Problems for Froome see Nibali close in on the Vuelta

▶ Tour de France champion has lead cut by 20 seconds

Tomasz Marczynski picked up a second stage win on this season’s Vuelta A Espana by coasting to victory in Stage 12 yesterday with a gap of 52 seconds, while Chris Froome saw his overall lead reduced by 20 seconds after enduring a problem-filled end to the stage.

Race favourite Froome had a mechanical issue with around eight kilometres remaining in the 160.1-km stage from Motril to Antequera Los Dolmones and was forced to change bikes.

Moments later he crashed into a bend, coming over the finish line 52 seconds behind Alberto Contador, who finished strongest of the general classification group.

The Briton lost 20 seconds on nearest challenger Vincenzo Nibali but still holds onto the red jersey with a lead of 59 seconds over the Italian, who will look to take advantage of having fresher legs than the Tour de France holder in the final week of La Vuelta after sitting out the Tour.

Contador, who will retire after La Vuelta, continued to show he is not ready to bow out quietly and attacked from the peloton with 20km to go alongside Nicolas Roche and opened up a 10 second lead, eventually finishing 22 seconds ahead of Miguel Angel Lopez, who had won stage 11 the day previously.

“It was an incredible stage,” Polish rider Marczynski said after doubling his grand tour stage win tally.

“After my first victory I was keeping fresh to try again today. I was a bit afraid at the beginning. I spent a lot of energy and had to sprint like 100 times just to get in the breakaway.

“Once I was there I said, ‘today can be again my day’. I felt good form the beginning, I was climbing easy. I kept calm until the last climb and there I wanted to see how the others were doing, and when I saw I had good legs I tried to go alone.”

Elsewhere, Mark Cavendish will return to action for the first time since a horrifying high-speed crash at the Tour de France as part of a strong Team Dimension Data outfit at the Tour of Britain that begins in Scotland on Sunday.

The British rider, who broke his scapula on Stage 4 in France when he ploughed into the barriers in a crash that led to world champion Peter Sagan being disqualified from the race, will be joined by 2015 winner Edvald Boasson Hagen and Mark Renshaw.

Africa-based Team Dimension Data, who won last year’s race with Steve Cummings, will be gunning for a hat-trick on the eight-stage event.

Cavendish is a 10-time stage winner on the Tour of Britain.