The Euskaltel team kept several attempted breakaways in the first hour from going clear. This was not to protect the overall lead of Egoi Martínez, which was all but assured to be lost on such a stage (as Martínez was not seen as a strong enough climber in comparison with others high in the GC), but to protect the chances of victory in the Vuelta's queen stage for Igor Antón. Ironically, Antón would fail to even finish the stage, abandoning after sustaining a broken collarbone in a crash climbing Angliru.
