VALDEPENAS DE JAEN, Spain (AP) — Daniel Moreno took the lead of the Spanish Vuelta on Sunday after winning his second stage in six days with an impressive uphill push to separate from the pack.
The Katusha rider broke away on the steep ramp to the finish line to snatch the leader’s red jersey from Nicolas Roche by one second in the overall standings.
Moreno also won the fourth stage on Tuesday. He finished Sunday’s ninth stage, a 104-mile mountainous ride from Antequera to Valdepenas de Jaen, with a provisional time of 4 hours, 18 minutes, 57 seconds.
Fellow Spaniards Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodriguez crossed next four seconds later.
The three-week grand tour finishes in Madrid on Sept. 15.
