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RACE REPORTS: LA VUELTA A ESPANA STAGE 7: PETACCHI GRABS WIN IN ORIHUELA
Road Bike Action and AFP
September 3, 2010
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Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-Farnese Vini) bests a disappointed Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) in Stage 7 of the 2010 Vuelta a Espana.
(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
Italy's Alessandro Petacchi won the seventh stage of the Tour of Spain here on Friday but the action was
overshadowed by the death of a Team Sky masseur.
Txema Gonzalez, 38, died five days after he was taken to hospital suffering from a virus that has swept through the British team. Team Sky rider Juan Antonio Flecha of Spain withdrew from Friday's stage,
hours after being treated for the same virus. Two other Team Sky riders, South Africa's John Lee Augustyn and Britain's Ben Swift, had pulled out of the event on Monday for the same reason.
All the Tour of Spain participants are to observe a minute's silence for Gonzalez before Saturday's stage.
In the stage Petacchi pipped another sprint specialist, Britain's Mark Cavendish, to the line in a group finish at the end of the 187.1-kilometer ride from Murcia to Orihuela in eastern Spain. Belgium's Philippe Gilbert retains the leader's red jersey for a fifth day.
The stage itself was marked by an early breakaway by four riders - Argentina's Jorge Martin de Montenegro, Martin Pedersen of Denmark, Germany's Dominik Roels and Russian Vladimir Isaichev. They built up a lead of more than 10 minutes but were caught just five kilometers from the finish. Petacchi covered the course, which included one category-three climb, in four hours, 36 minutes and 12 seconds. Third in the sprint was Argentina's Juan Jose Haedo.
The Italian thanked the other members of his Lampre team for their "good work" and admitted he had "trained very little before the Tour". The 36-year-old, who has been dogged by doping allegations, won the
sprinter's green jersey at this year's Tour de France.
Gilbert, who rides for the Omega Pharma-Lotto team, finished in 13th place with the same time as Petacchi and retains his lead in the overall classification, which he first claimed from Cavendish after winning Monday's third stage. He remains 10 seconds ahead of two Spaniards, Igor Anton and Joaquin
Rodriguez.
Saturday's 8th stage takes the riders on a mountainous 190-kilometer route from Villena to Xorret de Cati in eastern Spain.
Stage 7 Results:
Murcia to Orihuela 187.1 km
1. Alessandro Petacchi (ITA/Lampre-Farnese Vini) in 4 hours 36 minutes 12 seconds
2. Mark Cavendish (GBR/HTC-Columbia) at 0:00
3. Juan José Haedo (ARG/Saxo Bank) at same time
4. Andreas Stauff (GER/Quick Step) at s.t.
5. Tyler Farrar (USA/Garmin-Tranisitons) at s.t.
6. Denis Galimzyanov (RUS/Katusha) at s.t.
7. Robert Forster (GER/Milram) at s.t.
8. Sébastien Hinault (FRA/Ag2r-La Mondiale) at s.t.
9. Daniele Bennati (ITA/Liquigas-Doimo) at s.t.
10. Wouter Weylandt (BEL/Quick Step) at s.t.
Overall Standings after Stage 7:
1. Philippe Gilbert (BEL/Omega Pharma-Lotto) in 27 hours 12 minutes 38 seconds
2. Igor Anton (ESP/Euskatel-Euskadi) at 0:10
3. Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP/Katusha) at same time
4. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA/Liquigas-Doimo) at 0:12
5. Peter Velits (SVK/GTC-Columbia) at 0:16
6. Tejay Van Garderen (USA/HTC-Columbia) at 0:29
7. Xavier Tondo (ESP/Cervelo TestTeam) at 0:49
8. Frank Schleck (LUX/Saxo Bank) at 0:50
9. Rubén Plaza (ESP/Caisse d'Epargne) at 0:54
10. Ezequiel Mosquera Miguez (ESP/Xacobeo Galicia) at 0:55
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