcia
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Spanish rider Rubén Plaza (Liberty Seguros) won Saturday’s “etapa reina” climbing stage at the Vuelta a Murcia in Spain and Denis Menchov (Rabobank) surged into the overall lead.
Plaza was first out of a group of 10 riders that pulled clear after topping over the Cat. 1 Collado Bermejo some 22km from the finish line in Alhama de Murcia. Coming through second was Jesús Herrada (Contentpolis) while Menchov crossed the line third in the 156km fourth stage.
Overnight leader Frantisek Rabon (Columbia-Highroad) couldn’t match the pace and slipped out of contention with one stage left to go in the five-day Spanish race.
Menchov, a two-time winner of the Vuelta a España, now holds a 20-second lead to Plaza, with Rabobank teammate Peter Weening in third overall at 35 seconds back.
Sunday’s 142km fifth and final stage between San Javier and Murcia provides some potentially explosive terrain, with a string of three third-category climbs sprinkled along the route before a flat run into Murcia.
The final hump comes just 11km from the line, offering Plaza a chance to try to wrestle away the jersey from the dominate Rabobank team.
