Alejandro Valverde burst snatches Vuelta glory from luckless Nicolas Roche

Nicolas Roche came within 10 metres of winning the fourth stage of the Vuelta A Espana yesterday but was foiled by a fast-finishing trio which denied him a place on the podium.

The Irishman rode a textbook 209-kilometre race from Estepona to Vejer de la Frontera, saving himself all day before springing clear of the bunch in the final kilometres.

It looked for a moment as if the Team Sky man would snatch not only the race leader’s red jersey but also stage victory after five hours in the saddle.