Stage 12 | Motril / Antequera | Vuelta a España 2017

It was a dramatic day at the Vuelta a España as stage 12 took the riders from the coastal town of Motril inland to Antequera, with two hard climbs at the end. The drama started before the stage, with the overnight news that the bus belonging to Aqua Blue Sport, the Irish team, had been set on fire and destroyed. We hear reaction to that from the team’s sports director, Nicki Sorensen, and press officer, Niall O’Connor.

Then there was the drama of the stage itself. Towards the end, Alberto Contador attacked the other favourites to steal some precious seconds while, behind, Chris Froome crashed twice and arrived at the finish with blood coming from both knees. He lost some time but kept the overall lead.

Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Fran Reyes discuss the repercussions of the drama, while not forgetting the day’s winner, Tomasz Marczynski, who attacked a 14-man break to take his second stage.

We hear from Edward Theuns, the Trek-Segafredo rider who was a useful ally to Contador in the closing stages, and from Michael Woods, the Canadian riding only his second Grand Tour, but riding well in 8th place overall. And we’ve got an interview with Wilco Kelderman, the Dutchman who is sitting fifth overall. We also announce our shortlist for this week’s Pédaleur de Charme.

The Cycling Podcast is supported by Rapha and Science in Sport.