The first week of the Vuelta a Espana went well for most teams, but not so well for others. Discovery finds themselves without co-leader Tom Danielson, who crashed out early. Yesterday Christian Vande Velde also crashed in a sprint that was ultimately won by German Erik Zabel. Enough of the sad news, let's get to the week one recap.
A breakaway group detached themselves from the peloton 28 kilometers in the race. With two Cat. 3 climbs looming, some of the riders were looking to be the first man in the climber's jersey. The two climbs were dominated by Karpin's Serafin Martinez. The breakaway was eventually pulled in, and Bennati became the first rider to wear the gold jersey. Stage 2 (Allariz-Santiago de Compostela 150 km):
1. Oscar Freire (Rabobank) 3:31:03 2. Paolo Bettini (Quickstep) s.t 3. Leonardo Duque (Cofidis) s.t
Freire's Rabobank squad dominated the stage, and Freire sprinted past Phillipe Gilbert and Erik Zabel to grab his first win of the 2007 Vuelta.
Stage 3 (Viveiro-Luarca 155 km):
1. Paolo Bettini (Quickstep) 4:08:42 2. Oscar Freire (Rabobank) s.t 3. Allan Davis (Discovery Channel) s.t
Bettini's uphill victory snapped a very dry spell for the World Champion. It was Paolo's first win since stage five of the Tour of California, which was all the way back in February. With his second place finish, Oscar Freire kept his gold jersey lead.
One man survived the first mountain stage in the 2007 Vuelta a Espana. Vladimir Efimikin outlasted some big name contenders to grab the golden jersey lead away from Oscar Freire. Cadel Evans finished seventh on the day, losing 1:28.
Stage 5 (Cangas de Onis-Reinosa 157.4 km):
1. Oscar Freire (Rabobank) 4:07:51 2. Daniele Bennati (Lampre) s.t 3. Paolo Bettini (Quickstep) s.t
Despite losing the gold jersey, Oscar Freire still had something to celebrate. In stage five he celebrated a stage win, and an increase in his lead in the sprinter's classification.
The hat trick was completed for Oscar Freire, taking his third stage win, and second straight. Euskaltel-Euskadi and Credit Agricole finally became factors in the race by putting riders on the stage podium.
Stage 7 (Calahorra-Zaragoza 176 km):
1. Erik Zabel (Milram) 3:52:05 2. Allan Davis (Discovery Channel) s.t 3. Paolo Bettini (Quickstep) s.t
Oscar Freire must have a sixth sense for crashes in addition to his sense for when to turn up the gas. The Rabobank rider wasn't involved in the final sprint, but wasn't involved in the crash that occured with 2 kilometers left. Zabel takes it, and Freire clings to his sprinter's jersey.
If the sprinter's battles aren't enough for you, the GC stages are still looming in the Spanish mountains. Will Efimikin keep his gold jersey lead? It's doubtful, but you never know with this youthful Caisse d'Epargne rider. Aussie Cadel Evans made it a point to not count him out just yet, he is 1:28 of the pace right now. An interesting week in the Vuelta lies ahead of us. Enjoy!
Sporting, Vande Velde is a big blow to CSC, and quite frankly an excellent rider.
as for Freire, who knows. he doesn't have much chance at the worlds given the difficulty of the course, so it's not like he would gain much by dropping out of the Vuelta...
