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Chris Froome battled to stay set for a podium placing on a brutal finish served up by stage 12 of the Vuelta, dropping a further 23 seconds to Joaquim Rodriguez to finish fifth at the summit of the Mirador de Ézaro.

As Rodriguez and Alberto Contador rode clear on the steepest portion of an already savage climb, Froome fought to limit his losses to fourth-placed Alejandro Valverde to ten seconds, affording him a buffer of 29 seocnds on the general classification.

Froome was left without one deputy on the final 30% pitches, as Xabier Zandio crashed out earlier in the stage, but Sergio Henaeo was still in attendance and helped Froome to keep pace in the finale. But a second, more telling attack followed from the race protaganists, with every rider exposed in the final grovel to the line.

Result

Stage result
1 Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team 4:24:32
2 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Saxo Bank - Tinkoff Bank 0:00:08
3 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:13
4 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:00:20
5 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:00:23
6 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team
7 Igor Anton Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:00:27
8 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:31
9 Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre - ISD 0:00:33
10 Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:00:36

General classification after stage 12
1 Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team 44:50:35
2 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Saxo Bank - Tinkoff Bank 0:00:13
3 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:00:51
4 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:20
5 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:02:59
6 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team 0:03:29
7 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 0:04:22
8 Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin - Sharp 0:05:17
9 Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:05:18
10 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:06:01