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LATEST NEWS: RED JERSEY ANTON SAYS EUSKALTEL CAN CONTROL VUELTA
Road Bike Action & AFP
September 6, 2010
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(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
Spanish rider Igor Anton, the leader of the Tour of Spain after the first week of racing, said on Monday his Euskaltel team can control the race.
"The team deserves kudos, we have proven that we can control the race," he told a news conference in Altafulla near the northeastern city of Tarragona from where the 10th stage of Tour of Spain will depart on Tuesday.
"I do not think of winning, instead I am focused on living the present, day by day. It is clear in my mind that there still is a long road ahead and it will be difficult to hang on to the leader's red jersey.
Anton, 27, said he was watching out for fellow Spaniard Xavier Tondo, who is currently in fourth place, as he won the Tour of Portugal this year and was "surprised" at how poorly Russia's Denis Menchov has performed in the race.
The riders on Monday enjoyed their first rest day of the Tour, which began on August 28 with a team time trial through the streets of Seville.
Tuesday's 10th stage takes them 175.7 kilometres from Tarragona to Vilanova i la Geltru in eastern Spain, before the race heads into Andorra and the Pyrenees mountains on Wednesday.
The 21-stage Tour of Spain, the third of the big tours after the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, wraps up in Madrid on September 19.
Menchov in stage 8
(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
Menchov Admits He's No Favorite
Russia's Denis Menchov, who has failed to live up to his status as a pre-race favorite in the Tour of Spain, admitted on Monday that he's not in peak form.
"I'm not in my best form. Everyone insists that I'm the favourite but the mountain stages are very hard for me and I'm not 'explosive' enough for these climbs," the two-time Tour of Spain winner told AFP.
"I have underlined the 11th stage in my diary, the one in Andorra, which I think will be the real start of the Tour.
"If I can do something it will be on the Andorran peak. I want to be as strong as possible. If it doesn't happen I will have lost the Tour, but it won't be a disaster," the 32-year-old Rabobank rider said.
Menchov, who won the Tour of Spain in 2005 and 2007, is currently languishing in 20th place in the overall standings, more than three minutes behind the leader, Spain's Igor Anton.
Luis Leon Sanchez in action on Stage 8.
(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
Spanish cyclist Luis Leon Sanchez said Sunday he has agreed a two-year contract with Dutch team Rabobank.
The 26-year-old time trial specialist, who is currently taking part in the Tour of Spain with French team Caisse d'Epargne, said he will begin his contract with Rabobank in January 2011.
Sanchez finished Sunday's ninth stage of the Tour of Spain in 26th place, seven minutes and two second behind the winner, fellow Spaniard and Caisse d'Epargne rider David Lopez.
Vaitkus Out for Rest of Season
Lithuanian cyclist Tomas Vaitkus will be out of action for the rest of 2010 after fracturing his left shoulder, his RadioShack team announced on Monday.
Vaitkus initially hurt his shoulder during the Tour of the Algarve in February, forcing him to withdraw from the event.
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