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RACE REPORTS: VUELTA A ESPANA STAGE 21 REPORT: CONTADOR WINS VUELTA, MAKES HISTORY!
Road Bike Action
September 21, 2008
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Matti Breschel of CSC-Saxo-Bank won the last stage of the Vuelta a Espana in Madrid in a mass dash to the line. The 24-year-old Dane beat Alexandre Usov (AG2R-La Mondiale) and Davide Vigano (Quick Step) at the end of the 102.2km stage.
As is usual on the final stage of a Grand Tour, the early pace was very low with the riders chatting and enjoying the last day of term atmosphere. The only action inside the first hour was the intermediate sprint in Torrejon, taken by Greg Van Avermaet (Silence-Lotto) in an effort to increase his lead in the overall points
standings and secure the blue jersey.
As the race entered the finishing circuit and the first of seven 6km finishing circuits, the first breakaway escaped with Jesus Rosendo (Andalucia-Cajasur), Emanuele Bindi (Lampre) and Valerio Agnoli (Liquigas) getting clear. The strong pace of the peloton, led by Euskaltel-Euskadi and Credit Agricole, refused to allow them more than half a minute on the flat roads of Madrid.
With a little over three laps remaining a spill in the bunch saw Van Avermaet hit the deck, but the Belgian sprinter’s entire Silence-Lotto team came back to pace their man back in. Towards the end of the next lap, with just 13km to go, the peloton reeled in Bindi and pulled back Rosendo and Agnoli soon afterwards. Immediately though, Rosendo’s Andalcia-Cajasur team-mate Jose Ruiz Sanchez attacked alone, but his solo effort didn’t last long.
With 2km to go a big spill in the middle of the peloton brought down a number of riders, race leader Alberto Contador (Astana) was affected but as it was inside the final 3km it didn’t alter the result. Sixth-placed Joaquin Rodriguez wasn’t so lucky though as he hit the ground hard and crossed the line with a suspected broken collar bone, putting his World Championship participation in doubt. As the sprinters’ teams led out Breschel burst to the front an no one was able to come past as he took his first Grand Tour stage win.
Contador crossed the line a little later in 50th place but was given the same time as the stage winner, and so wins the 63rd Vuelta a Espana by 46 seconds over team-mate Levi Leipheimer and 4.12 over Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre (CSC-Saxo-Bank). The 25-year-old Spaniard has now taken three Grand Tours in 14 months and becomes only the fifth rider in history to have won the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana.
Final Results: 2008 Vuelta a Espana
1. Alberto Contador (ESP/AST) 80h40min 08sec
2. Levi Leipheimer (USA/AST) at 0:46
3. Carlos Sastre (ESP/CSC) 4:12
4. Ezequiel Mosquera Miguez (ESP/KGZ) 5:19
5. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/GCE) 6:00
6. Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP/GCE) 6:50
7. Robert Gesink (NED/RAB) 6:55
8. David Moncoutié (FRA/COF) 10:10
9. Egoi Martinez (ESP/EUS) 10:57
10. Marzio Bruseghin (ITA/LAM) 11:56
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