Wednesday, September 11: Live updates from Stage 5
MURCIA, Spain

2:15 p.m. (local time):
There's been lots of action so far in Wednesday's 208-kilometer (129-mile) stage from Murcia across a desolate, treeless landscape. Is this Spain or the Tour of Chihuahua?

Telekom's Bert Dietz of Germany didn't start Wednesday's stage, suffering a broken wrist in Tuesday's finish-line debacle. France's Frederic Bessy of Petit Casino pulled out at the one-kilometer mark with too much pain from a fractured collarbone. The field is down to 172 riders.

The first points sprint came early, at the eight-kilometer mark. It's without time bonuses, so the major players held back and Telekom's Jurgen Werner edged Italy's Luca Pavanello (AKI) and Italy's Angelo Canzonieri (Saeco) to take the three points.

Early attacks were quickly reeled in by the ONCE and MG teams, looking to protect their leaders, first-place Laurent Jalabert (ONCE) and second-place Fabio Baldato (MG). The peloton started slowly, covering 37 kilometers the first hour.

Mapei's Tony Rominger, who vows to at least win a stage after losing more than seven minutes in Monday's stage, attacked at the 37-kilometer mark and then again at the 41-kilometer mark.

The three-time Vuelta champion built up a 10-second gap before giving up his break at the 45-kilometer mark.

The second points sprint at the 62-kilometer mark had time bonuses and Baldato nipped Jalabert to take the three-second time bonus, which shaved an extra second off the Frenchman's lead, who won two seconds. Third-place Giovanni Lombardi (Polti) took the one-second bonus by finishing third in the sprint.

The peloton just crossed the 72-kilometer mark and four riders--Kelme's Ignacio Garcia Camacho, Gewiss' Mauro Santaromita, Banesto's Erwin Nijboer, and Petit Casino's Christophe Mengin--are trying to gap the peloton.

More to come from the 51st Vuelta Espana ...

3:15 p.m. (local time):
At the 118-kilometer mark, a seven-man attack has put seven minutes, 12 seconds between the peloton, and Italian Mirco Crepaldi (Polti) is the on-course leader.

A five-man attack at the 72-kilometer mark was reeled in, and at the 80-kilometer mark, about two hours into the stage, seven riders went out.

Going with Crepaldi are ONCE's Neil Stephens, AKI's Gianluca Gorini, Festina's Stephen Hodge (an Outside Online contributor during the 1995 Tour de France), Motorola's Flavio Vanzella, MX Onda's Franisco Cerezo, and Scrigno's Daniele Cignali.

At the 92-kilometer mark, the break put 1:02 in front of the peloton. With Scrigno and Polti blocking the peloton, the break put the hammer down and by the 98-kilometer mark had built its lead to 4:08.

The break blew through the feed zone at the 107-kilometer mark and has the lead at 118 kilometer at 7:12.

3:40 p.m. (local time):
Only two riders remain in the break 3:40 ahead of the peloton powered by the Mapei, ONCE, and Santa Clara teams. The break fell apart at the 128-kilometer mark and all the riders fell back except two.

A clarification: the on-course leader is Euskadi's Inaki Aiarzaguena, who sits in 22nd place, one minute behind ONCE's Laurent Jalabert. Joining him in the break is Polti's Mirco Crepaldi, who's more than eight minutes back in the pack.

Aiarzaguena won the points sprint and the three-second time bonus at the 163-kilometer mark, Crepaldi was second, and Werner was third charging out of the peloton. The lead has just been chopped down to 2:47 as the peloton looks likely to catch the two with less than 30 kilometers left in the stage.

4:00 p.m. (local time):
With 10 kilometers to go the two-man attack was 15 seconds ahead, and at eight kilometers they were caught.

At five kilometers it started to rain for the first time in five years.

Now Cantina-Tollo's Marco Di Renzo is leading out alone by 100 yards.

4:03 p.m. (local time):
The peloton just caught him with five kilometers to go.

With three kilometers to go the peloton has become compact. It's still raining lightly, making the roads slick. There's a threat of another big spill. Miguel Indurain is toward the back of the peloton.

The peloton is coming into Almeria, two kilometers away from the finish.

4:09 p.m. (local time):
It's still lightly raining with just a kilometer to go.

4:13 p.m. (local time):
Jeroen Blijlevens (TVM) won the stage by a bike length. The Dutch rider won a stage in this year's Tour de France and is known as a strong sprinter.

Blijlevens finished the stage in four hours, 39 minutes, 39 seconds.

Nicola Minali (Gewiss-Playbus) came in second and yesterday's winner, Tom Steels (Mapais), was third.

Laurent Jalabert retains the leader's jersey for another day.