Heras drops Menchov and takes Vuelta lead

The 3-time winner of the 3-week Spanish bicycle road race attacked on a steep climb about 27 miles from the end, and with the help from Liberty Seguros teammates Joseba Beloki and Michele Scarponi, powered all the way up the final climb to Valgrande Pajares, according to the live report from CyclingNews.

Heras crossed the finish line first, more than 5 minutes ahead of Menchov, obliterating that 47-second lead that the Rabobank cyclist had held for a week. Heras is 4 minutes 30 seconds ahead of Menchov; it's a lead, barring mishap, that should give Heras the overall win when the race ends next Sunday.

The tactics used by Heras to win the 118-mile stage and take the leader's golden jersey today looked like they were taken right from the US Postal Service play book. Heras rode with US Postal for several years and gained a reputation as the rider to lead out Lance Armstrong on the final steep climbs.

On Sunday that duty fell to Scarponi and Beloki, who had joined an early breakaway of 23 riders that included 3 from Heras' Liberty Seguros team. When Heras had dropped the riders from the peloton on the next to last climb of the day and bridged to the lead group at the base of the final climb, there were his teammates to help him up the mountain. Beloki pulled them until he tired, then Scarponi took over.

Meanwhile, Menchov had no help from his team. His strategy the past few days in the mountains had been to hold Heras' wheel to stay in the overall lead. The job must have taken its toll, because Menchov couldn't hang on Sunday when Heras attacked.

There's only one stage that fits Menchov's style in the final week, a 24-mile individual time trial on Saturday. It seems inconceivable that Menchov could erase a 4-and-a-half minute deficit in 24 miles.