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Landis attack at Algarve earns overall win

Published: Feb. 22, 2004
Photo: Graham Watson

A day after losing Saturday’s time trial by one second to teammate LanceArmstrong, U.S. Postal’s Floyd Landis continued strong to win Sunday’sclimbing stage and claimed the overall title at the Tour of the Algarve.

The difficult 178km stage was held over narrow roads and steep climbsin the hills north of Portugal’s glimmering Algarve coast. A breakawaypeeled away early, but the favorites moved to the front for the secondand final charge up the Category summit finish at Malhao.


Photo: Graham Watson

Landis held off Peter Farazijn (Cofidis) to win by five seconds andclaim his first individual title in Europe since joining U.S. Postal in2002. Victor Hugo Peña came through fourth and finished second overallat 26 seconds back.

Landis’s victory Sunday is in sharp contrast to his start last season,when he broke his hip in a pre-season training accident. The 28-year-oldbounced back to earn a spot on the 2003 Tour team for the second year ina row and his performance this week in Portugal reveals Landis is strongerthan ever.

Landis brushed off two spills earlier in the week to nearly beat Armstrongin the race against the clock and then finished strong to earn U.S. Postal’sfirst stage race victory of the season.

Five-time Tour winner Armstrong started the day with the race leader’syellow jersey, but fell off the pace to finish 34th at 1:02 back. BenjaminNoval and George Hincapie did not finish Sunday's stage.

After winning Saturday’s 24km time trial, Armstrong said the team wouldwork for Landis coming into the finale.

Algarve completed an impressive season debut for U.S. Postal Service,which also won the team classification and had three riders in the topfive. The team leaves Algarve with two stage victories and the overalltitle to go along with two stages won by Max Van Heeswijk in last week’sRuta del Sol.

30th Volta ao Algarve (UCI 2.3),
Stage 5, Parque das Cidades to Mahao

1. Floyd Landis (USA), USPS, 178km in 4:18:10
2. Peter Farazijn (B), Cofidis+0:05
3. Candido Barbosa (Por), LA Pecol
4. Victor Hugo Peña (Col), USPSall same time
5. Ezequiel Mosquera (Sp), Carvalhelhos+0:09

Final overall standings
1. Floyd Landis (USA), USPS18h03:04
2. Victor Hugo Peña (Col), USPS+0:26
3. Candido Barbosa (Por), LA Pecol+0:45
4. Thomas Dekker (Ned), Rabobank+0:52
5. Lance Armstrong (USA), USPS+1:11

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