Gerrans wins 10th Vuelta stage, Valverde defends overall lead

Gerrans wins 10th Vuelta stage, Valverde defends overall lead Murcia, Spain  - Australian Simon Gerrans won the 10th stage of cycling's Tour of Spain on Tuesday while Alejandro Valverde defended the golden jersey as overall leader.

Gerrans of the Cervelo team edged Ryder Hesjedal of Canada, Jakob Fuglsang of Denmark and Kazakhstan's Alexander Vinokourov in a sprint finish at the end of the
171.2-kilometre stage from Alicante to Murcia.

All posted 3 hours 56 minutes 19 seconds, 29 seconds ahead of Adam Hansen of Australia, the nearest of the pursuers.

Valverde of the Caisse d'Epargne team, who is banned from riding in Italy over doping allegations, is 7 seconds ahead of Australian Cadel Evans and 36 seconds up on Robert Gesink of the Netherlands.

The Vuelta reaches its halfway point on Wednesday, with a mountainous 11th stage, a 200km ride from Murcia to Caravaca de la Cruz. dpa