The Vuelta is already managing a better record than the Tour de France. It took one whole day before the Vuelta lost its first riders. On the second stage of the three week trip around Spain, two riders made their exit: Footon-Servetto's Arkaitz Duran and Cofidis's Mickael Buffaz.
Footon's 24 year old Basque talent, Duran, suffered through an awful day of stomach problems. He was unceremoniously dropped on the road to Marbella and suffered alone to the finish, over half an hour in arrears of the day's victor, Hutarovich. While he struggled valiantly to stay ahead of the time cut, he came up short, and was time cut.
Perhaps an even more hard luck story is that of Cofidis's Mickael Buffaz. Buffaz had made the day's break, and in most cases, this would seem the safest place to be on the opening road stage of a Grand Tour, however, Buffaz managed to defy the odds and crashed out of the break and out of the Vuelta. The unfortunate wreck occurred right before the day's only major climb.
196 riders will take the start in tomorrow's third stage to Malaga.