That's a strung-out peloton heading south in Andalucia at a great rate of knots..!
SCENERYVUELTACOLUMBIA
Mikael Buffaz leads a quartet of escapers four minutes down the road...
BUFFAZESCAPEVUELTACOLUMBIA
Lars Bak and Columbia are doing all the chasing...
COLUMBIABAKVUELTA
Are Julian Dean and Thor Hushovd discussing a joint venture for 2011..?
HUSHOVDVUELTACOLUMBIA
Arnaud Labbe is one of many cyclists loading up with nice cool water bottles...
That high sun hints at high temperatures - but it's only 40c today..!
Peter Kennaugh and Mark Cavendish seem without a care in the world today...
CAVENDISHKENNAUGHFRIENDSVUELTACOLUMBIA
Lars Bak is still driving the peloton along - Columbia must be that confident of Cavendish winning today..!
No ice please - Australia's Johnnie Walker needs water in the escape, a strange choice for a man with his name..!
WALKERESCAPEVUELTACOLUMBIA
The peloton is about six minutes down as it descends into a typical Andalucian village...
Ronda, the romantic jewel in Andalucia, welcomes the Vuelta...
Cavendish has suddenly been dropped on a sharp climb out of Ronda...
Cavendish panics at first, but then recovers to regain his place in the peloton...
CAVENDISHVUELTACOLUMBIA
The trio ahead have been joined by Marcos Garcia - who then attacks them...
GARCIAESCAPEVUELTACOLUMBIA
Bak and Columbia are still driving the peloton along, but now they have the escape in sight with 25-kilometres to go...
Something's wrong in the sprint - Cavendish is not in front..!
HUTAROVICHVUELTASPRINTCOLUMBIA
Yauheni Hutarovich wins stage two into Marbella - what a surprise..!
HUTAROVICHVUELTACOLUMBIA
More shocking is that race-leader Cavendish seems to have joined FDJ right after the finish...