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14th Challenge Illes Balears - 1.1 (x5)
Spain, February 6-10, 2005
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Stage 3 - February 8: Pollenca-Mirador des Colomer (Trofeo Manacor), 165.4 km
Valverde takes rain-soaked win and overall lead
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The hometown boys of the Illes Balears team predicted that today's stage would be decisive for their hopes of vistory in this year's Challenge Illes Balears, and they delivered on their promise to take the race's reins when rising star Alejandro Valverde took his first win of the year. At the end of a rain-soaked day that saw the whole peloton finish as they'd started in winter gear, Valverde escaped on the final ascent to cross the line alone ahead of Rabobank's Ronald Mutsaars and Steven De Jongh.
Despite saying he wouldn't start today, overnight race leader Oscar Freire (Rabobank) did make a start line appearance, and even indulged in a little leg-loosening attacking in the early stages, before dropping out later when it became obvious that he didn't really need to do a 165km training ride in the pouring rain.
The first serious attack came after 39km and included Illes Balears rider Toni Tauler, who had been part of the previous stage's breakaway. Tauler was first over the Cat 2 climb of the Coll De Soller after 68,6km, and a 17-strong break was still away as Ezequiel Mosquera (Kaiku) led them over the cat 1 Coll De Puig Major after 92.4km of racing.
However, Illes Balears once again went in pursuit of a breakaway that included one of its own riders, combining with the Comunidad Valenciana team to chase down the front group.
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Alejandro Valverde and Toni Colom (Illes Balears) were the first to reach the break, and Colom then made a solo attempt, eventually building a margin of a minute ten seconds before running out of gas. As the lead group reached the bottom of the final climb, the Cat 2 Puerto Montaña, Valverde stormed away a solo win that put him into the overall lead in the series.
"I dedicate this win to my wife, to the Balearic islands and Murcia," said valverde. "I also have to thank Toni Tauler who helped me a lot."
Of his team's chances of hanging on to the general classification, Valverde said, "We have only done half the job. We must continue like this because there are two very dangerous days, but to tell the truth I am feeling very good."
"It was hard stage because the rain never let up. The team did great work from the outset and we were very clear that this would be the crucial day."
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After his work today and yesterday, Valverde's team-mate Toni Tauler was also pleased to have the leader jersey in the team's hands. "After the first two days, when we did not have much luck, today we achieved our objective and won a great victory," said Tauler. "The stage was very hard and we had to work from the start to chase the win. I was out front from the start and Valverde has thanked me for that effort. I am very pleased at how it all worked out."
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Franklin Tello/Franklin Tello Photography
- Oscar Freire (Rabobank) was in good spirits at today’s start, and sharing his words on today’s wet forecast.
- Oscar Freire (Rabobank) attacked in the first kilometres of the stage, only to be reeled in by the peloton shortly after.
- Sergi Escobar (Illes Balears) - an Olympian and a favourite of the Balearic fans.
- Spanish Continental team Kaiku attacked in one of the biggest mountains today, and held the lead of the race for a while.
- Mallorca’s own Toni Colom (Illes Balears) - winner of last year’s series - got away from the peloton, setting the scene for teammate Alejandro Valverde.
- Alejandro Valverde (Illes Balears) claims the win his team has been looking for all week
- Steven De Jongh (Rabobank) finishes in third place
- It was a good day for the Illes Balears team despite the weather
- Vicente Reynés (Illes Balears) rolls in after a very damp day on the bike
- Alejandro Valverde (Illes Balears) on the podium as winner of the stage and overall leader
Results
1 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Illes Balears 4.20.48 2 Ronald Mutsaars (Ned) Rabobank 0.42 3 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Rabobank 0.56 4 David Muñoz (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 1.18 5 Rolf Aldag (Ger) Team T-Mobile 1.19 6 Aitor Pérez Arrieta (Spa) Spiuk 1.21 7 Ricardo Serrano (Spa) Kaiku 8 Carlos Castaño (Spa) Andalucía-Paul Versan 9 Ezequiel Mosquera (Spa) Kaiku 10 Gorka Arrizabalaga (Spa) Orbea 11 Andreas Klier (Ger) Team T-Mobile 1.31 12 Adolfo García Quesada (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 1.38 13 Rubén Plaza (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 14 Toni Tauler (Spa) Illes Balears 1.46 15 Marc Lotz (Ned) Quick Step 1.47 16 Stephan Schreck (Ger) Team T-Mobile 17 Ángel Gómez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 18 Gerben Löwik (Ned) Rabobank 19 Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Quick Step 20 Javier Cherro (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 21 Rodrigo García (Spa) Kaiku 1.58 22 Vicente Reynés (Spa) Illes Balears 23 Christian Werner (Ger) Team T-Mobile 24 Luis Pasamontes (Spa) Relax Fuenlabrada 2.07 25 Óscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank 2.33 26 Joaquín Rodríguez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 27 David López (Spa) Eukaltel-Euskadi 28 Xavier Florencio (Spa) Relax Fuenlabrada 2.47 29 Antonio Olmo (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 2.54 30 Adrián Palomares (Spa) Kaiku 3.25 31 José Luis Martínez (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 3.54 32 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team T-Mobile 4.15 33 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 7.18 34 Jaime Rovira (Spa) Andalucía-Paul Versan 35 David Bernabéu (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 36 Toni Colom (Spa) Illes Balears 9.52 37 Daniel Moreno (Spa) Relax Fuenlabrada 38 Juan Antonio Pastor (Spa) Andalucía-Paul Versan 19.38 Mountains Coll De Soller - Cat. 2, km 68,60 1 Toni Tauler (Spa) Illes Balears 10 pts 2 Ezequiel Mosquera (Spa) Kaiku 7 3 Antonio Olmo (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 5 4 Rodrigo García (Spa) Kaiku 3 5 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team T-Mobile 2 6 Xabier Zandio (Spa) Illes Balears 1 Coll De Puig Major - Cat. 1, km 92,40 1 Ezequiel Mosquera (Spa) Kaiku 16 pts 2 Toni Tauler (Spa) Illes Balears 12 3 Yon Bru Pascal (Spa) Kaiku 10 4 Adolfo García Quesada (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 8 5 Carlos Castaño (Spa) Andalucía-Paul Versan 6 6 José A. Gómez Marchante (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 4 7 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team T-Mobile 3 8 José Luis Martínez (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 2 9 Xabier Zandio (Spa) Illes Balears 1 Puerto Montaña 221 - Cat. 2, km 165,20 1 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Illes Balears 10 pts 2 Ronald Mutsaars (Ned) Rabobank 7 3 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Rabobank 5 4 David Muñoz (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 3 5 Rolf Aldag (Ger) Team T-Mobile 2 6 Aitor Pérez Arrieta (Spa) Spiuk 1 Metas Volantes Santa Maria, km 50,00 1 José Antonio López (Spa) Kaiku 3 pts 2 Rodrigo García (Spa) Kaiku 2 3 Addy Engels (Ned) Quick Step 1 Pollenca, km 129,30 1 Toni Colom (Spa) Illes Balears 3 pts 2 Antonio Olmo (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 2 3 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Rabobank 1 Special Sprints Bunyola, km 59,00 1 José Antonio López (Spa) Kaiku 3 pts 2 Jesús J. Ramírez (Spa) Spiuk 2 3 Rodrigo García (Spa) Kaiku 1 Port Pollenca, km 156,60 1 Toni Tauler (Spa) Illes Balears 3 pts 2 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Illes Balears 2 3 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Rabobank 1 Teams 1 Rabobank 13.05.49 2 Illes Balears 0.19 3 Comunidad Valenciana 1.09 4 T-Mobile Team 1.12 5 Kaiku 1.15 6 Saunier Duval-Prodir 8.13 7 Relax-Fuenlabrada 11.21 8 Andalucia-Paul Versan 24.52 General classification after stage 3 1 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Illes Balears 9.34.59 2 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Rabobank 0.56 3 David Muñoz (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 1.18 4 Rolf Aldag (Ger) Team T-Mobile 1.19 5 Ricardo Serrano (Spa) Kaiku 1.21 6 Aitor Pérez Arrieta (Spa) Spiuk 7 Carlos Castaño (Spa) Andalucía-Paul Versan 8 Ezequiel Mosquera (Spa) Kaiku 9 Adolfo García Quesada (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 1.38 10 Rubén Plaza (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 11 Andreas Klier (Ger) Team T-Mobile 1.43 12 Toni Tauler (Spa) Illes Balears 1.46 13 Javier Cherro (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 1.47 14 Ángel Gómez (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 15 Gerben Löwik (Ned) Rabobank 16 Stephan Schreck (Ger) Team T-Mobile 17 Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Quick Step 18 Vicente Reynés (Spa) Illes Balears 1.58 19 Rodrigo García (Spa) Kaiku 20 Christian Werner (Ger) Team T-Mobile 21 Marc Lotz (Ned) Quick Step 2.06 22 Luis Pasamontes (Spa) Relax Fuenlabrada 2.07 23 Óscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank 2.33 24 Antonio Olmo (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 2.54 25 Xavier Florencio (Spa) Relax Fuenlabrada 3.07 26 José Luis Martínez (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 3.54 27 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team T-Mobile 4.15 28 David De La Fuente (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 7.18 29 Jaime Rovira (Spa) Andalucía-Paul Versan 30 David Bernabéu (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 31 Toni Colom (Spa) Illes Balears 9.52 32 Juan Antonio Pastor (Spa) Andalucía-Paul Versan 19.38 Mountains classification 1 Toni Tauler (Spa) Illes Balears 24 pts 2 Ezequiel Mosquera (Spa) Kaiku 23 3 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Illes Balears 10 4 Adolfo García Quesada (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 8 5 Carlos Castaño (Spa) Andalucía-Paul Versan 6 6 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Rabobank 5 7 Antonio Olmo (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 5 8 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team T-Mobile 5 9 Rubén Plaza (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 3 10 David Muñoz (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 3 11 Rodrigo García (Spa) Kaiku 3 Metas volantes classification 1 Antonio Olmo (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 4 pts 2 Toni Colom (Spa) Illes Balears 3 3 Rodrigo García (Spa) Kaiku 2 4 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Rabobank 1 5 David Bernabéu (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 1 Special sprints classification 1 Toni Tauler (Spa) Illes Balears 3 pts 2 Antonio Olmo (Spa) Comunidad Valenciana 3 3 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Illes Balears 2 4 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Rabobank 1 5 Rodrigo García (Spa) Kaiku 1 Baleares rider classification 1 Toni Tauler (Spa) Illes Balears Teams classification 1 Catalunya-Angel Mir 27.42.33 2 Phonak H. S. 3 Sel. Española 4 Rabobank 1.05.49 5 Illes Balears 1.06.08 6 Comunidad Valenciana 1.06.58 7 T-Mobile Team 1.07.01 8 Kaiku 1.07.04 9 Saunier Duval-Prodir 1.14.02 10 Relax-Fuenlabrada 1.17.10 11 Andalucia-Paul Versan 1.30.41
