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Bos ninth in bunch sprint

September 01, 2010 - Filed under: TestTeam

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Cervélo TestTeam’s Theo Bos (NED) sprinted to ninth place in Wednesday’s bunch sprint to end the 198.8km stage from Guadix to Lorca.

It’s a promising result for the ex-world track champion who is making his grand tour debut at this year’s Vuelta a España.

“I had good legs, but I had to hit the brakes with 500 meters to go and I lost my speed. I came from a little bit from behind, I came with good speed, then I had to brake,” Bos said. “Tomorrow is difficult, because there is a small climb at the end, so I don’t think so.”

Cervélo’s Thor Hushovd (NOR) helped pilot Bos into good position with two kilometers to go. The Norwegian national champion says he’s feeling better every day and will take his chance to win later in this Vuelta.

“Today was a great day for Theo to try his luck in the sprints. I am feeling better each day, so I hope to do something in the coming days,” Hushovd said at the line. “I want to wait until there’s a harder stage. I would like to win a stage here at this Vuelta. There will be opportunities for me later in this Vuelta.”

Early in the stage, four riders tried in vain to escape the clutches of the sprint teams. Omega Pharma-Lotto pitched in to help on the chase to keep their man, Philippe Gilbert (BEL), in the race leader’s jersey.

“We played the Theo card today. It was very hot and windy again today. We had to be very careful throughout the entire stage. Sometimes the bunch can split up in windy stages. We made it through the day OK,” said Cervélo’s sport director Philippe Maudiut. “Tomorrow’s stage is interesting. Thor is able to get over this type of climb. He can in the front with these big guns and win in small group.”

With the sprint finish, there were no major shakeups in the overall standings. Xavier Tondo (ESP) leads Cervélo with seventh overall at 49 seconds back. Carlos Sastre (ESP) is slotted into 21st at 2:15 back.

Cervélo’s Iñigo Cuesta, 41, is the oldest rider in the Vuelta pack and is starting his record 17th edition of the Spanish tour.

Cuesta received a special honor by the Vuelta race organizers and they gave him the No. 1 starting bib, a tradition usually meant for the defending champion. With last year’s winner Alejandro Valverde not racing, race officials through it would be a nice way to honor Cuesta.

“There are no secrets. It’s being professional, to maintain the motivation to keep racing and to keep training. I still love racing my bike. Since the start of the year, I have been thinking about this Vuelta. I want to do it as well as possible,” Cuesta said. “We have Carlos and Tondo for the GC, but we cannot forget the sprinters like Bos and Hushovd, who can also do something important.”

The 65th Vuelta continues Thursday with the 151km sixth stage from Caravaca de la Cruz to Murcia. The route is mostly flat but features the Cat. 2 also de la Cresta del Gallo some 20km from the finish line in downtown Murcia. The climb should provoke attacks from stage-hunters.

Vuelta a España Stage 5 Results: Guadix – Lorca 198.8 km

1^st	Tyler Farrar (USA)	5:03:36	39.29 km/h (24.41 mph)
2^nd	Koldo Fernandez De Larrea (ESP)	s.t.
3^rd	Mark Cavendish (GBR)	s.t.
4^th	Matteo Tosatto (ITA)	s.t.
5^th	Alessandro Petacchi (ITA)	s.t.

9^th	Theo Bos (NED)	s.t.
67^th	Xavier Tondo (ESP)	s.t.
83^rd	Xavier Florencio (ESP)	s.t.
91^st	Carlos Sastre (ESP)	s.t.
128^th	Íñigo Cuesta (ESP)	s.t.
145^th	Philip Deignan (IRL)	s.t.
157^th	Stefan Denifl (AUT)	+0.43
158^th	Thor Hushovd (NOR)	s.t.
192^nd	Oscar Pujol (ESP)	+5.58

General Classification after Stage 5:

1^st	Philippe Gilbert (BEL)	19:00:06	38.24 km/h (23.76 mph)
2^nd	Igor Anton (ESP)	+0.10
3^rd	Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP)	s.t.

7^th	Xavier Tondo (ESP)	+0.49
22^nd	Carlos Sastre (ESP)	+2.15
42^nd	Íñigo Cuesta (ESP)	+4.09
69^th	Xavier Florencio (ESP)	+15.12
74^th	Oscar Pujol (ESP)	+16.15
145^th	Stefan Denifl (AUT)	+39.59
158^th	Philip Deignan (IRL)	+40.42
159^th	Thor Hushovd (NOR)	+40.56
174^th	Theo Bos (NED)	+45.25