Even with the best team tactics, it all comes down to the sprinter at the finish line.
Italian cyclist Alessandro Petacchi, looking for his 5th win at the Vuelta a Espana, couldn't quite pass fellow countryman Paolo Bettini in a 20-man sprint in Valladoid.
Petacchi's Fassa Bortolo team set up a five-man train to the finish, but crafty Bettini jumped in ahead of Petacchi and held the lead on the uphill sprint.
The 100-mile bicycle race opened the final week of the three-week Grand Tour. CyclingNews described the stage as largely uneventful as two breakaway were quickly caught by the peloton on the flat route.
The overall standings remained unchanged, as Robert Heras (Liberty Seguros) kept his 4-minute 30-second lead over Russian cyclist Denis Menchov. American cyclist Tom Danielson (Discovery Channel) is in eighth place overall, 12-minutes 15-seconds behind Heras. All results are available at CyclingNews.
The hills return on Wednesday, with two category 1 climbs on the 102-mile route from El Espina to La Granja de San Ildefonso.
Recent Comments