Latest News

Tondo moves up to seventh

August 31, 2010 - Filed under: TestTeam

Comments (1)

Cervélo TestTeam’s Xavier Tondo (ESP) climbed into seventh overall at 49 seconds off the pace in a hard-fought fourth stage at the Vuelta a España.

Tondo led Cervélo with 15th at 19 seconds behind winner Igor Antón (ESP) in the 183.6km stage from Málaga to Valdepeñas de Jaén in hilly, challenging day.

“I saw the stage two weeks ago, because I was training nearby in the mountains at Sierra Nevada. Some riders advised me that it was very, very steep. Luckily, I knew the road. It’s not the kind of climb that’s good for me, but I was still able to finish close to the favorites,” Tondo said after the stage. “I am feeling good for the Vuelta. I only have a few days of racing, so I hope to get better and better each day. Let’s see what happens.”

A four-man breakaway pulled clear early, but were reeled in on the day’s final climb to set up the final showdown on the narrow and steep run to the finish in Valdepeñas de Jaén, a small Spanish village renowned for its olive oil. The final kilometer was extremely challenging, with ramps as much as 25 percent. Tondo rode a 27-ring cog to give him extra punch on the steep finishing climb.

Cervélo’s Carlos Sastre (ESP) crossed the line 24th at 1:34 off the pace and settled into 22nd overall at 2:15 behind leader Philippe Gilbert (BEL).

“These kind of explosive finishes are not so good for Carlos. He likes longer, steadier climbs and this finish today was one for the uphill sprinters. You had to be in the top-10 position going into the final approach to have a chance,” explained Cervélo sport director Philippe Mauduit. “We wanted to have our two boys in position, so we are pleased. Tondo was very good today. We still have two cards to play in GC, with Tondo and Sastre in good position. The Vuelta is just starting and there are still many very difficult days to come.”

The 65th Vuelta continues Wednesday with the 198.8km fifth stage from Guadix to Lorca. Although there are no rated climbs, it’s a hilly course from start to finish and could see a successful breakaway stay clear if the sprinter teams do not collaborate to control the stage.

Vuelta a España Stage 4 Results: Malaga – Valdepenas de Jaén 183.8 km

1^st	Igor Anton (ESP)	5:00:29	36.70 km/h (22.80 mph)
2^nd	Vincenzo Nibali (ITA)	+0.01
3^rd	Peter Velits (SVK)	s.t.
4^th	Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP)	s.t.
5^th	Philippe Gilbert (BEL)	s.t.

15^th	Xavier Tondo (ESP)	+0.19
25^th	Carlos Sastre (ESP)	+1.34
52^nd	Íñigo Cuesta (ESP)	+3.28
69^th	Oscar Pujol (ESP)	+8.00
122^nd	Xavier Florencio (ESP)	+14.38
149^th	Thor Hushovd (NOR)	+14.59
166^th	Theo Bos (NED)	+19.46
182^nd	Stefan Denifl (AUT)	s.t.
186^th	Philip Deignan (IRL)	s.t.

General Classification after Stage 4:

1^st	Philippe Gilbert (BEL)	13:56:30	37.86 km/h (23.53 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
60^th	Oscar Pujol (ESP)	+10.17
69^th	Xavier Florencio (ESP)	+15.14
139^th	Stefan Denifl (AUT)	+39.16
141^st	Thor Hushovd (NOR)	+40.13
162^nd	Philip Deignan (IRL)	+40.42
179^th	Theo Bos (NED)	+45.25

1 response for this Entry

Globalhab says:

September 01, 2010

Tondo, great job. Keep up the good work. Sad to hear about Fignon. He was the last French rider to win the TDF. I'll never forget his incredible wins in 83 and 84. He beat the Badger at 23 years old for those wins. Who could forget his heart wrenching defeat in 89 to Lemond. If Haussler is reading this San Remo is not the end of the world, just keep riding. Fignon was never really liked here in the states because of the rivalry with Lemond, but he was a great cyclist and true ambassador for the sport and he will be missed.