Thanks everybody who voted for Gora Euskadi! and made it New Story of the Month.
@sutty68: Hihi, yeah. Maybe he has some hidden talent as sprinter?
Vuelta a Espana, August 2013
Stage 8
Yup, this one is going to hurt. Steep as hell is the climb up to Alto de penas blancas. Several steep climbs on the road to it obviously don’t make it any easier. While previous finishes were nice, today sees the first real mountain finish. And honestly, we couldn’t wait for it, and be honest too, could you?
Remember this face? Probably don`t, because the shot isn’t the best. But he won 2 Giro stages and the Maglia Azzura. Does this ring a bell? Of course, it does. Gorka Verdugo takes advantage of his new status in the team, jokingly called “The Cannibal” after never having anything won before this season, and now he wants to take a stage win at the Vuelta a Espana of course too.
Despite his massive work in the breakaway, the peloton doesn’t really get dropped. Verdugo has quite a rat tail on him with 8 additional riders just doing nothing for now… Not surprisingly he counters an attack by Zaugg and Lloyd when they decide to set themselves off.
Oh well, it took us time to realize but the other 4 riders obviously have seen the Giro d’Italia and that’s why nobody worked with Verdugo. Well, suit themselves, Gorka sets out for an adventure of his own…
Despite numerous riders intending to join Verdugo along his way, he drops them all when each of them confirms that they don’t want to work with him. Jeez. What’s the matter with these guys anyway, it’s not like he is a favourite for the stage to win but still the peloton behaves like he is Eddy Merckx. And the guys in the breakaway, well – let’s be honest, it wasn’t like they would have had a shot at a mountain stage anyway. Even Sky ain’t willing to let him really go, however he has around 2 minutes lead now. We ask Gorka if he really wants to do this and Verdugo shows his new spirit when he reassures them that it’s either racing for the stage win or well… Gorka Verdugo has clearly tasted blood in the Giro d’Italia and he wants more and more stage wins. Vuelta a Espana just might be the perfect opportunity for that to happen.
Everything’s that ahead of him are long roads and a lot of climbing. We are at half-point of the race and Verdugo has great legs but riding on your own just takes its toll. Still, we want to try something and when no one gives a damn about us, that’s just all the more reason.
Spoiler
With Sky being Sky, Verdugo never gets a big enough lead. We see the peloton in the back while he slowly thinks about calling it a day too.
Spoiler
Agnoli, Losada, Fränk Schleck and Piedra attack on the climb to Alto del mirador. Although Pierda is up front, Caja Rural are pacing in the peloton… whatever.
Spoiler
Just as Gorka Verdugo does the same thing he did so much and with passion during the Giro d’Italia, collecting mountain points, we see Agnoli, Caruso and Hernandez coming around the corner.
There you go. After the descent and heading into another climb, Verdugo doesn’t even stand much chance anymore. 38 kilometers to go. Whatever. Gorka knows what he will likely do today. Protect his leaders as long as possible and then get a big load of time on his shoulders, so Caja Rural and SKY won’t behave like that another time. However, you know what’s nice? The whole thingy has SKY tempted to send Froome to work. Yes, Tour de France winner Chris Froome is doing the work in the peloton. I am juggling over here.
Due to the high-pace by SKY the peloton quite decreased over time. Still, 75 riders are a whole lot potential stage winners for the last 20 kilometers. Since every attack in the downhill or the hilly climbs was without success, the peloton hits as the front of the race the final climb.
A double attack by Caja Rural, followed only by Losada, opens up the finale at the foot of Alto de penas blancos. If you look in the corner right up, you can see the mountain finish of today. A long way to go for the guys.
However, with a man like Froome pacing for Henao, it’s obvious that’s it not really easy for anyone to get away.
Antón and Azanza are already empty protecting Nieve. Sánchez is a bit further back and needs to get up to him now. Henao meanwhile took over for Froome. Is the Briton playing a game or is he already a bit exhausted?
Lots of orange jerseys, lots of Caja Rural around. Moreno, Betancur and Henao are around Sánchez and Nieve. Froome is a bit further back while Valverde seems to struggle…
Antón is here with Sagan and Piedra…. Only a few riders remain with Henao, Betancur and Co. Valverde is dropped! I repeat, Valverde is dropped.
Have Sky overdone themselves? Froome and Henao are in the back, this leaves a chance open for Euskaltel – Euskadi as Sánchez works for Nieve now to get a gap. Betancur is hanging tight in there.
It’s now Nieve’s turn. He is already quite a bit empty and feels the pain… but alas, just work them legs boy! And yes, when Sánchez pulls the side, Nieve just might have gotten enough space between him and the other riders to get up this mountain with enough courage and motivation…
The crowd is insane! And we see basque flags, ikurrinas, wherever we look. That’s the spirit… About 25 seconds to Group Henao.
Spoiler
Former Euskaltel – Euskadi rider and future Euskaltel – Euskadi rider Ivan Velasco hangs on the wheel of Sánchez in Group Henao. However, the two Colombians have pushed themselves a bit away from Froome and the others. Well, the Briton shouldn’t look towards Sánchez now. Our Asturian won’t do a god damn thing of course…
As Betancur drops, Henao got it all in front of him. The Colombian takes quite some time back on Nieve. All three know each other of course since they have fought it out at the Vuelta a Burgos recently. But today is a new day…
Craaaap… and there he is…
With ease does the Colombian pass Nieve… and he takes the stage win ahead of our basque Alpe d’Huez champ… Still, this was a good day. More than good.
Valverde gets into the finish merely seconds after Sánchez. Looks like the famed Spaniard just a momentary moment of weakness. He doesn’t lose too much time after all and keeps his third rank overall, while Nieve moves up to fourth. And thanks to the great team result, we also take over the team classification.
Stage 7, Results
Rank
Name
Team
Time
1
Sergio Henao
Sky Procycling
4h28'21
2
Mikel Nieve
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 18
3
Carlos Betancur
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 1'04
4
Chris Froome
Sky Procycling
+ 1'39
5
Daniel Moreno
Katusha Team
s.t.
6
Samuel Sánchez
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 1'55
7
Iván Velasco
Caja Rural
s.t.
8
Marcos García
Caja Rural
s.t.
9
Alejandro Valverde
Movistar Team
+ 2'18
10
Antonio Piedra
Caja Rural
+ 2'41
Spoiler
11
André Cardoso
Caja Rural
+ 2'56
12
Hubert Dupont
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
13
Luis León Sánchez
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
14
Peter Sagan
Cannondale Pro Cycling
+ 3'20
15
Steve Morabito
BMC Racing Team
+ 3'48
16
Igor Antón
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 4'03
17
David Arroyo
Caja Rural
+ 8'52
18
Yury Trofimov
Katusha Team
s.t.
19
Fränk Schleck
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
20
Cameron Meyer
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
21
Gianluca Brambilla
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
22
Paolo Tiralongo
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
23
Maxime Bouet
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
24
Dries Devenyns
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
25
Javier Moreno
Movistar Team
s.t.
26
Haimar Zubeldia
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
27
Alberto Losada
Katusha Team
s.t.
28
Alexandre Geniez
FDJ
s.t.
29
Amets Txurruka
Caja Rural
s.t.
30
Diego Ulissi
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
31
Sandy Casar
FDJ
s.t.
32
Gorka Verdugo
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
33
Mikel Landa
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
34
Dominik Nerz
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
35
Jesús Hernández
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
36
Egoi Martínez
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
37
Peter Velits
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
38
Jorge Azanza
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
39
Valerio Agnoli
Astana Pro Team
+ 10'11
40
Amaël Moinard
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
41
Michael Albasini
Orica - GreenEdge
+ 10'24
42
Evgeni Petrov
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
+ 11'36
43
Oliver Zaugg
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
44
Stefano Agostini
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
45
Damiano Caruso
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
46
Mikaël Chérel
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
47
Sérgio Paulinho
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
48
Michael Mørkøv
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
49
Lars Petter Nordhaug
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
50
Andrey Amador
Movistar Team
s.t.
51
Rubén Plaza
Movistar Team
s.t.
52
David López
Sky Procycling
s.t.
53
Jonathan Tiernan-Locke
Sky Procycling
s.t.
54
Anthony Roux
FDJ
+ 13'03
55
Matthieu Ladagnous
FDJ
+ 13'48
56
Philippe Gilbert
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
57
Lucas Sebastián Haedo
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
58
Eros Capecchi
Movistar Team
s.t.
59
Matteo Trentin
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
60
José Herrada
Movistar Team
s.t.
61
Cristiano Salerno
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
62
Giovanni Visconti
Movistar Team
s.t.
63
Alessandro Ballan
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
64
Michal Golas
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
65
Paul Martens
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
66
Maxim Belkov
Katusha Team
s.t.
67
Pablo Lastras
Movistar Team
s.t.
68
Christian Knees
Sky Procycling
s.t.
69
Pieter Weening
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
70
Julian Kern
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
71
Simon Clarke
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
72
Ben Gastauer
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
73
Lloyd Mondory
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
74
Xavier Florencio
Katusha Team
s.t.
75
Luca Paolini
Katusha Team
s.t.
76
Elia Favilli
Lampre - Merida
+ 18'01
77
Matthew Lloyd
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
78
Manuele Mori
Lampre - Merida
+ 19'46
79
Dennis Van Winden
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 20'27
80
Fabricio Ferrari
Caja Rural
s.t.
81
Francisco José Ventoso
Movistar Team
s.t.
82
Ian Stannard
Sky Procycling
+ 20'47
83
Ivan Santaromita
BMC Racing Team
+ 22'49
84
David Zabriskie
Garmin - Sharp
+ 23'10
85
Rafael Valls
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 23'50
86
Anthony Charteau
Team Europcar
+ 23'58
87
Cristiano Monguzzi
Vini Fantini - Selle Italia
+ 24'16
88
Francis Mourey
FDJ
+ 24'23
89
John Degenkolb
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
90
Borut Božic
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
91
Oscar Gatto
Vini Fantini - Selle Italia
s.t.
92
Iljo Keisse
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
93
Grega Bole
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
94
Kris Boeckmans
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
95
Ben Hermans
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
96
Jonathan Cantwell
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
97
Nathan Haas
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
98
Jürgen Roelandts
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
99
José Rujano
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
100
Greg Henderson
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
101
Robert Hunter
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
102
Assan Bazayev
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
103
Kenny Dehaes
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
104
Stuart O'Grady
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
105
Andriy Grivko
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
106
Murilo Fischer
FDJ
s.t.
107
Matthew Busche
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
108
Ramon Sinkeldam
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
109
Romain Feillu
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
110
Brian Vandborg
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
111
Giovanni Bernaudeau
Team Europcar
s.t.
112
Tom Leezer
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
113
Dimitriy Muravyev
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
114
Edward King
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
115
Brett Lancaster
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
116
Alexandr Kolobnev
Katusha Team
s.t.
117
Gediminas Bagdonas
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
118
Vicente Reynès
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
119
Maxim Iglinskiy
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
120
Tom Veelers
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
121
Guillaume Van Keirsbulck
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
122
Kenny Van Hummel
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
123
Stijn Devolder
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
124
Pierpaolo De Negri
Vini Fantini - Selle Italia
s.t.
125
Alessandro Proni
Vini Fantini - Selle Italia
s.t.
126
Danilo Hondo
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
127
Anthony Geslin
FDJ
s.t.
128
Pim Ligthart
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
129
Mitchell Docker
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
130
Grégory Rast
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
131
Robert Wagner
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
132
Jonathan Monsalve
Vini Fantini - Selle Italia
s.t.
133
Koldo Fernández
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
134
Leonardo Giordani
Vini Fantini - Selle Italia
s.t.
135
Kevin Reza
Team Europcar
s.t.
136
Jack Bauer
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
137
Christian Vande Velde
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
138
Fabio Taborre
Vini Fantini - Selle Italia
s.t.
139
Andrew Fenn
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
140
Mickaël Delage
FDJ
s.t.
141
Luca Mazzanti
Vini Fantini - Selle Italia
s.t.
142
David Veilleux
Team Europcar
s.t.
143
Alexsandr Dyachenko
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
144
Danail Petrov
Caja Rural
s.t.
145
Francis De Greef
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
146
Juan José Oroz
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
147
Tony Hurel
Team Europcar
s.t.
148
Thomas Dekker
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
149
Adriano Malori
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
150
Sander Cordeel
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
151
David Tanner
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
152
Dirk Bellemakers
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
153
Laurent Pichon
FDJ
s.t.
154
Anders Lund
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
155
Marcel Kittel
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
156
Klaas Lodewyck
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
157
Johan Vansummeren
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
158
Yohann Gène
Team Europcar
s.t.
159
Alex Howes
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
160
Egor Silin
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
161
Mark Cavendish
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
162
Luca Dodi
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
163
Alexander Kristoff
Katusha Team
s.t.
164
Angelo Tulik
Team Europcar
s.t.
165
Miguel Ubeto
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
166
Giacomo Nizzolo
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
167
Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
168
Karsten Kroon
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
169
Michael Schär
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
170
Mathieu Sprick
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
171
Matthew Goss
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
172
Matteo Tosatto
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
173
André Greipel
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
174
Kristjan Koren
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
175
Josué Moyano
Caja Rural
s.t.
176
Rubén Pérez
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
177
Alexander Porsev
Katusha Team
s.t.
178
Frederik Veuchelen
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
179
Roberto Ferrari
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
180
Steve Chainel
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
181
Michele Merlo
Vini Fantini - Selle Italia
s.t.
182
Adam Blythe
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
183
François Parisien
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
184
Salvatore Puccio
Sky Procycling
s.t.
185
Björn Thurau
Team Europcar
s.t.
186
Ariel Maximiliano Richeze
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
187
Alexandre Pichot
Team Europcar
s.t.
188
Tom Stamsnijder
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
189
Christopher Sutton
Sky Procycling
s.t.
190
Guillaume Boivin
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
191
Bernhard Eisel
Sky Procycling
+ 28'10
192
Graeme Brown
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
193
Hayden Roulston
RadioShack - Leopard
+ 34'42
194
Bert De Backer
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
195
Joost Van Leijen
Lotto Belisol
+ 35'41
196
Sep Vanmarcke
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
+ 41'23
Stage 8
Today mostly one thing has important: Don’t lose time. The final climb up to Valdepenas de Jaen offers easily more than 20% gradient. It’s honestly steep as hell! In the profile it’s basically all black… no fun at all.
We couldn’t react on time when the initial breakaway set itself apart from the peloton, but Mikel Landa shows a good performance by catching up to them and nearly gets them at the intermediate sprint. Only a few more seconds left.
A good ride by the breakaway and especially by Landa, as they traverse the hilly badlands of Spain. Still it’s a long way to go, around 100 kilometers are ahead of them, and with about 4 minutes lead, they have major work left to be done. In the group are Gatto (VIN), Roux (FDJ), Haas (GRS) and Ligthart (VCD).
They pass many villages and each of them has a massive, beautiful church. The sky’s clear blue and with not much wind against them, they gain minute on minute to the peloton (currently seven minutes lead). Each rider ensures a great harmony as everyone takes his turn.
Yeah, well, sometimes you just gotta enjoy the scenery.
Yup. 20 kilometers to go and the race got drastically more intense as the break has to work harder to maintain their lead, while SKY paces hard back there for their leader Henao. Only 4 minutes lead, this should be close.
Spoiler
Piedra and Sagan attack with 2 kilometers up to the climb. Euskaltel – Euskadi form an omni-present, orange watchdog but don’t react for now as SKY are sure to keep their pace high.
Spoiler
In the downhill of the climb, Landa sets himself apart in order to catch up to Roux who won the mountain sprint and just keeps going up front. None of the other three reacts so far. Meanwhile, the peloton sees attacks in the downhill too by Peter Sagan and Losada.
The peloton heads into the final 5 kilometers, where the breakaway is already fighting it out for the win. The specatators form a huge, dangerous crowd, every shout is just another noise in the choir.
That’s a climb where no ikurrinas can help. Where no more gels and waterbottles can give you strength. This is a wall. Just high up there, waiting for you to suffer and give up. Mikel Landa is not eager to let this happen as he crashes into it, eager to break it down piece by piece. Roux just ahead of him. Each man for his own now. No one can carry you know.
While Landa and Roux are struggling up front to get the last meters, Haas, Gatto and Ligthart try to close the gap once more. Down there, the peloton is crushing it right now too, as SKY head with extreme pace into it and several attacks by Piedra, Sagan and Gilbert heat up the fight. The gradient: 25 %.
Mikel had to react fast and he went earlier than Roux into the sprint. We hoped that he passes him fast and so he did. Roux must have suffered a lot since he was riding on his own for quite some kilometers now. Landa looks good and eager to take the stage win, but guys like Valverde & Henao in the back – well, they know how to ride such a wall.
As Valverde overtakes Landa’s former companions in the breakaway, Nieve just hangs onto Valverde for good this time it seems. Meanwhile, Landa just goes insane and gets quite a gap onto Roux. This is why Mikel Landa attacked so much during this entire campaign. Just to once get the goosebumps.
Gora Mikel, Gora Dippofix, Gora Euskadi!
The only real result this young fella had this season was a 10th place at GP Indurain, and now he is on the top of today’s stage. The crowd was crazy, the climb was massive and Mikel Landa was incredible. Our young gun who tried it countless times during this season finally got his long-deserved stage win. And the crowd cheers even louder when the entire Euskaltel line-up shows up in front of the podium and claps…
No!!!!!, so close in stage 7. Come on Nieve!, you can win a stage in this vuelta. Gora Mikel!!!.
Great stage by Landa in Stage 8, he really deserved that one
Thanks guys! The Vuelta surely has been generous to us so far, but what about the other races? Well, the same day that Mikel Landa won his stage, GP Ouest France was also raced...
GP Ouest France – Plouay, August 2013
It’s another day of work for the Izagirre brothers. With them are Andre Schulze, Stefan Radochla, Pello Bilbao, Tarik Chaoufi, Saéz de Arregi and Ruben García. Favourites include Tom Boonen, Matti Breschel, Andrea Guardini and some other fast men. However due to the hilly parcours, riders like Gorka Izagirre, Tony Gallopin or Daniel Martin certainly stand a chance too. Since J.A. Flecha is at the startline too, both Spaniards who have previously won World Tour one-day races in the second half of the season (or do we really have to remind you of Ion Izagirre’s San Sebastian triumph?) are eager to bolster up their points account.
The race sees awful weather, which might cause some crashes later on when the pace gets high. The peloton paces through Plouay multiple times on this circuit course. And with a distance of 230 kilometers, we really mean it gets ridden multiple times. A break up front has only 1’30’’ lead so far.
As the break with Durasek, Tschopp and Huguet heads into the finish, the bell rings and signals the last round is on. They still have a lead of about a minute, Vorobyev got dropped a bit earlier on when the others 3 attacked. At the big chapel, two other riders are seen, who come closer. Lindeman and Navardauskas tried their luck. Far, far in the back, through the rain hardly to be seen, comes the peloton paced by Omega Pharma and SKY.
The road is clear for the Izagirre brothers as Omega Pharma have reeled in the last of the escapees.
The first attack was weird as both Izagirre brothers tried their luck, but at the second one, Gorka Izagirre follows Nuyens. On his wheel are Hoogerland and Gaudin. Things are looking good for all four of them right now initially, but the peloton draws closer… however, Gorka Izagirre is not giving up.
Just as the rain stops, the riders crash ahead of the final climb… and Gorka Izagirre attacked once more while already having a small lead on the peloton, gaining quite a huge advantage on the peloton.
When Pineau can no longer do the work, he gets to the right and Vacansoleil take over. Hoogerland and Flecha are now pacing, Ion Izagirre is good on Gaudin’s backwheel. Tom Boonen and Swift a few meters behind..
About a kilometer left for Gorka Izagirre, will it be enough?
Gora Gorka, Gora MacC, Gora Euskadi!
Yes, it’s easily enough. Whatever his little brother can do, Gorka can do too!
It’s another victory for Euskaltel – Euskadi. Another one-day race win. And what a day for us with effectively two wins today! And can this described as the next serve – how will Ion Izagirre respond in this eternal brothers duel? Anyway, if they push each other to such accomplishments, than by all means, just keep going. We had some glorious moments before in this, more than enough, but never before could both teams celebrate: We won today at the Vuelta, we won today in France.... The world started to get orange back then in San Sebastian, now it’s orange everywhere!
Results
Rank
Name
Team
Time
1
Gorka Izagirre
Euskaltel - Euskadi
5h56'38
2
Ben Swift
Sky Procycling
s.t.
3
Tom Boonen
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
4
Sébastien Turgot
Team Europcar
s.t.
5
Nick Nuyens
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
6
Jérôme Pineau
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
7
Damien Gaudin
Team Europcar
s.t.
8
Juan Antonio Flecha
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
9
Simon Geschke
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
10
Maciej Bodnar
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Thomas Voeckler
Team Europcar
s.t.
12
Johnny Hoogerland
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
13
Julien Simon
Sojasun
s.t.
14
Sébastien Minard
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
15
Marco Bandiera
IAM Cycling
s.t.
16
Guillaume Bonnafond
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
17
Tony Gallopin
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
18
Ion Izagirre
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
19
Kristof Goddaert
IAM Cycling
s.t.
20
Anthony Ravard
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
21
Tosh Van der Sande
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
22
Aidis Kruopis
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
23
Steele Von Hoff
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
24
Geoffrey Soupe
FDJ
s.t.
25
Blel Kadri
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
26
Andrea Palini
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
27
Bryan Coquard
Team Europcar
s.t.
28
Rémy Cusin
IAM Cycling
s.t.
29
Kevyn Ista
IAM Cycling
s.t.
30
Raymond Kreder
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
31
Yukiya Arashiro
Team Europcar
s.t.
32
Björn Leukemans
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
33
Cyril Lemoine
Sojasun
s.t.
34
Ángel Vicioso
Katusha Team
s.t.
35
Tiziano Dall'Antonia
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
36
Stephen Cummings
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
37
Frederik Willems
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
38
Frederique Robert
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
39
Marco Frapporti
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
40
Bert-Jan Lindeman
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
41
Cédric Pineau
FDJ
s.t.
42
Marco Marcato
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
43
Laurent Didier
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
44
Francesco Gavazzi
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
45
Bauke Mollema
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
46
Daniel Oss
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
47
Simon Spilak
Katusha Team
s.t.
48
Vyacheslav Kuznetsov
Katusha Team
s.t.
49
Kristof Vandewalle
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
50
Eduard Vorganov
Katusha Team
s.t.
51
David Le Lay
Sojasun
s.t.
52
Rohan Dennis
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
53
Ángel Madrazo
Movistar Team
s.t.
54
Ramunas Navardauskas
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
55
Brent Bookwalter
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
56
Mattia Cattaneo
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
57
Tim Wellens
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
58
Matteo Pelucchi
IAM Cycling
s.t.
59
Thomas Damuseau
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
60
Samuel Dumoulin
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
61
Johannes Fröhlinger
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
62
Danny Pate
Sky Procycling
s.t.
63
Thierry Hupond
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
64
Jérémie Galland
Sojasun
s.t.
65
Wouter Mol
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
66
Willem Wauters
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
67
Bradley Wiggins
Sky Procycling
s.t.
68
Matteo Montaguti
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
69
Yaroslav Popovych
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
70
Vincent Jérôme
Team Europcar
s.t.
71
Imanol Erviti
Movistar Team
s.t.
72
Rory Sutherland
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
73
Alan Marangoni
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
74
Daniel Navarro
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
s.t.
75
Mads Christensen
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
76
Danilo Wyss
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
77
Adam Hansen
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
78
Markel Irizar
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
79
André Schulze
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
80
Martin Velits
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
81
Sébastien Chavanel
Team Europcar
s.t.
82
Koen De Kort
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
83
Roman Kreuziger
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
84
Daniele Pietropolli
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
85
Florent Barle
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
s.t.
86
Vladimir Isaychev
Katusha Team
s.t.
87
William Bonnet
FDJ
s.t.
88
Jetse Bol
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
89
Nikias Arndt
Team Argos - Shimano
s.t.
90
Johann Tschopp
IAM Cycling
s.t.
91
Enrique Sanz
Movistar Team
s.t.
92
Paolo Longo Borghini
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
93
Alessandro Vanotti
Astana Pro Team
+ 3'18
94
Thor Hushovd
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
95
Lachlan Morton
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
96
Martijn Maaskant
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
97
Fredrik Kessiakoff
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
98
Serge Pauwels
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
99
Gaetan Bille
Lotto Belisol
+ 4'08
100
Riccardo Chiarini
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
101
Matthew Hayman
Sky Procycling
s.t.
102
Jens Debusschere
Lotto Belisol
s.t.
103
Bert Grabsch
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
104
Daryl Impey
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
105
Sébastien Hinault
IAM Cycling
s.t.
106
Arnaud Demare
FDJ
s.t.
107
Valentin Iglinskiy
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
108
Matti Breschel
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
109
Maxime Daniel
Sojasun
s.t.
110
Manuel Quinziato
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
111
Luke Rowe
Sky Procycling
s.t.
112
Geraint Thomas
Sky Procycling
s.t.
113
Laurent Mangel
FDJ
s.t.
114
Baden Cooke
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
115
Arman Kamyshev
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
116
Thibaut Pinot
FDJ
s.t.
117
Joseph Dombrowski
Sky Procycling
s.t.
118
Gert Steegmans
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
119
Tomas Vaitkus
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
120
Zdenek Stybar
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
121
Moreno Hofland
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
122
Timothy Duggan
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
123
Kanstantsin Siutsou
Sky Procycling
s.t.
124
Mauro Da Dalto
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
125
Arnaud Labbe
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
s.t.
126
Jos Van Emden
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
127
Evan Huffman
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
128
Robert Kiserlovski
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
129
Juraj Sagan
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
130
Sam Bewley
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
131
Maarten Tjallingii
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
132
Travis Meyer
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
133
Juan Manuel Gárate
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
134
Matthias Krizek
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
135
Timofey Kritskiy
Katusha Team
s.t.
136
Joaquím Rodríguez
Katusha Team
s.t.
137
Vladimir Karpets
Movistar Team
s.t.
138
Marc Goos
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
139
Cyril Bessy
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
s.t.
140
Christophe Le Mével
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
s.t.
141
Kenny Elissonde
FDJ
s.t.
142
Dmitriy Gruzdev
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
143
Pirmin Lang
IAM Cycling
s.t.
144
Davide Appollonio
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
145
Rob Ruijgh
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
146
Jonathan Castroviejo
Movistar Team
s.t.
147
Patrick Facchini
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
148
Marco Pinotti
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
149
Paul Poux
Sojasun
s.t.
150
Romain Zingle
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
s.t.
151
Kristijan Durasek
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
152
Bruno Pires
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
153
Ben King
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
154
Christophe Kern
Team Europcar
s.t.
155
Rafal Majka
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
156
Argiro Ospina
Movistar Team
s.t.
157
Anton Vorobyev
Katusha Team
s.t.
158
Daniel Martin
Garmin - Sharp
s.t.
159
Andy Schleck
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
160
Jonathan Hivert
Sojasun
s.t.
161
Nelson Oliveira
RadioShack - Leopard
s.t.
162
Tarik Chaoufi
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
163
Janez Brajkovič
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
164
Evaldas Siskevicius
Sojasun
s.t.
165
Michael Matthews
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
166
Daniel Teklehaimanot
Orica - GreenEdge
s.t.
167
Jackson Rodríguez
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
168
Christopher Juul-Jensen
Team Saxo - Tinkoff
s.t.
169
Yann Huguet
Team Argos - Shimano
+ 5'47
170
Sylwester Szmyd
Movistar Team
+ 6'10
171
Nariyuki Masuda
Cannondale Pro Cycling
s.t.
172
Mattia Gavazzi
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
173
Luka Mezgec
Team Argos - Shimano
+ 6'57
174
Nacer Bouhanni
FDJ
s.t.
175
Martin Kohler
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
176
Simone Stortoni
Lampre - Merida
+ 8'59
177
Massimo Graziato
Lampre - Merida
s.t.
178
Matteo Di Serafino
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
179
Juan José Cobo
Movistar Team
s.t.
180
Andrea Guardini
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
181
Romain Hardy
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 10'29
182
Carlos José Ochoa
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
183
Jérémy Bescond
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 11'35
184
Tomás Gil
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
s.t.
185
Adrián Sáez de Arregi
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
However, after the race there’s also some bad news: Stefan Radochla and Pello Bilbao got injured during the big crash. From me and the entire Vuela-squad heartfelt wishes of a speedy recovery, get well soon guys!
Edited by Shonak on 10-02-2014 14:08
@sutty68: Yup, indeed. It felt kinda good to win with him in the rain.
@Dippofix: Well, it's certainly not the type of stage he usually guns for, but yup - we'll definitely take it no matter what.
@Atlantius: I rarely play Plouay and so I was extremely pleased to see my attack tactics succeed for once. I must admit: I was inspired by Flecha's Vattenfall Cyclassics win a week earlier.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
