Tom Danielson wrapped up his second week in the Vuelta a España solidly in sixth place overall, a result that’s impressed Discovery Channel team boss Johan Bruyneel.

“He’s still up there in the GC. After two weeks, he’s done a lot better than we expected,” Bruyneel said after Friday’s stage. “We’re very satisfied with how he’s ridden so far.”

Danielson couldn’t quite follow the favorites up the final ramps of the category-three finish on Friday, ceding 44 seconds to the top five but retained his sixth place, now at 5:47 back.

Bruyneel said Danielson came into the Vuelta without any pressure other than to learn and make it to Madrid, but the Belgian director said he’s hopeful Danielson can do well in this weekend’s grueling climbing stages in northern Spain.

“He will try to do the best he can and try to finish as high as possible,” Bruyneel said. “The last week of a grand tour is always the hardest and that’s the experience that he’s really lacking. After two weeks of what we’ve seen, it’s been very positive.”

No new signees for Discovery for now
Johan Bruyneel said Discovery Channel hasn’t signed a big-name rider despite rumors Friday that the American team was back on the market. Efforts to sign such riders as Ivan Basso or Alexandre Vinokourov petered out earlier this season.

“We haven’t signed anybody,” Bruyneel said Friday. “We’re full. We have 27 riders and we’re going to keep it that way.”

Of course, there would be one more spot open for Lance Armstrong if the seven-time Tour de France champion decides to come out of retirement.

Speaking to the media in a visit to Mexico City on Thursday, Armstrong was quoted as saying a return to the Tour de France might be complicated, but hinted at racing in either the Vuelta or the Giro d’Italia in 2006.

That news was welcomed by Vuelta race organizers.

“If he returned to racing and came to the Vuelta, that would be perfect,” Vuelta race director Victor Cordero told Reuters.

Cordero: ‘One more shot’ at ProTour negotiations
Vuelta race director Victor Cordero said there’s still a chance to negotiate an agreement between the three grand tours and the UCI regarding the ProTour. Two weeks ago, the UCI broke off negotiations with the grand tours.

But Cordero told VeloNews on Friday there’s still a chance for a last-minute resolution. Patrick Lefevere, president of the team’s association and manager of the Quick Step team, visited the Vuelta last weekend to gauge the position of the grand tours.

“The talks are near death, but Patrick said we have to try one more time,” Cordero said. “I am in agreement and we will reconsider the issues after the world championships and the UCI elections.”

Freire’s season over; Valverde to world’s
Rabobank sport director Erik Breukink said it’s unlikely three-time world champion Oscar Freire will race again this season. The Spanish sprinter is sure to miss the world’s in Madrid later this month due to complications from surgery in June on his hip.

“Oscar is riding his bike, but he isn’t training seriously,” Breukink said. “That says enough about his shape at the moment. I am afraid he won’t be racing again this season.”

Alejandro Valverde (Illes Balears) will likely start the world’s, pumping new life into the Spanish national team ahead of the world’s. With Freire sidelined, it was looking unlikely that Valverde would be ready in time to race in Madrid.

Valverde abandoned the Tour de France with a sore knee and wasn’t able to recover in time to race the Vuelta. A planned start at the Tour of Poland was canceled, but Valverde is expected to be ready for Madrid.

“He won’t be 100 percent, but at least he will be in the race,” said Spanish national team coach Paco Antequera. “He will be able to race and he could have a chance to medal. He is getting stronger by the day.”

Where it stands
The Vuelta lost seven more riders, three of them from Discovery Channel’s ranks. José Azevedo and Benoit Joachim didn’t start and Manuel Beltrán, who started the day seventh overall, were among the day’s four abandons. All were victims of the costly crash in Thursday’s stage.

Also not starting was Niels Scheuneman (Rabobank), who broke his hand in the same spill. Also not finishing were Tom Steels (Davitamon-Lotto), victim of a crash early on Friday, Javier Vila (Lampre) and Franesco Bellotti (Crédit Agricole). After two weeks, 147 riders remain in the Vuelta with still more than a week to go.

Tom Boonen (Quick Step) finished Friday’s stage, but the Belgian sprinter isn’t expected to start on Saturday; he’s scheduled to fly to Belgium from nearby Bilboa.

There were no major changes in the overall standings. Denis Menchov (Rabobank) retained his 47-second lead over Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros) and kept the points and combined jersey. Joaquin Rodríguez (Saunier Duval) retained the climber’s jersey and Comunidad Valenciana stayed ahead in the team’s competition.

What’s next
The 60th Vuelta a España continues Saturday with the epic climbing stage to Lagos de Covadona high in the Picos de Europa. The 172.3km 14th stage starts in La Penilla at a Nestlé chocolate factory and hits three category two climbs in the first half of the course. There’s a long flat section before the Cat. 3 Alto de Ortiguero at 136km.

The final 14.3km ascent to Lagos climbs 1,100 meters with an average grade of 6.5 percent. The climb is steepest in the middle section of the climb, with ramps as steep as 13 percent at about 9km into the climb. The final 2km are relatively flat with two false summits.