Finally! Yes, finally it happened. Explosive racing, attacks, excitement, anticipation all thanks to the man pro-cycling has been missing - Alberto Contador.
Whether you are a fan or not, you certainly can't deny what took place on Stage 3 of the Vuelta e Espana.
After a couple of warm up stages the Vuelta took to the first mountain top finish for the race last night and it didn't disappoint.
The break away was caught at the foot of the final climb as the fireworks were about to start.
All the contenders were there; Valverde, Rodriguez, Van Den Broek, De Gendt, Gesink, Uran, Roach and of course Froome and Contador.
It wasn't long before the attacks came. Valverde was first to show his cards launching a minor attack which was easily reeled in and then Contador made his first move. His unmistakable prancing of pedals and lightening acceleration quickly had the others on their toes. It would initially appear that Froome was going to be a casualty however he gained his momentum and was never really in trouble.
There would be no less than five more attacks from Contador, each one displaying his sheer brilliance and excitement that tour racing has been missing in his absence.
Apart from dropping Van Den Broek and De Gendt, Contador's attacks were of no real consequence. But he certainly did make clear his intentions and show his challengers that he is the one to beat.
In a terribly close finish Valverde went on to steal the stage win from Rodriguez who thought he had it in the bag and will no doubt be kicking himself.
Froome too showed his strength by putting four seconds into Contador by taking third place time bonuses in front of the Spaniard.
Stage three was a mere taste to whet our appetites for what is to come over the next couple of weeks of racing, and with another tough hill top finish tonight we won't have to wait long for more!
What did you make of Contador's attacks? Was he just playing with them?
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