Those who were in front of their TV this Tuesday afternoon had reasons to be delighted. The stage between Vitoria-Gasteiz and Villanueva de Valdegovia offered everything that cycling fans love. A race full of twists and turns that ended with a battle between the strongest riders. And in the heart of this completely wild day, the Cofidis team showed itself like never before. 
 

Most represented team in the breakaway

 
Pierre-Luc Périchon and Victor Lafay were the first to enter the breakaway after one hour of racing. Then, José Herrada and Guillaume Martin, in a chasing group, finally joined it on the climb of Puerto de Orduna.

The riders had to climb this first category mountain pass twice and Guillaume Martin was 2nd each time at the top of the climb. As a result, the rider from Normandy took some precious points in the mountain classification, enough to take the lead.
 

Martin’s 1st distinctive jersey on a Grand Tour

 
But he didn't stop there. Guillaume took off at the front of the race with four other riders - Valverde, Woods, Peters and Fraile - all of them already winners of a stage on the Big Tour. The rider from Normandy attacked several times before finishing in the 5th place. For the third time in a row on this Vuelta, he is in the 'top 10'.
 
At the finish, Guillaume Martin was able to take the polka-dot jersey of best climber, his first distinctive jersey on the Big Tour. A nice reward also for the incredible collective work of his team-mates. From now on, everyone will work hard to 'defend' this jersey on the roads of the Vuelta.