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RACE REPORTS: 73RD TOUR DE SUISSE STAGE 5: ALBASINI TAKES STAGE, VALJAVEC KEEPS OVERALL
Road Bike Action & AFP
June 17, 2009
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(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
Swiss rider Michael Albasini of the Columbia-Highroad team won the fifth stage of the Tour of Switzerland, a 202 km ride from Staefa in Switzerland to Serfaus in Austria. Slovenian Tadej Valjavec of the AG2R team retained the race lead, even managing to drop his biggest rival on Wednesday, Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, down the overall standings.
Valjavec now leads Swiss rider Oliver Zaugg, of Liquigas, by 14secs with four stages remaining. Olympic time trial champion Fabian Cancellara of Saxo-Bank battled hard in the closing few hundred meters to close the gap to Albasini, but the big Swiss could only finish runner-up.
Italian Damiano Cunego of Lampre took third place as the 28-year-old Albasini grabbed his second stage win of the race, after his maiden win here in 2005, to make it an impressive 38 wins this season for Columbia-Highroad.
The leaders were among the main pack, which earlier caught up with a rogue pair who had sped in front on the descent from the 1793 meter Arbergpas, then over the border into Austria. On the final incline up to the finish line here, Germany's Tony Martin of Columbia-Highroad attacked on several occasions, but he was soon overhauled, as was Estonian Rein Taaramae of Cofidis after his late surge to the front.
The racers are back in Switzerland for Thursday's sixth stage, a 177km ride from Oberriet to Bad Zurzach. The nine-stage race, finishing in Berne on Sunday, is the last big warm-up for the Tour de France, which starts on July 4 at Monaco
73rd Tour de Suisse
June 13-21, 2009
Stage 5: June 17, Staefa to Serfaus 202km
1. Michael Albasini (SUI/THR) 5hr 24min 03sec
2. Fabian Cancellara (SUI/SAX) @ s.t.
3. Damiano Cunego (GER/LAM)
4. Oliver Zaugg (SUI/LIQ)
5. Vladimir Karpets (RUS/KAT)
6. Roman Kreuziger (CZE/LIQ)
7. Frank Schleck (LUX/SAX)
8. Andreas Kloden (GER/AST)
9. Tadej Valjavec (SLO/ALM)
10. Kim Kirchen (LUX/THR)
Selected
25. Andy Schleck (LUX/SAX) @ 1:05
Overall Classification After Stage 5
1. Tadej Valjavec (SLO/ALM) 18hr 52min 01sec
2. Oliver Zaugg (SWI/LIQ) @ :14
3. Fabian Cancellara (SUI/SAX) @ s.t.
4. Roman Kreuziger (CZE/LIQ) @ :42
5. Andreas Kloden (GER/AST) @ :45
6. Tony Martin (GER/THR) @ :54
7. Maxime Monfort (BEL/THR) @ :55
8. Gustav Larsson (SWE/SAX) @ :56
9. Vladimir Karpets (RUS/KAT) @ 1:01
10. Rein Taaramae (EST/COF) @ 1:02
Selected
11. Damiano Cunego (GER/LAM) @ 1:02
13. Andy Schleck (LUX/SAX) @ 1:07
14. Frank Schleck (LUX/SAX) @ 1:08
15. Kim Kirchen (LUX/THR) @ 1:24
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