Contador Wins Basque Tour Opener

Last updated : 07 April 2014 By Covsupport News Service

Alberto Contador of Tinkoff Saxo won the opening stage of the 54th Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco (Basque Tour).

This race started with a 153.4km stage with eight climbs which started and finished in Ordizia and started with an early break from AG2R's Matteo Montaguti, Romain Sicard of Europcar and Davide Villela of Cannondale who were joined by Fabricio Ferrari of Caja Rural before the seventeen kilometre mark.

With a lead of 4.25, Villela took the first King Of The Mountains climb after 27kms, followed by Montaguti, Sicard and Ferrari.

Forty kilometres later and the gap was still at 4.15 for the quartet and going into the final seventy kilometres, the gap was 4.46.

Twenty kilometres later and the peloton which included the likes of Cadel Evans, Alberto Contador, Allesandro Valverde, Philippe Gilbert and Jens Voigt as well as Brits Adam and Simon Yates of Orica Green Edge and Josh Edmondson, Peter Kennaugh and Ben Swift of Team Sky, were only 2.30 ahead on the category two Alto de Gaintza.

Montaguti and Villella rode away as Movistar's Valverde led the peloton over the Gaintza, two minutes behind.

Just through the town of Ordizia on to the category three Alto de Okorro, Caja Rural's Amets Txurruka and BMC's Philippe Gilbert went after the escapers.

Gilbert dropped back but Txurruka was able to bridge up to his team mate Ferrari.

Montaguti and Villella stayed out in front until they were caught with 25.6kms to go on the lower slopes of the Alto de Orendain.

Giant Shimano's Tom Dumoulin took over on the front and was 15 seconds clear on the descent before dropping back into the peloton with 15.7kms remaining.

Onto the final climb of the Gaintza and it was Valverde with Contador on his wheel who were leading the way ahead of a group containing Cadel Evans, Gilbert and Samuel Sanchez.

With 7.2kms to go, Contador attacked and powered away, storming through the noisy large crowds on top of the Gaintza which has an average of 13%.

The Tinkoff-Saxo rider put thirty six seconds between Valverde and himself quickly and although the final kilometre was technical with an uphill finish, Alberto Contador shot away to a superb win in 4.05.07 with Valverde thirteen seconds behind him.

Omega Pharma Quick Step's Michal Kwiatkowski was third, 34 seconds behind Contador with Yury Trofinov fourth and Damiano Cunego fifth, both thirty six seconds back. Cadel Evans was eighth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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