Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver strengthened his grip at the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco 2012 after winning the fifth stage of the event
Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver wins the fifth stage of the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco 2012 after a splendid display of his abilities on Friday.
The cyclist rode beautifully throughout the 183 kilometre race and marked a significant victory during the event.
Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez of Team Euskaltel-Euskadi finished second while Robert Kiserlovski of Team Astana occupying the third position.
He finished the race in a fastest time of 4 hours, 27 minutes and 16 seconds to receive his second victory at the event. Joaquim also finished first during the fourth stage of the race.
The Spaniard was overwhelmed after the victory and thanked his team-mates for their support throughout the event.
He cited, "Today it was a crazy stage. The group kept an incredible pace, many riders had an interest in the stage and general classification; in fact, the breakaway started quite late in the route”.
“I did my best because I knew I could win and, most of all, I had to".
The third position holder, Robert Kiserlovski was in the front for the first 50 kilometres of the race.
He was finally caught up in the final 3 kilometres by Sanchez and Rodriguez.
Robert could not match the likes of the two Spaniards and had to settle for the third position.
"I felt strong. I wanted to keep the leader's jersey and gain as many seconds as I could before tomorrow's individual time trial," said Rodriguez.
"In the last kilometres, I left the responsibility to Sanchez. I think he has some chance to win the overall standings. Instead, after today's performance”.
Joaquim has now received his fifth victory of the season including two stage wins at the Tour of the Basque Country, one stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico in the earlier part of the season.
He also managed to claim the 6th overall spot at the Tirreno-Adriatico with a total deficit of 1 minute and 16 seconds on the race leader Vincenzo Nibali.
The 32-year-old is now leading the final general classifications after the stage 5 classifications.
He has a solid lead of 9 seconds over Samuel Sanchez and 26 second over Robert Kiserlovski.
With one mores stage to go, Rodriguez is a strong contender to secure an overall victory at the race.
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