The Astana team let the results do the talking (Image credit: Jon Devich)
After the win in the Netherlands via Tomas Vaitkus on Sunday, Astana also dominated the prologue of the Vuelta a Castilla y León. 2007 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador won the 9.7-kilometre long race against the clock, with a time of 11 minutes and 39 seconds. That's an average of close to 50 kilometres an hour!
His team-mate, American Levi Leipheimer, got second, four seconds behind the Spanish Tour champ. With another Astana rider, Andreas Klöden, in 12th, they also took the teams win for the day, 43 seconds ahead of Slipstream Chipotle Presented by H30.
The first non-Astana rider was Thomas Dekker (Rabobank) in third, who was 13 seconds back, while Jason McCartney, a former team-mate of Leipheimer and Contador, who now rides for CSC, finished in fourth, at 15 seconds.
Astana is racing with quite a bit of anger these days, as their non-selection for the Tour de France leaves them without the possibility to defend Contador's title in the biggest bike race in the world. There may be some more wins coming up for the team in the coming weeks, as the global peloton stops in Belgium, France and the Netherlands next, with the northern classics on the calendar.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
