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Kreuziger wraps up Romandie

Published: May. 3, 2009
Tour de Romandie 2009, Stage 5: Freire wins again.
Tour de Romandie 2009, Stage 5: Freire wins again.
Photo: Graham Watson

Czech rider Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) won the Tour of Romandie after the fifth and final stage which was won by three-time world champion Oscar Freire in Geneva on Sunday.

Freire scored his second win in the Swiss stage race in bunch sprint for his Rabobank team holding off the threat of promising young American Tyler Farrar of the Garmin team.

Kreuziger, an up-and-coming stage race specialist who is only 23 years old, won the Tour of Switzerland last year having finished runner-up in the 2008 edition of the Tour of Romandie.

He all but secured his victory after winning the tough mountain stage on Saturday to Sainte Croix where he left a small group of frontrunners in his wake to seal the stage win and take the overall lead.

Tour de Romandie 2009, Stage 5: Tyler Farrar.
Tour de Romandie 2009, Stage 5: Tyler Farrar.
Photo: Graham Watson

That stage proved key to his victory, but Kreuziger admitted that not losing too much time in the team time trial - Liquigas finished fourth at 24secs behind Team Columbia - on Friday had also played a part.

"After the team time trial at Yverdon-les-Bains we managed to limit our losses. But I knew I would make the biggest difference on Saturday's queen stage," said Kreuziger, who won a junior world title in 2004.

Despite his love of Swiss races, Kreuziger has other big ambitions this year - the Tour de France, where he hopes to gain a place on the podium.

"My main objective of the year is the Tour de France," added Kreuziger, one of the few Czechs to have succeeded in the tough European elite ranks.

Tour de Romandie 2009, Stage 5: The final podium
Tour de Romandie 2009, Stage 5: The final podium
Photo: Graham Watson

Freire meanwhile picked up his second professional victory since returning from an injury setback, having broken two ribs in a crash at the Tour of California in February.

The versatile Spaniard, a sprinter by definition but who still manages to handle the tough climbs, also won stage two into La Chaux de Fonds.

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