Petacchi wins; Lastras takes over in Spain
- By Andrew Hood
- Published Feb. 19, 2008
- Updated Feb. 21, 2011 at 2:20 PM UTC
Menchov won’t defend Vuelta title
Alessandro Petacchi used all his wile to win a three-up sprint against younger Italian compatriots to win Tuesday’s 174.5km third stage from Otura to Jaén at the Vuelta a Andalucía-Ruta del Sol.
The Milram sprinter had just enough in the tank to hold off Italian national champion Giovanni Visconti (Quick Step) and Riccardo Ricco (Saunier Duval), who came through second and third, respectively.
“That was anything but easy today. The fact that I won shows what a good physical condition I have,” Petacchi said after the race. “There were many difficult mountains, especially the last one, only 14km from the finish. The finish line was atop a short climb. About 100 meters before that, I started my sprint and I was able to hold my lead against the two climbers.”
It’s the second win of the year for the 34-year-old Petacchi and bodes well for his chances ahead of his first major goal of the season at Milan-San Remo next month.
The Ruta del Sol is proving anything but a stroll through the sunny Andalusian countryside. Foul weather and an especially hilly route have made for some tough racing conditions.
Tuesday’s hilly course followed the script from the opening two days and early attacks made for a long day in the saddle for the peloton.
Milram got some help from Skil-Shimano to help set up the mass gallop with hopes of defending the leader’s jersey of Clement Lhotellerie.
The final charge up the Cat. 3 Alto de la Guardia cost Lhotellerie, however, and the Frenchman slipped out of the overall lead.
Lastras — who counter-attacked behind Lhotellerie and stage 1 winner José Antonio López Gil (Andalucía-CajaSur) — moves into the jersey to become the third leader in three days of racing.
“Third the first day, second after the second stage and today first — not bad,” Lastras said. “It’s true that I feel good and I know I can count on a strong team who’ve helped me from the first stage. We attacked really hard on the last climb. It was hard and we climbed it very fast. I believe that Lhotellerie paid for his efforts from the previous days and he couldn’t follow our rhythm. That allowed me to climb on the podium and put on the red (leader’s) jersey. I am very happy because this race gives me a lot of motivation.”
Lastras now holds a 48-second lead to Lhotellerie with Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) sitting third at 1:32.
Plenty of riders are starting their seasons at the Ruta del Sol, including Evans, who took a big win in Monday’s second stage.
Another rider clicking his season into gear is two-time Vuelta a España champion Denis Menchov (Rabobank).
The quiet Russian crashed out of Monday’s winning breakaway, but didn’t seem any worse for wear and tear. He was back in the action Tuesday and spoke to reporters about his decision to skip the Vuelta a España this season.
“My idea is to go for everything in the Tour de France this year,” Menchov said. “For this reason, I think the best way to prepare is to race the Giro beforehand, and for this reason, I have discarded the idea of defending my title at the Vuelta a España.”
Things should calm down a little bit in the final two stages, with relatively easier course profiles on tap. The Ruta continues Wednesday with the 173.4km fourth stage from La Guardia de Jaén to Ecija.
FILED UNDER: Road TAGS: Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista del Sol
Andrew Hood
Hood cut his journalistic teeth at Colorado dailies before the web boom opened the door to European cycling in the mid-1990s. Hood's covered every Tour since 1996 and has been VeloNews' European correspondent since 2002. He lives in Leon, Spain, when he's not chasing bike races.