The mountains have played their hand in the 2011 Vuelta a España and the protagonists of the race have risen to the challenge. Team Sky's dynamic duo of Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome have lit up the roads in their quest for a British title in Spain. Wiggins has shown impressive climbing form, but his stint in the red jersey came undone on the steep slopes of the feared Angliru climb on Sunday.

Wiggins' teammate Froome, however, has only gotten better and on Wednesday came within 13 seconds of the race lead, grabbing a gutsy stage win en route. The man in the hot seat with just days remaining to Madrid was Juan Jose Cobo, whose brute force climbing has launched him to a possible first grand Tour for himself and his new Geox team.

Photographer Yuzuru Sunada's images capture the pain and determination of the faces of the leaders and stragglers alike.