Image © Unipublic
Vuelta 2009 Stage 12: Almeria – Alto de Velefique, 179KM
Ryder Hesjedal recovered when apparently beaten by Xacobeo-Galicia’s David Garcia to win his Garmin-Slipstream team their second successive stage of the Vuelta on the Alto de Velefique today. His victory was the first by a Canadian in a Grand Tour since 1998, and came only three days after his second place in Murcia.
Alejandro Valverde of Caisse d’Epargne retains the golden jersey, with the only significant change in the grand classification being Robert Gesink of Rabobank making up 18 seconds on Valverde and Silence-Lotto’s Cadel Evans. The Dutchman made an attack off the front of the golden jersey group a kilometer or so out and ended up only six seconds behind the stage winner.
Hesjedal and Garcia were the sole survivors of an 11-man breakaway group that had got away on the day’s first climb of the Velefique, which the riders negotiated twice during the stage.
Other riders in that escape group included Rabobank’s Oscar Freire and Astana’s Alexandre Vinokourov, back from his two-year suspension for doping. The Kazakh rider struggled badly on the day’s second climb, the Category 1 Calar Alto, and abandoned the race later.
With the UCI Road World Championships looming, several riders chose not to start today’s spell, including Garmin-Slipstream’s Tyler Farrar, winner of the previous stage into Caravaca de la Cruz, and Linus Gerdemann of Milram.
Tomorrow’s 172-kilometre stage from Berja to Sierra Nevada also has a summit finish, as does Sunday’s stage, and by the time the weekend is over we should have a pretty good idea of the identity of the contenders for the podium places in Madrid.
Top 20 Stage 12
1) Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Slipstream) 05:11:10
2) David García (Xacobeo Galicia) 00:00:01
3) Robert Gesink (Rabobank) 00:00:06
4) Ezequiel Mosquera (Xacobeo Galicia) 00:00:06
5) Damiano Cunego (Lampre-NGC) 00:00:16
6) Alejandro Valverde (Caisse D'Epargne) 00:00:16
7) Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) 00:00:16
8) Ivan Basso (Liquigas) 00:00:16
9) Tom Danielson (Garmin-Slipstream) 00:00:16
10) Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) 00:00:16
11) Juan José Cobo (Fuji-Servetto) 00:00:21
12) Joaquin Rodriguez (Caisse D'Epargne) 00:00:28
13) Sylvester Szmyd (Liquigas) 00:00:33
14) Paolo Tiralongo (Lampre-NGC) 00:00:34
15) Daniel Moreno (Caisse D'Epargne) 00:00:50
16) Daniel Navarro (Astana) 00:00:53
17) Igor Anton (Euskaltel-Euskadi) 00:01:24
18) Philip Deignan (Cervelo-TestTeam) 00:01:26
19) Julián Sánchez Pimienta (Contentpoli-Ampo) 00:01:32
20) Beñat Intxausti (Fuji-Servetto) 00:01:44
Top 10 General Classification After Stage 12
1) Alejandro Valverde (Caisse D'Epargne) 51:12:38
2) Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) 00:00:07
3) Robert Gesink (Rabobank) 00:00:18
4) Thomas Danielson (Garmin-Slipstream) 00:00:51
5) Ivan Basso (Liquigas) 00:00:53
6) Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) 00:01:03
7) Damiano Cunego (Lampre-NGC) 00:02:13
8) Ezequiel Mosquera (Xacobeo Galicia) 00:02:14
9) Daniel Navarro (Astana) 00:03:53
10) Joaquin Rodriguez (Caisse d'Epargne) 00:04:01
Most likly not ,they will go as a new concern they won't take on liability for the old company
No, because the drugs can't get into your bloodstream through the skin and the amount transferred through licking your fingers etc would be...
$97,000 to fix injuries, the worst of which was apparently a broken nose. Think about that the next time you hear people slagging the NHS...
Cost! Lack of thought?
In case anyone missed it in yesterdays blog here are the two pevious articles. The second one contains the testimony from the driver....
The old role was appointed at the Mayor's pleasure; is in addition to the permanent staff of the Combined Authority. I'm not sure if Adam was an...
Pretty clearly stated several times in the text that the issue was not related just to his son. And besides, everybody watching the races could see...
All Fizik and Selle Italia saddles (though not all their other products) are made in Italy I believe, and their 3D printed models definitely are.
If you're not on the road with a car, I bet its driver is much less likely to swerve into your space *. Because you're not "in the way"! (Any...
The problem with this argument, though, is that it's just not true....