Speedy Gonzalez one second slow

Aitor Gonzalez (Kelme) shined bright amid heavy rain in Cordoba to claim stage 10 of the Tour of Spain on Monday. His gutsy performance fell one second short of overtaking team mate Oscar Sevilla, who finished second at 40", in the overall standings.

RE-LIVE: Vuelta stage 10 as it happened!

Finishing third behind Gonzalez and Sevilla was David Millar (Cofidis) at 1'.

It is a wonder that stage 10, a 36.5-kilometre-long individual time trial in the Spanish city of Cordoba, even took place. With roads flooded by rain and race organisers debating postponement, riders finally embarked, one by one, on what can only be described as a giant puddle.

Antonio Tauler (Kelme) set the stage for his standout team, having posted the fastest time early on in the competition. Once British time trial specialist Millar eventually eclipsed the clocking, the race suddenly began taking some thrilling turns.

With news of Gonzalez shattering the fastest intermediate times at every check-point, it became obvious that Millar would be beaten; however, the main question on people's minds was whether Gonzalez could snatch the golden leader's jersey off Sevilla's shoulders.

Race leader Sevilla certainly put up a fight, and just when it began looking like a repeat of last year's climactic final time trial, in which Sevilla lost the Vuelta to Angel Casero, the young Spaniard proved that this year, he did his homework.

With a desperate flee towards the finish line, Sevilla arrived home 40 seconds after Gonzalez. He preserved his jersey for one tiny second.

The overall standings are now as follows: Sevilla leads Gonzalez by 1", with Roberto Heras (US Postal) in third by 1'42". Iban Mayo (Euskaltel) and Joseba Beloki (ONCE) have moved into fourth and fifth respectively, with Alexandre Vinokourov (Telekom) getting bumped from second to sixth after a disappointing performance (23rd at 2'45").

Tuesday is a much-deserved rest day for riders at the Vuelta. The competition resumes on Wednesday with stage 11.