Levi took back the gold jersey in the Vuelta today after riding well in stage eight. His teammate, Alberto Contador, attacked down the stretch to steal five seconds from his key rivals. The Astana duo lies first and second in the overall picture, with Valvberde 49 seconds off the pace. Carlos Sastre is at 1:27 in fourth, and will wait until the final week of the Vuelta, which features some of the toughest climbs in cycling.
Levi is quietly going about his business as a support rider for Contador, but the fact that he is the overall leader also hints at the possibility of the Californian being able to contend for the overall in his own right. If he can continue to find good form in the high mountains and keep himself within 30 seconds of the lead, he'll be in with a very realistic chance at victory for the final time trial.
Things will be relatively calm over the next few days before stage 13, which ends with the dreaded Alto de l'Angliru climb, which features ramps as steep as 23%. It will be then that Sastre will make his move, daring others to follow. Expect that Contador too will be a protagonist in stage 13, as he tries to claim full team leadership duties for his Astana team.
After a week of racing, Rabobank's Robert Gesink has been impressive in his first try at a grand tour, and he sits nicely in 9th place at just over three minutes back. The 22 year old is fast becoming one of the world's best climbers, and he is improving in the time trial discipline as well.
Unfortunately for the Vuelta, there aren't as many top-flight GC stars riding in the Spanish tour this year. Perhaps due to the Olympics, many GC type riders have opted to skip the Vuelta in 2008, among them Denis Menchov, Bernhard Kohl, both Schleck brothers and Cadel Evans. Still, the parcours will ensure great action over the coming days, as the year's final grand tour rolls toward Madrid.
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