THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING
Petacchi scores as Menchov holds Vuelta lead
Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) made yet another comeback after sprinting to victory in Wednesday’s otherwise routine 11th stage at the Vuelta a España.
It was his first major victory since the Italian ace tested non-negative for Salbutamol at the Giro d’Italia and his career teetered on the edge of disaster.
The Italian cycling federation eventually cleared Petacchi of what could have been a two-year racing ban, but the proud Petacchi was forced to sit on the sidelines during the Tour de France.
“Ale-Jet” finally found his wings after a slow start to this year’s Vuelta and enjoyed a perfect setup Thursday from his Milram train to snag the morale-boosting win in the 191.3km stage from Oropesa de Mar to Algemesí. Denis Menchov (Rabobank) easily retained his overall lead.
“All the world knows the problems I had after the Giro. It’s all been resolved, but it’s been a long time for me without a long race,” Petacchi said after dispatching Paolo Bettini (Quick Step-Innergetic). “I was feeling bad at the beginning of the Vuelta. I was really hurting. Slowly, I’ve started to feel better.”
Petacchi knows the value of the win and he’s hoping Thursday’s success will spring him toward more victories during the week ahead in a Vuelta filled with sprinter-friendly stages.
He’s also hoping it will help him forget the tumultuous past few months.
Coming out of the 2007 Giro, it looked like Petacchi had finally overcome his career-threatening knee injury when he smashed his kneecap in stage three of the previous edition of the Giro.
Petacchi’s aborted efforts at a comeback during last year’s Vuelta ended badly and he finally returned to his best during the 2007 Giro, where he won five stages and the points jersey.
Days later, however, Petacchi tested non-negative for Salbutamol, a banned substance. Riders suffering from asthma are allowed restricted use of the drug if they have a medical certificate. Petacchi has such a certificate, having suffered from asthma for many years.
The World Anti-Doping Agency's prohibited list notes, however, that riders whose urine samples show a concentration of Salbutamol greater than 1000 nanograms per milliliter must prove that the elevated level is a result of normal therapeutic use. If a rider with a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) produces a level lower than 1000 ng/mL the burden of proof falls to anti-doping authorities, if they wish to show a violation.
The drama played out in headlines and Petacchi was forced out of the Tour. By the time he was cleared, Petacchi vowed to reload for the Vuelta.
In the first week of racing, however, he was in no condition to challenge Oscar Freire (Rabobank), who won three stages in six days before abandoning.
With Freire gone, Petacchi was the favorite to win as the peloton finished off a two-man move with 8km to go to set up the sprinters.
T-Mobile tried its best to derail the Milram train, but Marco Velo and Erik Zabel finally muscled their way to the front. Zabel gave Petacchi such a good setup that he finished third in the stage.
“I’m feeling better and I thought I could win into Zaragoza (Friday) but there was a crash that spoiled my chances. It was still good for the team because Zabel won instead of me,” Petacchi said. “I wanted to do well today and the team did a great job for me. I wanted to win at least one stage for their hard work. I hope to get a few more.”
It was a relatively tranquil day for Menchov. The Russian enjoyed excellent support from his Rabobank team to control the stage and retain the leader’s jersey going into a what should be a quiet week in the battle for the overall victory.
Another break bites the dust
This year’s Vuelta has only delivered one successful breakaway, in stage four to Lagos de Covadonga, where Vladimir Efimkin (Caisse d’Epargne) was the last man standing out of a huge 35-rider group. The Russian not only won the stage and held the leader’s jersey into Saturday’s time trial, he’s now poised for the podium, sitting second overall.
The rest of the Vuelta has been very controlled by the sprinters’ teams.
Wednesday’s 193km 11th stage from Oropesa del Mar to Algemesí presented would-be attackers with another shot at glory. The day’s two main hurdles – the Cat. 3 Puerto del Marianet (at 58km) and the harder Cat. 2 Alto de Chirivilla (at 89km) would give head-bangers a nice backdrop to try their luck.
After a string of marvelous days, the weather looked to be turning for the worse, however. Despite the threat of rain, the race unfolded without riders having to pull out their jackets.
Once again, it didn’t take long for the day’s breakaway to become established. José Antonio Lopez Gil (Andalucia-Cajasur) and Raul Garcia de Mateos Rubio (Relax-GAM) peeled away early to build up a lead of more than six minutes clear of the disinterested peloton.
The two held their lead over the day’s two climbs, but Leonardo Piepoli (Saunier Duval-Prodir) came to life over the Chirivilla to take enough points to move into the best climber’s jersey.
The gap methodically decreased as Rabobank controlled the front of the pack until the final hour of racing, when the sprinters’ teams finally came to life.
Milram and Lampre put enough men on the front to assure the break’s untimely demise. The hammer fell 8km short of the finish to set up the mass dash.
“We were trying to get away. This is my third breakaway of this Vuelta so I am starting to feel a little tired,” Mateos said at the finish. “If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. It’s better to laugh than cry and we’re hoping to be able to smile with a victory sometime during this Vuelta. We have to keep trying.”
Attackers will surely try again in Thursday’s 176km 12th stage from Algemesí to Hellín, a rolling stage without rated climbs but plenty of short hills to liven up the action.
62nd Vuelta a España
Stage 11, Oropesa del Mar to Algemesí, 193km
Winner: Alessandro Petacchi (Milram)
Leader: Denis Menchov (Rabobank)
Points: Paolo Bettini (QuickStep-Innergetic)
Climber: Leonardo Piepoli (Saunier Duval-Prodir)
Combined: Menchov
Team: Caisse d’Epargne
Peloton: 173 riders remain
Results
1. Alessandro Petacchi (I), Milram, 4:45:34
2. Paolo Bettini (I), Quick Step-Innergetic
3. Erik Zabel (G), Milram
4. André Greipel (G), T-Mobile
5. Carlos Da Cruz (F), Française des Jeux
6. Leonardo Duque (Col), Cofidis
7. Allan Davis (Aus), Discovery Channel
8. Daniele Bennati (I), Lampre
9. Aliaksandr Usau (Blr), Ag2r Prevoyance
10. Alessandro Vanotti (I), Liquigas
Overall
1. Denis Menchov (Rus), Rabobank, 44:27:25
2. Vladimir Efimkin (Rus), Caisse d'Epargne, 2:01
3. Cadel Evans (Aus), Predictor-Lotto, 2:27
4. Carlos Sastre (Sp), CSC, 3:02
5. Ezequiel Mosquera (Sp), Karpin Galicia, 4:35
6. Samuel SÁnchez (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 4:42
7. Vladimir Karpets (Rus), Caisse d'Epargne, 5:49
8. Manuel BeltrÁn (Sp), Liquigas, 5:56
9. Stijn Devolder (B), Discovery Channel Team, 6:28
10. Leonardo Piepoli (I), Saunier Duval, 6:34
To see how today's stage developed, simply click here to open our Live Update Window.
