Spaniard Rodriguez wins Vuelta fifth cycling stage

Spanish cyclist Joaquin "Purito" Rodriguez won the mountainous fifth stage of the Tour of Spain on Wednesday after a 187-kilometre ride from Sierra Nevada to Valdepenas de Jaen. French rider Sylvain Chavanel of the Quickstep team retained the overall leader's red jersey. Katusha team leader Rodriguez powered to the line in the steep last metres of the race to finish in 4hr 42min 54sec, snatching the team's second stage victory after fellow Spaniard Daniel Moreno won the fourth. Dutch rider Wouter Poels of the Vacansoleil team came in second, four seconds later, with Moreno third, finishing five seconds after his team mate. French rider David Moncoutie had made a bold break minutes earlier and built a 30-second lead on a swift, winding descent five kilometres from the finish but was caught and overtaken as the race entered the southern town. Thursday's sixth stage is a 193-kilometre ride from Ubeda to Cordoba, with a steep stretch near the end that threatens to scupper sprinters.