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RACE REPORTS: KREUZIGER WINS TOUR OF ROMANDIE AS OSCAR FREIRE BAGS FINAL STAGE
Road Bike Action & AFP
May 3, 2009
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Twenty-three year old, Roman Kreuziger has his sights set on the Tour de France.
(Photo: Roberto Bettini)
Czech rider Roman Kreuziger of the Liquigas team won the Tour of Romandie after the fifth and final stage which was won by Spaniard Oscar Freire here on Sunday.
Freire, a three-time world champion, claimed victory in a bunch sprint for his Rabobank team holding off the threat of promising young American Tyler Farrar of the Garmin team. Kreuziger, an up and coming stage race specialist who is only 23 years old, won the Tour of Switzerland last year having finished runner-up in the 2008 edition of the Tour of Romandie. He all but secured his victory after winning the tough mountain stage on Saturday to Sainte Croix where he left a small group of front runners in his wake to seal the stage win and take the overall lead. That stage proved key to his victory, but Kreuziger admitted that not losing too much time in the team time trial - Liquigas finished fourth at 24 seconds behind Team Columbia - on Friday had also played a part.
"After the team time trial at Yverdon-les-Bains we managed to limit our losses. But I knew I would make the biggest difference on Saturday's queen stage," said Kreuziger, who won a junior world title in 2004. Despite his love of Swiss races, Kreuziger has other big ambitions this year - the Tour de France, where he hopes to gain a place on the podium. "My main objective of the year is the Tour de France," added Kreuziger, one of the few Czechs to have succeeded in the tough European elite ranks.
Freire meanwhile picked up his second professional victory since returning from an injury setback, having broken two ribs in a crash at the Tour of California in February. The versatile Spaniard, a sprinter by definition but who still manages to handle the tough climbs, also won stage two into La Chaux de Fonds.
63rd Tour de Romandie
April 28-May 3, 2009
Stage 5: May 3, Aubonne – Genève, 150.5km
1. Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank 3.29.49 (43.038 km/h)
2. Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Slipstream @ s.t.
3. Koldo Fernandez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
4. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Silence-Lotto
5. Nico Sijmens (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
6. Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - Highroad
7. Markus Zberg (Swi) BMC Racing Team
8. Iker Camano (Spa) Fuji-Servetto
9. Sebastian Lang (Ger) Silence-Lotto
10. Jens Voigt (Ger) Team Saxo Bank
Final overall classification
1. Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas 14.20.14
2. Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Team Katusha @ 0.18
3. Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne @ 0.25
4. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne @ 0.46
5. Rigoberto Uran (Col) Caisse d'Epargne @ 0.48
6. Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Team Saxo Bank @ 1.01
7. Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence-Lotto @ 1.07
8. Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia – Highroad @ 1.08
9. Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Fuji-Servetto @ 1.16
10. Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Team Columbia - Highroad @ 1.21
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