Valverde Now Leads.

Alejandro Valverde is now wearing the gold after gaining :08 bonus seconds by finishing third in stage 9 of the Vuelta a Espana. Cadel Evans is now in second :07 seconds behind. A disappointing finish for Samuel Sanchez, coming in 1 min. 29 sec behind the leaders. That drops Sanchez from 3rd to 6th.

Stage 9 results:

1 Gustavo César Veloso (ESP) Xacobeo Galicia 05:21:04

2 Marco Marzano (ITA) Lampre-NGC 0:00:21
3 Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Caisse d'Epargne 0:00:40
4 David De La Fuente (ESP) Fuji-Servetto 0:00:41
5 Robert Gesink (NED) Rabobank
6 Cadel Evans (AUS) Silence-Lotto
7 Ivan Basso (ITA) Liquigas
8 Javier Ramírez (ESP) Andalucía-Cajasur 0:00:53
9 Joaquím Rodríguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 0:01:12
10 Tom Danielson (USA) Garmin-Slipstream
11 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-NGC
12 Tadej Valjavec (Slo) AG2R La Mondiale
13 Ezequiel Mosquera (Spa) Xacobeo Galicia
14 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Lampre-NGC 0:01:29
15 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Saxo Bank
16 Samuel Sánchez (ESP) Euskaltel-Euskadi

Overall standings after stage 9:
1 Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Caisse d'Epargne 36:26:40
2 Cadel Evans (AUS) Silence-Lotto 0:00:07
3 Robert Gesink (NED) Rabobank 0:00:36
4 Tom Danielson (USA) Garmin-Slipstream 0:00:51
5 Ivan Basso (ITA) Liquigas 0:00:53
6 Samuel Sánchez (ESP) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:01:03
7 Damiano Cunego (ITA) Lampre-NGC 0:02:04
8 Ezequiel Mosquera (ESP) Xacobeo Galicia 0:02:24
9 Haimar Zubeldia (ESP) Astana 0:03:01
10 Juan José Cobo (ESP) Fuji-Servetto 0:03:08
11 Tadej Valjavec (SLO) AG2R La Mondiale 0:03:13
12 Daniel Navarro (ESP) Astana 0:03:16
13 Joaquím Rodríguez (ESP) Caisse d'Epargne 0:03:49
14 Paolo Tiralongo (ITA) Lampre-NGC 0:03:52
15 Daniel Moreno (ESP) Caisse d'Epargne 0:04:23

Photo credit ©Unipublic