A time trial will be decisive for the tour of the Basque country. Nocentini v Sinkewitz for the win. Plus an intense battle for the positions 3-12.
Nocentini would comfortably beat Sinkewitz, but had to get a move on in order to prevent Leipheimer grabbing overall victory.
He did enough ~ by just 5 seconds. So Nocentini is the Vuelta al Pais Vasco champion. Leipheimer took 2nd, and Contador rose from 12th to 3rd (Albeit having the same time as 3rd before the stage).
Despite dropping from 5th to 8th, Juan Jose Cobo's ride was one of the most impressive, as if it was going by stats - he was expected to drop out of the top 10. It was a bad day for Quick Step and Caisse d'Epargne though as Cyril Dessel and Luis Leon Sanchez lost their spots in the top 10.
1
Levi Leipheimer
TEAM MILRAM
34'22
2
Alberto Contador
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE
+ 13
3
Rubén Plaza
BOUYGUES TELECOM
+ 23
4
José Ivan Gutiérrez Palacios
CAISSE D'EPARGNE
s.t.
5
José Enrique Gutiérrez Cataluña
FRANÇAISE DES JEUX
+ 24
6
Isidro Nozal
T-MOBILE TEAM
+ 30
7
Vincenzo Nibali
LIQUIGAS
+ 31
8
Rinaldo Nocentini
LAMPRE - FONDITAL
+ 36
9
José Luis Rubiera
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
+ 38
10
Juan José Cobo
SAUNIER DUVAL - PRODIR
+ 39
11
Sérgio Paulinho
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
+ 50
12
Koldo Gil
SAUNIER DUVAL - PRODIR
+ 54
13
Francisco Perez Sanchez
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
s.t.
14
Pietro Caucchioli
LIQUIGAS
s.t.
15
Egoi Martínez de Esteban
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
+ 56
16
Stef Clement
BOUYGUES TELECOM
s.t.
17
Manuel Beltran
COFIDIS, LE CRÉDIT PAR TÉLÉPHONE
+ 57
18
Bert Grabsch
T-MOBILE TEAM
s.t.
19
Brian Vandborg
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
+ 58
20
Ivan Parra Pinto
COFIDIS, LE CRÉDIT PAR TÉLÉPHONE
+ 59
21
Remmert Wielinga
SAUNIER DUVAL - PRODIR
+ 1'01
22
Luis Leon Sanchez Gil
CAISSE D'EPARGNE
+ 1'03
23
Michail Ignatiev
SAUNIER DUVAL - PRODIR
+ 1'04
24
David Arroyo
CAISSE D'EPARGNE
+ 1'05
25
Benoît Vaugrenard
FRANÇAISE DES JEUX
+ 1'06
26
Martin Elmiger
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE
s.t.
27
Marco Velo
TEAM MILRAM
s.t.
28
Roman Kreuziger
LIQUIGAS
+ 1'07
29
Cyril Dessel
QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC
+ 1'12
30
Vladimir Miholjevic
LIQUIGAS
s.t.
31
Iker Camaño
SAUNIER DUVAL - PRODIR
+ 1'13
32
Dario Cataldo
LIQUIGAS
s.t.
33
Ricardo Martins
FERCASE - ROTA DOS MÓVEIS
s.t.
34
Matthieu Ladagnous
FRANÇAISE DES JEUX
+ 1'14
35
Vladimir Bileka
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
s.t.
36
David Cañada
SAUNIER DUVAL - PRODIR
s.t.
37
Patrik Sinkewitz
BOUYGUES TELECOM
s.t.
38
Diego Caccia
BARLOWORLD
s.t.
39
Joan Horrach
CAISSE D'EPARGNE
+ 1'15
40
René Mandri
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE
s.t.
41
Pierrick Fédrigo
BOUYGUES TELECOM
+ 1'19
42
Moises Dueñas
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE
+ 1'20
43
Ryder Hesjedal
LIQUIGAS
+ 1'21
44
José Serpa
TEAM MILRAM
s.t.
45
Servais Knaven
T-MOBILE TEAM
s.t.
46
James Lewis Perry
BARLOWORLD
s.t.
47
Timothy Gudsell
FRANÇAISE DES JEUX
s.t.
48
Ignacio Gutiérrez Cataluña
TEAM LPR
+ 1'22
49
Leonardo Bertagnolli
LIQUIGAS
s.t.
50
Giovanni Visconti
QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC
+ 1'23
Rank
Name
Team
Time
1
Rinaldo Nocentini
LAMPRE - FONDITAL
21h11'23
2
Levi Leipheimer
TEAM MILRAM
+ 5
3
Alberto Contador
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE
+ 18
4
José Enrique Gutiérrez Cataluña
FRANÇAISE DES JEUX
+ 29
5
Isidro Nozal
T-MOBILE TEAM
+ 35
6
Vincenzo Nibali
LIQUIGAS
+ 36
7
Patrik Sinkewitz
BOUYGUES TELECOM
+ 38
8
Juan José Cobo
SAUNIER DUVAL - PRODIR
+ 44
9
Sérgio Paulinho
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
+ 55
10
Ivan Parra Pinto
COFIDIS, LE CRÉDIT PAR TÉLÉPHONE
+ 1'04
11
Luis Leon Sanchez Gil
CAISSE D'EPARGNE
+ 1'08
12
José Ivan Gutiérrez Palacios
CAISSE D'EPARGNE
+ 1'12
13
Rubén Plaza
BOUYGUES TELECOM
s.t.
14
Cyril Dessel
QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC
+ 1'17
15
José Luis Rubiera
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
+ 1'27
16
Koldo Gil
SAUNIER DUVAL - PRODIR
+ 1'43
17
Pietro Caucchioli
LIQUIGAS
s.t.
18
Francisco Perez Sanchez
DISCOVERY CHANNEL PRO CYCLING TEAM
s.t.
19
Manuel Beltran
COFIDIS, LE CRÉDIT PAR TÉLÉPHONE
+ 1'46
20
David Arroyo
CAISSE D'EPARGNE
+ 1'54
21
Dario Cataldo
LIQUIGAS
+ 2'02
22
Iker Camaño
SAUNIER DUVAL - PRODIR
s.t.
23
Pierrick Fédrigo
BOUYGUES TELECOM
+ 2'08
24
José Serpa
TEAM MILRAM
+ 2'10
25
Ryder Hesjedal
LIQUIGAS
s.t.
Rank
Name
Team
Points
General
1
Rinaldo Nocentini
LAMPRE - FONDITAL
3
69
2
José Enrique Gutiérrez Cataluña
FRANÇAISE DES JEUX
6
57
3
Alberto Contador
AG2R PRÉVOYANCE
12
50
4
Igor Astarloa
TEAM MILRAM
0
46
5
Levi Leipheimer
TEAM MILRAM
15
39
6
Juan José Cobo
SAUNIER DUVAL - PRODIR
1
38
7
Patrik Sinkewitz
BOUYGUES TELECOM
0
37
8
Constantino Zaballa
CAISSE D'EPARGNE
0
36
9
Rubén Plaza
BOUYGUES TELECOM
10
33
10
José Ivan Gutiérrez Palacios
CAISSE D'EPARGNE
8
32
Rank
Name
Team
Mountain
General
1
Paolo Longo Borghini
BARLOWORLD
0
34*
2
Xabier Zandio
CAISSE D'EPARGNE
0
26
3
John-Lee Augustyn
BARLOWORLD
0
19
4
José Manuel Cuesta Valero
FERCASE - ROTA DOS MÓVEIS
0
18
5
Manuele Mori
BARLOWORLD
0
18
6
Mauro Facci
QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC
0
16
7
Maxim Rudenko
CINELLI - ENDEKA - OPD
0
16
8
Cédric Vasseur
QUICK STEP - INNERGETIC
0
16
9
Marco Velo
TEAM MILRAM
0
15
10
Edvald Boasson Hagen
TEAM MAXBO BIANCHI
0
14
*5 Points go to Zandio, the highest placed PT rider.
