Lopez wins Vuelta a Espana stage nine
Stage nine of the Vuelta a Espana was a hard-fought field for a last win before the first of two rest days in the second-biggest cycling event in the world. David Lopez, of team Caisse d’Epargne, won the stage ahead of Roman Kreuziger and Giampaolo Caruso.
“I picked the right time to go alone and I suffered a lot to maintain my advantage until the finish line, but it was worth it,” said Lopez. “In the last kilometre I realized I couldn’t lose. The emotion this win generates is indescribable. I never imagined it could be so intense.”
The 187.7km stage from Calpe to Alcoy was led from the start by a 15-rider breakaway, which slowly shrunk to five throughout the day, the top-three followed by David Moncoutie and Egoi Martinez, the Euskaltel-Euskadi teammate of the overall leader Igor Anton and instigator of the escape.
“I rode well for the mountains classification and that remains my main target for the Vuelta,” said Moncoutie. “In the end today I paid for the effort I made yesterday.”
Lopez took the lead five kilometres from the finish line, at the descent of the Alto del Revolcat. Caruso attacked in the last kilometre but exhausted himself, allowing Kreuziger to pass him before the finish line, six seconds behind Lopez.
“I made a mistake in letting the last guy Lopez go,” said Kreuziger. “But it was a very demanding stage, the heat made our day even more difficult.”
The race leader Igor Anton and second-place-overall Joaquin Rodriguez finished the stage at the head of the peloton, 7:02 behind Lopez.
“I tried everything I could to gain time on Anton but It was impossible,” said Rodriguez. “I’m disappointed, I really wanted to lead the Vuelta as the race will be in my home region of Catalonia on Tuesday.”
Nicolas Roche fought for the head but finished behind the Spanish duo and ahead of the confident Vincenzo Nibali, who sits comfortably in third place, within reach of the leadership.
“I’m just happy to hold my lead rather than let it go,” said Anton. “Maybe people expected more from [Rodriguez] but he is still going very well … I believe in Nibali for the overall win. He’s looking fresh.”
Jean-Christophe Peraud, of Omega Pharma-Lotto, attempted his own bid for the overall leadership in stage nine, but couldn’t keep up with the five leaders. He finished the stage 55 seconds behind Lopez, in seventh place, raising him to fifth overall.
“I believed I could take the jersey today because I was aware of the gaps,” said Péraud. “It would have been great to have been paid back for all the effort I made today.”
Alessandro Petacchi, Tour de France green jersey winner, had to give in to the injuries he suffered in stage eight, and abandoned the race early in the ninth stage. The Italian is also suffering under the stress of a national doping investigation in his home country.
“It’s a real pity to have to abandon the race just when I was starting to feel my legs beginning to turn better and better."
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