Valverde wins Ruta del Sol prologue
Spaniard beats Spilak and Farrar in San Fernando
Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) scorched to victory in the prologue of the Ruta del Sol, beating Simon Spilak (Katusha) into second place on the 6km course in San Fernando, while Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp) came home in third.
Valverde won the race overall last year shortly after returning from suspension for his links to blood doping doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, and he got his defence off to the perfect start on the straightforward, out-and-back course, finishing two seconds ahead of Spilak and four ahead of Farrar.
"To be honest, I'm the first one who is surprised about this result," said Valverde. "My condition was good, but I made the course 20 seconds faster than last year, and that's a huge improvement. I knew the course and only watched it by car today; I didn't do a bike recce, but I found good legs right from the start.
"This victory is important for my confidence, especially because it's a time trial. That means the work we're doing on the TT bike is paying off already. There's still huge room to improve, but we're on the right track."
The early pace-setter was Maxim Belkov (Katusha) and Jack Bobridge (Blanco) was among the riders unable to better his time of 6:56. Bobridge’s Blanco teammate Robert Gesink also failed to make an impact (he lost 43 seconds), and Belkov’s time stood unchallenged until first Farrar and then Spilak took the start and passed him on the leaderboard.
Of the later starters, Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Lotto Belisol) was a notable performer, clocking a fine time of 6:50, which would be enough for 4th place come the end of the stage.
Ultimately, however, it was Valverde, the last man off, who had the final say. The Spaniard gauged his effort well and stopped the clock in 6:46, enough to put him two seconds clear of Spilak and take the first red jersey of the race.
The Ruta del Sol continues on Monday with a 164km stage from San Fernando to Ubrique.
Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team | 0:06:46 |
2 | Simon Spilak (Slo) Katusha | 0:00:02 |
3 | Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Sharp | 0:00:04 |
4 | Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol | |
5 | Patrick Gretsch (Ger) Argos - Shimano | 0:00:06 |
6 | Stef Clement (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling | 0:00:09 |
7 | Bart De Clercq (Bel) Lotto Belisol | 0:00:10 |
8 | Maxim Belkov (Rus) Katusha | |
9 | Martijn Keizer (Ned) Vacansoleil - DCM | |
10 | Bauke Mollema (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling | 0:00:11 |
11 | Jan Barta (Cze) Team NetApp - Endura | |
12 | Jerome Coppel (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | |
13 | Jon Izagirre (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | 0:00:12 |
14 | Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana | |
15 | Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Astana | |
16 | Daniel Moreno (Spa) Katusha | 0:00:13 |
17 | José Iván Gutiérrez (Spa) Movistar Team | |
18 | Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Katusha | |
19 | Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Sojasun | |
20 | Jack Bobridge (Aus) Blanco Pro Cycling | 0:00:14 |
21 | Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team | |
22 | Robert Hunter (RSA) Garmin - Sharp | 0:00:15 |
23 | Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Argos - Shimano | 0:00:16 |
24 | Simon Geschke (Ger) Argos - Shimano | 0:00:17 |
25 | Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Garmin - Sharp | |
26 | José Joaquin Rojas (Spa) Movistar Team | 0:00:18 |
27 | Javier Moreno (Spa) Movistar Team | |
28 | Pim Ligthart (Ned) Vacansoleil - DCM | |
29 | Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana | |
30 | Grega Bole (Slo) Vacansoleil - DCM | 0:00:19 |
31 | Nick Nuyens (Bel) Garmin - Sharp | |
32 | Yves Lampaert (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | |
33 | Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (RSA) Argos - Shimano | |
34 | Francis De Greef (Bel) Lotto Belisol | |
35 | Luis Angel Mate (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | |
36 | Gorka Verdugo (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | |
37 | Luca Paolini (Ita) Katusha | 0:00:20 |
38 | Jacek Morajko (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice | 0:00:21 |
39 | Iker Camaño (Spa) Team NetApp - Endura | |
40 | Maurits Lammereink (Ned) Vacansoleil - DCM | 0:00:22 |
41 | Luis Mas (Spa) Burgos BH-Castilla y Leon | |
42 | Adrian Kurek (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice | |
43 | Joost Van Leijen (Ned) Lotto Belisol | |
44 | Jaroslaw Marycz (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice | 0:00:23 |
45 | Juan Manuel Garate (Spa) Blanco Pro Cycling | |
46 | Antonio Piedra (Spa) Caja Rural | |
47 | Clement Lhotellerie (Fra) Colba Superano Ham | |
48 | Cyril Bessy (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | 0:00:24 |
49 | Karol Domagalski (Pol) Caja Rural | |
50 | Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Sojasun | 0:00:25 |
51 | Xavier Florencio (Spa) Katusha | |
52 | Mirko Selvaggi (Ita) Vacansoleil - DCM | |
53 | Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Garmin - Sharp | |
54 | Rafael Valls (Spa) Vacansoleil - DCM | 0:00:26 |
55 | Yelko Gomez (Pan) Caja Rural | |
56 | Enzo Moyano (Arg) Caja Rural | |
57 | Jarl Salomein (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | |
58 | Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Belisol | |
59 | Ioannis Tamouridis (Gre) Euskaltel - Euskadi | 0:00:27 |
60 | Yannick Talabardon (Fra) Sojasun | |
61 | Sander Armee (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | |
62 | Andreas Klier (Ger) Garmin - Sharp | |
63 | Davide Rebellin (Ita) CCC Polsat Polkowice | |
64 | Cesare Benedetti (Ita) Team NetApp - Endura | |
65 | Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | 0:00:28 |
66 | Imanol Erviti (Spa) Movistar Team | |
67 | Daniel Schorn (Aut) Team NetApp - Endura | |
68 | David De La Cruz (Spa) Team NetApp - Endura | |
69 | Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel) Lotto Belisol | 0:00:29 |
70 | Marek Rutkiewicz (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice | |
71 | Kevin Seeldraeyers (Bel) Astana | |
72 | Juan J Lobato (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | |
73 | Michael Van Staeyen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | 0:00:30 |
74 | Sander Helven (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | |
75 | Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Sojasun | |
76 | Daniel Navarro (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | 0:00:31 |
77 | Thomas Degand (Bel) Accent Jobs-Wanty | |
78 | Jonas Ahlstrand (Swe) Argos - Shimano | |
79 | Romain Feillu (Fra) Vacansoleil - DCM | |
80 | Rubén Plaza (Spa) Movistar Team | |
81 | Jean-Lou Paiani (Fra) Sojasun | 0:00:32 |
82 | Leopold Konig (Cze) Team NetApp - Endura | |
83 | David Tanner (Aus) Blanco Pro Cycling | |
84 | Bartlomiej Matysiak (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice | |
85 | Mark Renshaw (Aus) Blanco Pro Cycling | 0:00:33 |
86 | Mikel Landa (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | 0:00:34 |
87 | Will Routley (Can) Accent Jobs-Wanty | |
88 | Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Sojasun | |
89 | Martijn Maaskant (Ned) Garmin - Sharp | 0:00:35 |
90 | Mikel Nieve (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | 0:00:36 |
91 | Moisés Dueñas (Spa) Burgos BH-Castilla y Leon | |
92 | Igor Anton (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | 0:00:37 |
93 | Tristan Valentin (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | |
94 | Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Argos - Shimano | |
95 | Marcos García (Spa) Caja Rural | 0:00:38 |
96 | Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Astana | |
97 | Yury Trofimov (Rus) Katusha | 0:00:39 |
98 | Bartosz Huzarski (Pol) Team NetApp - Endura | |
99 | Eliot Lietaer (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | |
100 | Maxime Mederel (Fra) Sojasun | 0:00:41 |
101 | Jurgen Francois (Bel) Colba Superano Ham | |
102 | Francesco Lasca (Ita) Caja Rural | |
103 | Pablo Torres (Spa) Burgos BH-Castilla y Leon | |
104 | Andy Cappelle (Bel) Accent Jobs-Wanty | 0:00:42 |
105 | Cheng Ji (Chn) Argos - Shimano | |
106 | Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Accent Jobs-Wanty | |
107 | Niels Van Dorsselaer (Bel) Colba Superano Ham | 0:00:43 |
108 | Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Belisol | |
109 | Victor Fobert (Fra) Colba Superano Ham | |
110 | Robert Gesink (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling | |
111 | Guillaume Levarlet (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | 0:00:45 |
112 | Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Astana | 0:00:46 |
113 | Aron Kremer (Ned) Colba Superano Ham | 0:00:50 |
114 | David Arroyo (Spa) Caja Rural | 0:00:51 |
115 | Dario Hernandez (Spa) Burgos BH-Castilla y Leon | |
116 | David Belda (Spa) Burgos BH-Castilla y Leon | 0:00:55 |
117 | Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Accent Jobs-Wanty | |
118 | Jesus Del Pino (Spa) Burgos BH-Castilla y Leon | 0:01:01 |
119 | Stefan Van Dijk (Ned) Accent Jobs-Wanty | 0:01:03 |
120 | Steven Caethoven (Bel) Accent Jobs-Wanty | 0:01:04 |
121 | James Mowatt (Aus) Colba Superano Ham | 0:01:05 |
122 | Simone Ponzi (Ita) Astana | 0:01:08 |
123 | Steve Bekaert (Bel) Burgos BH-Castilla y Leon | 0:01:09 |
124 | Sven Jodts (Bel) Colba Superano Ham | 0:01:13 |
125 | Nicolas Edet (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | |
126 | Grzegorz Stepniak (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice | 0:01:49 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team | 0:06:46 |
2 | Simon Spilak (Slo) Katusha | 0:00:02 |
3 | Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Sharp | 0:00:04 |
4 | Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol | |
5 | Patrick Gretsch (Ger) Argos - Shimano | 0:00:06 |
6 | Stef Clement (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling | 0:00:09 |
7 | Bart De Clercq (Bel) Lotto Belisol | 0:00:10 |
8 | Maxim Belkov (Rus) Katusha | |
9 | Martijn Keizer (Ned) Vacansoleil - DCM | |
10 | Bauke Mollema (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling | 0:00:11 |
11 | Jan Barta (Cze) Team NetApp - Endura | |
12 | Jerome Coppel (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | |
13 | Jon Izagirre (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | 0:00:12 |
14 | Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana | |
15 | Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Astana | |
16 | Daniel Moreno (Spa) Katusha | 0:00:13 |
17 | José Iván Gutiérrez (Spa) Movistar Team | |
18 | Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Katusha | |
19 | Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Sojasun | |
20 | Jack Bobridge (Aus) Blanco Pro Cycling | 0:00:14 |
21 | Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team | |
22 | Robert Hunter (RSA) Garmin - Sharp | 0:00:15 |
23 | Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Argos - Shimano | 0:00:16 |
24 | Simon Geschke (Ger) Argos - Shimano | 0:00:17 |
25 | Sébastien Rosseler (Bel) Garmin - Sharp | |
26 | José Joaquin Rojas (Spa) Movistar Team | 0:00:18 |
27 | Javier Moreno (Spa) Movistar Team | |
28 | Pim Ligthart (Ned) Vacansoleil - DCM | |
29 | Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana | |
30 | Grega Bole (Slo) Vacansoleil - DCM | 0:00:19 |
31 | Nick Nuyens (Bel) Garmin - Sharp | |
32 | Yves Lampaert (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | |
33 | Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (RSA) Argos - Shimano | |
34 | Francis De Greef (Bel) Lotto Belisol | |
35 | Luis Angel Mate (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | |
36 | Gorka Verdugo (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | |
37 | Luca Paolini (Ita) Katusha | 0:00:20 |
38 | Jacek Morajko (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice | 0:00:21 |
39 | Iker Camaño (Spa) Team NetApp - Endura | |
40 | Maurits Lammereink (Ned) Vacansoleil - DCM | 0:00:22 |
41 | Luis Mas (Spa) Burgos BH-Castilla y Leon | |
42 | Adrian Kurek (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice | |
43 | Joost Van Leijen (Ned) Lotto Belisol | |
44 | Jaroslaw Marycz (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice | 0:00:23 |
45 | Juan Manuel Garate (Spa) Blanco Pro Cycling | |
46 | Antonio Piedra (Spa) Caja Rural | |
47 | Clement Lhotellerie (Fra) Colba Superano Ham | |
48 | Cyril Bessy (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | 0:00:24 |
49 | Karol Domagalski (Pol) Caja Rural | |
50 | Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Sojasun | 0:00:25 |
51 | Xavier Florencio (Spa) Katusha | |
52 | Mirko Selvaggi (Ita) Vacansoleil - DCM | |
53 | Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Garmin - Sharp | |
54 | Rafael Valls (Spa) Vacansoleil - DCM | 0:00:26 |
55 | Yelko Gomez (Pan) Caja Rural | |
56 | Enzo Moyano (Arg) Caja Rural | |
57 | Jarl Salomein (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | |
58 | Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Belisol | |
59 | Ioannis Tamouridis (Gre) Euskaltel - Euskadi | 0:00:27 |
60 | Yannick Talabardon (Fra) Sojasun | |
61 | Sander Armee (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | |
62 | Andreas Klier (Ger) Garmin - Sharp | |
63 | Davide Rebellin (Ita) CCC Polsat Polkowice | |
64 | Cesare Benedetti (Ita) Team NetApp - Endura | |
65 | Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | 0:00:28 |
66 | Imanol Erviti (Spa) Movistar Team | |
67 | Daniel Schorn (Aut) Team NetApp - Endura | |
68 | David De La Cruz (Spa) Team NetApp - Endura | |
69 | Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel) Lotto Belisol | 0:00:29 |
70 | Marek Rutkiewicz (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice | |
71 | Kevin Seeldraeyers (Bel) Astana | |
72 | Juan J Lobato (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | |
73 | Michael Van Staeyen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | 0:00:30 |
74 | Sander Helven (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | |
75 | Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Sojasun | |
76 | Daniel Navarro (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | 0:00:31 |
77 | Thomas Degand (Bel) Accent Jobs-Wanty | |
78 | Jonas Ahlstrand (Swe) Argos - Shimano | |
79 | Romain Feillu (Fra) Vacansoleil - DCM | |
80 | Rubén Plaza (Spa) Movistar Team | |
81 | Jean-Lou Paiani (Fra) Sojasun | 0:00:32 |
82 | Leopold Konig (Cze) Team NetApp - Endura | |
83 | David Tanner (Aus) Blanco Pro Cycling | |
84 | Bartlomiej Matysiak (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice | |
85 | Mark Renshaw (Aus) Blanco Pro Cycling | 0:00:33 |
86 | Mikel Landa (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | 0:00:34 |
87 | Will Routley (Can) Accent Jobs-Wanty | |
88 | Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Sojasun | |
89 | Martijn Maaskant (Ned) Garmin - Sharp | 0:00:35 |
90 | Mikel Nieve (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | 0:00:36 |
91 | Moisés Dueñas (Spa) Burgos BH-Castilla y Leon | |
92 | Igor Anton (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | 0:00:37 |
93 | Tristan Valentin (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | |
94 | Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Argos - Shimano | |
95 | Marcos García (Spa) Caja Rural | 0:00:38 |
96 | Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Astana | |
97 | Yury Trofimov (Rus) Katusha | 0:00:39 |
98 | Bartosz Huzarski (Pol) Team NetApp - Endura | |
99 | Eliot Lietaer (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise | |
100 | Maxime Mederel (Fra) Sojasun | 0:00:41 |
101 | Jurgen Francois (Bel) Colba Superano Ham | |
102 | Francesco Lasca (Ita) Caja Rural | |
103 | Pablo Torres (Spa) Burgos BH-Castilla y Leon | |
104 | Andy Cappelle (Bel) Accent Jobs-Wanty | 0:00:42 |
105 | Cheng Ji (Chn) Argos - Shimano | |
106 | Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Accent Jobs-Wanty | |
107 | Niels Van Dorsselaer (Bel) Colba Superano Ham | 0:00:43 |
108 | Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Belisol | |
109 | Victor Fobert (Fra) Colba Superano Ham | |
110 | Robert Gesink (Ned) Blanco Pro Cycling | |
111 | Guillaume Levarlet (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | 0:00:45 |
112 | Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Astana | 0:00:46 |
113 | Aron Kremer (Ned) Colba Superano Ham | 0:00:50 |
114 | David Arroyo (Spa) Caja Rural | 0:00:51 |
115 | Dario Hernandez (Spa) Burgos BH-Castilla y Leon | |
116 | David Belda (Spa) Burgos BH-Castilla y Leon | 0:00:55 |
117 | Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Accent Jobs-Wanty | |
118 | Jesus Del Pino (Spa) Burgos BH-Castilla y Leon | 0:01:01 |
119 | Stefan Van Dijk (Ned) Accent Jobs-Wanty | 0:01:03 |
120 | Steven Caethoven (Bel) Accent Jobs-Wanty | 0:01:04 |
121 | James Mowatt (Aus) Colba Superano Ham | 0:01:05 |
122 | Simone Ponzi (Ita) Astana | 0:01:08 |
123 | Steve Bekaert (Bel) Burgos BH-Castilla y Leon | 0:01:09 |
124 | Sven Jodts (Bel) Colba Superano Ham | 0:01:13 |
125 | Nicolas Edet (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | |
126 | Grzegorz Stepniak (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice | 0:01:49 |
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