World number one Laurent Jalabert was denied a second victory in the Tour of Spain yesterday after finishing over eight minutes behind his three main rivals in the leading group.

Number one in the world since his 1995 Spainish Tour victory, the climb to the Sierra Nevada ski resort in southern Spain reduced Jalabert to a walking pace, with only five kilometres till the finish.

His main rivals for the maillot amarillo this year are the 1996 winner Alex Zulle, his fellow Swiss Laurent Dufaux, and the Spanish rider Fernando Escartin.

The surprise victory yesterday for Chris Boardman's French team-mate, Yvon le Danois, will have taken the pressure off the Briton, whose first serious test in the Vuelta comes tomorrow in the 31-kilometre time trial at Cordoba. In Olano's absence, Boardman will inevitably start as favourite, despite the fact he is carrying a 99

Tomorrow sees a 31-kilometre time trial at Cordoba, in which Britain's Chris Boardman, although coccyx injury.