Rate it!

4 votes

Finally, a victory in this century for an Irishman who is not related to Stephen Roche.

Philip Deignan's maiden Grand Tour stage victory came rather fittingly in weather so bad it could well have been on home soil.

Wearing a fetching pair of black leggings - the kind fashionable girls wear under their dresses on a cool summer's day - Deignan powered up the cobbles to Avila and proved way too strong for Roman Kreuziger.

"The Irish man who has promised so much through the years has finally cracked the big one," said David Harmon, excitedly. And he was right - the tall Kreuziger was well and truly cracked.

In fact, the chiselled Czech all-rounder did not even deign to take on Deignan in the two-up sprint. After trying to catch his rival out as he looked over his shoulder, Kreuziger soon waved the white flag when he realised sprinting was not one of his fortes.

Allowing the Cervelo ace to launch his own attack from behind was as good an offer since a buy-one-get-one-free promotion at a County Donegal shoe shop and the 26-year-old from Letterkenny went on to win at a canter, coasting into the Vuelta top ten in doing so.

Alongside Nicolas Roche and Dan Martin, Deignan is part of a formidable Irish trio that could surprise a few in the forthcoming Worlds.

On a day that yet another former T-Mobile and Gerolsteiner rider was outed for doping, the vast majority of the peloton had failed to sign in on time for fear of catching a cold in the poor weather.

Talking of poor weather, back in the UK Edvald Boasson Hagen nailed his fourth consecutive Tour of Britain stage with another imposing sprint finish.

With Cavendish in the Tour, Greipel in this Vuelta and now the Norwegian youngster in Blighty, Team Columbia-HTC are just having a laugh now.

BS still wonders why they allowed Boasson Hagen jump ship to Team Sky next season.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I hope you all watch Saturday Kitchen. If you don't you'll be wondering who I am - not that I haven't been in the press quite recently." 'Celebrity' TV chef James Martin makes light of the storm he caused after writing a disparaging article about cyclists in the British press.

Follow Blazin' Saddles throughout the day on www.twitter.com/saddleblaze

Felix Lowe / Eurosport