Whilst the race leaders jersey was pretty much sown up as long as Liquigas' Vincenzo Nibali finished, the green jersey which was on the shoulders of Mark Cavendish was still very much up for grabs.
Regular attacker Dominik Roels (Milram) plus Javier Ramirez (Andalucia-Cajasur), Jurgen Van Goolen (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Olivier Kaisen (Omega Pharma-Lotto) and Gonzalo Rabunal (Xacobeo Galicia), broke clear but the peleton lead by Garmin who had Tyler Farrar (pictured below) in with a shout of the Green Points Jersey and HTC Colombia stopped them getting any more than a minute ahead.
By lap ten of the twelve laps of the grand road in Madrid which was celebrating its centenary, the breakaway could see the peleton right behind them.
With the junction made, HTC, who has signed American rider Danny Pate for 2011 and Garmin plus Liquigas set the temp with 7km to go.
Quick Step wen to the front as Mark Cavendish was led up there by Matt Goss. However, Cavendish didn't have the speed he needed and Tyler Farrer came round the outside to take the victory.
It was a win for Farrer but not enough to keep Mark Cavendish (pictured below) from winning the Green Jersey and following Malcolm Elliott who did it in 1989.
"I didn't expect it when I came here, but I really am pleased that I managed to achieve it," Cavendish said to the HTC Colombia press office after the race. "It's my first green jersey in a major Tour and that's something very special. The Vuelta is different from other races because there are equal points on offer in the mountains and in the flats, but at the end of the day it's all about being consistent. I'm very happy for HTC-Columbia all round. We took five stages, led overall, and we got on the podium as well as the points. It has gone perfectly."
Race Winner - Vincenzo Nibali
Points Jersey - Mark Cavendish
King Of The Mountains - David Moncoutie
Pictures copyright of Covsupport News Service. Credit CNS/KM