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Saturday's EuroFile: Steegmans seizes lead at l'Argarve; Bertagnolli wins Haut-Var; Nys takes Superprestige
Belgian Gert Steegmans (Davitamon) won his second stage of the Tour de l'Algarve on Saturday and donned the leader’s yellow jersey.
Steegmans outsprinted Germans Robert Förster (Gerolsteiner) and Thomas Ziegler (T-Mobile) to claim the fourth stage, a 174.5km leg between Lagoa and Portimao.
The fifth and final stage will be a 183.4km run between Vila Real Santo Antonio and Alto de Malhao à Loulé.
Stage
1. Gert Steegmans (B), Davitamon, 174.5km in 4:39:26 (37,469 km/h)
2. Robert Förster (G), Gerolsteiner, same time
3. Thomas Ziegler (G), T-Mobile, s.t.
4. Markus Zberg (Swi), Gerolsteiner, s.t.
5. Carlos da Cruz (F), Française des Jeux, s.t.
Overall (after four stages)
1. Gert Steegmans (B), Davitamon, 17:38:53
2. Jeremy Hunt (GB), Unibet.com, at 0:08
3. Hugo Sabido (Por), Barloworld, at 0:11
4. Markus Zberg (Swi), Gerolsteiner, at 0:12
5. Thomas Ziegler (G), T-Mobile, at 0:16
Bertagnolli wins Tour du Haut-Var
Italian Leonardo Bertagnolli (Cofidis) won the 38th Tour du Haut-Var on Saturday ahead of compatriot Pietro Caucchioli (Credit Agricole) and Belgian Jurgen Van De Walle (Quick Step).
The race, on a 180km circuit around Draguignan, was marked by an early break from Frenchmen Eric Berthou and Matthieu Sprick, who took off just 14km into the day’s racing and built a lead of more than five minutes by the 50kmk mark.
Cofidis was first to launch a chase, augmented later by Française des Jeux, but Berthou and Sprick persisted, and at the 80km mark still held a 90-second lead on the pursuit. A series of attacks saw 12 riders, including Tour Med winner Cyril Dessel, bridge to the escapees, but by 112km the bunch was back together.
Unibet.com’s Shine Pasamontes and Lauren Ten Dam were next to go, joined by Belgian Frederick, and by 145km the trio had more than a minute on the bunch by the Côte des Tuivères, the principal difficulty on the circuit.
But they were retrieved on the descent and in the finale, Bertagnolli made his move, crossing the finish line nine seconds ahead of Caucchioli and Van de Walle.
Results
1. Leonardo Bertagnolli (I), Cofidis, 185km in 4:54:21 (37,710 km/h)
2. Pietro Caucchioli (I), at 0:09
3. Jurgen Van de Walle (B) s.t.
4. Nick Nuyens (B) at 0:56
5. Bert Dewaele (B), s.t.
6. Dmitri Fofonov (Kaz), s.t.
7. Freddy Bichot (F), s.t.
8. Bram Tankink (Ned), at 0:58
9. Francesco Failli (I), 1:17
10. Joost Posthuma (Ned) s.t.
Nys wins finale, overall in Superprestige series
Sven Nys (Rabobank) won the eighth and final round of the Superprestige cyclo-cross series on Saturday.
Nys beat Sven Vanthourenhout and Bart Wellens in Vorselaar to collect his fourth victory in the series and the overall title.
Results
1. Sven Nys (B), Rabobank), 56:16
2. Sven Vanthourenhout (B), at 0:10
3. Bart Wellens (B), at 0:23
4. Gerben de Knegt (Ned), at 0:42
5. Erwin Vervecken (B), at 0:52
