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Freire golden as Bennati hits deck
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A day after finishing second, Spanish ace Oscar Freire (Rabobank) got it right in Sunday’s crash-marred second stage to win and move into the overall lead at the Vuelta a España.
And a day after American climber Tom Danielson (Discovery Channel) was KO’d with a broken shoulder, it was Christian Vande Velde’s turn. The Team CSC rider crashed twice but was able to finish the hilly stage despite some nasty road rash.
“I was two for two today,” Vande Velde told VeloNews as he gingerly stepped into the Team CSC bus. “I feel really good coming into the Vuelta, but crashing like this sure takes out the motivation. I landed on my back and broke my third helmet of the season. It was not a good day at the office.”
It wasn’t a good day for overnight leader Daniele Bennati, either.
The Lampre-Fondital team did solid work to reel in a three-man breakaway with less than 10km to go to set up a mass sprint in the 148.7km hilly run from Allariz to Santiago de Compostela.
The undulating course across the green hills of Spain’s Galicia region unfolded according to script until an Euskaltel-Euskadi rider – said to be Koldo Fernández – caused a chain reaction at the front of the bunch with about 2km to go.
Bennati, Vande Velde, Alexander Kolobnev (CSC), Carlos Castaño (Karpin-Galicia) and pre-race favorite Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d’Epargne) all skittered to the tarmac.
According to Fernández, world champion Paolo Bettini (QuickStep-Innergetic) made an erratic movement that caused him to touch wheels with Euskaltel leadout man Alan Pérez, which then forced him into race leader Bennati.
Bennati saw it differently and raged at Fernández at the finish line, and for good measure. Although he didn’t lose any time because the crash happened within the 3km flag, he lost the leader’s jersey to Freire based on placements (there are no time bonuses in the Vuelta).
The carnage splintered the peloton and only about 20 or so riders pulled clear to challenge for the spoils on a rising sprint against a stiff headwind in front of solid crowds in Santiago de Compostela.
“I was right on the wheel of Bennati when I saw him going down and I was able to get around him. I don’t know what happened behind me,” said Freire, who takes the Vuelta’s golden jersey for the first time of his career. “I was concentrating on making my sprint. I looked around me and didn’t see many of the favorites. I knew I could win if I could make my sprint.”
All riders were awarded the same, with the exception of French rider Vicent Jerome (Bouygues Telecom), who became unlatched late to finish last at 17:21 back.
Three on the run, VdV down
The day’s main breakaway was forged in the opening 5km of the day when Raul García (Relax-GAM) attacked at 2km. Quick to mark his wheel were two more from the Vuelta’s invitees, with Manuel Vázquez (Andalucia-Cajasur) and Gustavo Domínguez (Karpin-Galicia) latching on at 3km.
The three novatos — only García has raced the Vuelta once before — charged off the front and built a two-minute lead at 15km at the day’s first hot sprint and opened the gap to three minutes over the day’s lone rated climb at the Cat. 3 Alto de Paraño at 67km.
Lampre-Fondital put some men at the front to keep the trio on a short leash as the race rose and fell over the green hills of Galicia, with the peloton once again enjoying spectacular summer weather.
A crash at about 93km took down Vande Velde along with Sylvester Szmyd (Lampre-Fondital) and Sebastian Minard (Cofidis). All three were able to continue despite some scrapes and bruises.
“The Cofidis guy went down right in front of me and there was nothing I could do,” explained Vande Velde. “I landed on my back and I broke my third helmet of the year. I also broke my bike. It takes a lot to break a bike. Then I went down in that crash at the finish. It was that kind of day.”
The peloton got serious with less than 50km to go and Lampre received some help from Rabobank and Milram to help snuff the move.
That didn’t stop some adventurers from trying their luck. Saunier Duval-Prodir’s Ángel Gómez Gómez (not to be confused with José Ángel Gómez Marchante) bolted out of the blue with about 18km to go in a move that upped the pace of the pursuit.
The trio became a foursome for a final circuit through Santiago before the peloton finally swallowed them up to set up the sprint.
Finish-line chaos
Unlike the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, which receive regular complaints from riders for treacherous, narrow arrivals, the Vuelta is known for its wide-open roads. Sunday’s rising finish fit the bill, with a nice, wide two-lane avenue to give the peloton plenty of room to maneuver.
But sometimes that’s not enough, especially when you get a mix of savvy sprinters like Bennati, Bettini and Freire bumping shoulders with riders from smaller teams perhaps over-anxious to score a big result against a class field.
Wheels touched, bodies fell, bikes crumpled and tempers flared. Castaño dislocated his shoulder while Pereiro landed hard on his right hip and earned a trip to a local hospital for X-rays.
“It was one of those typical crashes at the finish. Everyone’s going balls to the wall and then someone touches wheels,” said Discovery Channel’s Egoi Martínez. “I was behind it, so I didn’t see how it happened, but I can imagine well enough. Suddenly guys are falling. That’s why I stay back. I know I’m no sprinter.”
The pack splintered under the weight of the crash and only about 20 riders pulled clear to fight for kisses from the podium girls.
Three-time world champ Freire made easy work of defending world champ Bettini and Colombian Leonardo Duque (Cofidis), who came through third.
“This victory doesn’t change anything for me in respect of the Vuelta. I’m here to gain fitness and try to win a few more stages ahead of the world’s,” said Freire, who’s missed the past two world championships due to injury. “I am not sure when I will leave the race, but I will not ride all the way to Madrid. We’ll try again tomorrow.”
Sprinters are expected to enjoy one more day in the spotlight before the Vuelta turns upward Tuesday with the nasty Lagos de Covadonga summit finish in the Picos de Europa.
The 62nd Vuelta continues Monday with the 153km third stage from Viveiro to Luarca, two charming fishing villages snuggled in along Spain’s overlooked Costa Verde along the Cantabrian Sea.
The lumpy route could serve as a trampoline for a breakaway with three Cat. 3 climbs in the opening 120km even though the road remains hilly and undulating throughout its entirety.
The race ends with two laps in Luarca before it roars through the bustling harbor and ends with a rising finale that climbs about 240 feet in the final kilometer.
62nd Vuelta a España, Stage 2, Allariz to Santiago de Compostela, 143.7km
Stage winner: Oscar Freire (Spa), Rabobank 3h31:03 (40.853kph)
Race leader: 1. Freire, 2. Erik Zabel (G), Milram; 3. Leonardo Duque (Col), Colombia – all same time
Points jersey: Freire
Climber’s jersey: Serafín Martínez Acevedo (Karpin-Galicia)
Best team: Bouygues Telecom
Peloton: All 187 riders remain in race
Results
1. Óscar Freire (Sp), Rabobank, 143km in 3:31:03
2. Paolo Bettini (I), Quick Step-Innergetic
3. Leonardo Duque (Col), Cofidis
4. Erik Zabel (G), Milram
5. Davide Rebellin (I), Gerolsteiner
6. Rene Mandri (Est), Ag2r Prevoyance
7. Aurélien Clerc (Swi), Bouygues Telecom
8. Luis León SÁnchez (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne
9. Renaud Dion (F), Ag2r Prevoyance
10. Lorenzo Bernucci (I), T-Mobile, all same time
Overall
1. Óscar Freire (Sp), Rabobank, 7:14:12
2. Erik Zabel (G), Milram
3. Leonardo Duque (Col), Cofidis
4. Aurélien Clerc (Swi), Bouygues Telecom
5. Alessandro Petacchi (I), Milram
6. Alan PÉrez (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi
7. Patrick Calcagni (Swi), Liquigas
8. André Greipel (G), T-Mobile
9. Angelo Furlan (I), Credit Agricole
10. Ezequiel Mosquera (Sp), Karpin Galicia, all same time
Full ResultsTo see how today's stage developed, simply CLICK HERE to open our Live Update Window and then check back soon for a complete stage report from Andrew Hood, photos from Graham Watson and full results.
