After a good time trial (Froome lost 8" in eight kilometers of racing), the 3rd stage saw Alberto Contador attack right at the start of the climb Alto de Hazallanas, 8km from the finish.

Chris Froome, slightly distanced in the previous descent, was not able to respond promptly enough and Alberto rapidly gained thirty seconds on his pursuers, led by the Sky Team riders, with Froome in their wake.

Alberto was pedaling well, managed to retain the advantage; only in the last few kilometers Chris, left alone to chase, was able to recover ten seconds on the Spanish.

Contador climbed the 8 Km at 9% at 1800m/h (6.20 w/kg), with Froome not far at 1777 m/h (6.13 w/kg). All the other rivals were much further back.

 

The next day, on the ramps at 15-18% of the Alto de Allanadas, theoretically favorable to the lighter Iberian climber, Froome accelerated on the pedals: Contador tried to follow him, but after a few meters he gave up on holding to his rear wheel.

In the last 6'40" of the race the Englishman gave 29" to the Spanish: the VAM was a stratospheric 2059 m/h (6.86 w/kg), with Alberto climbing at 1938 m/h (6.46 w/kg).

Contador repeated the excellent performance of the previous day, but Froome expressed a performance that was 6.2% higher than the Spanish, which is huge considering the level and the maximal effort of the two protagonists, who were obviously first and second at the finish line, with the other riders far behind.

It's as if, after providing roughly equivalent performances in the time trial and climbs up till then, Froome had found in the legs a bonus of 25-30 watts in the last 2 km of the 4th stage compared to Contador...