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RACE REPORTS: CASTILLA Y LEON STAGE 5: VALVERDE TAKES THE STAGE, LEIPHEIMER THE OVERALL
Road Bike Action & AFP
March 27, 2009
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Leipheimer shown here at the Tour of California claim his second stage race of the season
(Photo: Roberto Bettini)
Levi Leipheimer of the Astana team won the Tour of Castilla y Leon in northern Spain, a race overshadowed by an injury to his teammate and countryman Lance Armstrong. Spain's Alejandro Valverde of the Caisse d'Epargne team won Friday's fifth and final stage, a 152.50-kilometer race from Benavente to Valladolid, in a sprint finish.
Second overall was another Astana rider, Alberto Contador of Spain. Contador, one of the pre-race favorites after taking the last two editions of the event. Contador said before the race that the event would be decided in the Tuesday's time trial. This proved to be correct as Leipheimer finished 16 seconds ahead of the 2007 Tour de France winner in the time trial, and in the overall standings.
On Monday Lance Armstrong, also of Astana, broke his collarbone in a fall on Monday. A cancer survivor who went on to claim a record seven Tour de France crowns, Armstrong ended a three-and-a-half year retirement at the Tour Down Under in Australia in January to launch a comeback aimed at challenging for an eighth Tour de France title.
Tour of Castilla y Leon March 23-27
Stage 5 - March 27: Benavente to Valladolid, 153km
1. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Caisse d'Epargne
2. Pablo Urtasun (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi s.t.
3. José Joaquín Rojas (Esp) Caisse d'Epargne s.t.
4. Ricardo Serrano (Esp) Fuji-Servetto s.t.
5. Igor Abakoumov (Bel) ISD s.t.
Final Overall Classification
1. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 15.33.26
2. Alberto Contador (Esp) Astana @ :16
3. David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin-Slipstream@ :22
4. Stef Clement (NED) Rabobank@ :49
5. Denis Menchov (RUS) Rabobank@ :54
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