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Van Heeswijk grabs Vuelta stage win; Heras still in charge
Max Van Heeswijk surged to victory in Friday’s seventh stage at the Vuelta a España in his biggest victory of what’s been a bittersweet year for the veteran Dutch sprinter.
Van Heeswijk returned to the winner’s circle last month at the Benelux Tour after what was a season beset with personal problems and frustrations. Those are clearly a thing of the past as “Mad Max” charged to his first Vuelta stage win since 1997 in Friday’s chaotic sprint finish.
“I knew I was strong today because I flatted but I was able to chase back on quite easily,” said Van Heeswijk, who outlasted Erik Zabel (T-Mobile) in a long sprint into Vinaròs.
Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros) widened his overall lead by six seconds after winning the day’s final bonus sprint in what was an otherwise routine day in the saddle for the overall favorites.
The top contenders were still licking their wounds following Heras’s impressive victory Thursday to Valdelinares, but the Spanish leader was quick to say the Vuelta is far from over.
“It’s only the first mountain stage and this Vuelta is just beginning,” said Heras, who now leads Denis Menchov (Rabobank) by 12 seconds. “There are many mountain stages to go and I will have to attack to get more time on the others.”
Friday’s 212.5km eighth stage, meanwhile, offered up a chance for the sprinters to return to center stage. Big favorites Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) flatted and Tom Boonen (Quick Step) lost position in the final run into the finish, opening the door for the rejuvenated Van Heeswijk.
With Petacchi out of the picture, T-Mobile tried to take over and drive home the sprint for Zabel. The German team lost control of the sprint in the final kilometer when Davitamon-Lotto tried to spring veteran Tom Steels.
Instead, it was Van Heeswijk who started a long sprint. Neither Steels nor Zabel could get around the high-flying Dutchman.
“I like Spain and always do well here. I like the racing and I like the weather,” said Van Heeswijk. “The sprint was very long and chaotic. I was out front but was hesitant to start too early, but I was able to hold off the others.”
The win is Discovery Channel’s first in this year’s Vuelta, giving the team stage victories in all three grand tours this year. Paolo Savoldelli won a stage and the overall at the Giro d’Italia while Lance Armstrong, Savoldelli and George Hincapie all won one stage each en route to Armstrong’s record seventh Tour trophy.
The victory is doubly sweet for Van Heeswijk. After coming off a 13-win season in 2004, the 32-year-old admitted he was a basket case in the early part of the season after breaking up with his wife.
“At Ghent-Wevelgem, I just couldn't take it anymore mentally,” Van Heeswijk said in August. “After 25 kilometers, I was crying on the bike. I had no choice but to quit the race. I went through a pretty black period. When your head's not in the game, there's no way your legs can do their job.”
He said those problems are part of the past and he’s optimistic about the future, even calling himself an outsider for the world championships in Madrid.
“I think I have good chances in Madrid,” he said. “My form is getting stronger each day, so I think I will be at peak form at the end of the Vuelta.”
Long break to the sea
The stage was fairly routine, as far as these things go. Some 181 riders remained in the peloton, a little lighter following the departure Thursday of Floyd Landis (Phonak) and Franck Renier (Bouygues Telecom), who has the dubious honor of being the first rider to miss the time cut in the 2005 Vuelta. The fairly bumpy start, with four rated climbs in the opening 80km, was sure to deliver an animated start. There were a flurry of attacks, including Oscar Pereiro (Phonak) among them, but nothing stuck until six riders slipped away. They would dominate the day's action. Among them were: Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel), Iñigo Cuesta (Saunier Duval), Rik Verbrugghe (QuickStep), Eladio Jimenez (Comunidad Valenciana), Benoît Poilvet (Crédit Agricole) and Ignacio Gutierrez (Phonak). The leaders held court on the long, flat run east toward the Mediterranean Coast, but the sprinters’ teams never let them get too far off the front.
The gap dangled at about two minutes until they were finally reeled in at 189km. That opened the door for counter-attacks. The Cofidis pair of Jimmy Casper and Luis Pérez tried in vain to slip away.
Heras had one more trick up his sleeve. The race leader slipped off the front to win the day’s third points sprint at 196km, probably the first sprint the skinny climber has won in his career, but it padded his overall lead to Denis Menchov (Rabobank) to 12 seconds.
Nothing stuck until Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) launched an exciting move on an unrated climb with about 10km to go, quickly opening up a 14-second gap and causing panic in the main bunch.
The peloton was strung out on the narrow roads as the Cricket made a bold attack, roaring down the tricky descent at 68kph before Fassa Bortolo and T-Mobile worked together to snuff the move with 3km to go.
That’s when disaster struck for Alessandro Petacchi, who flatted with 7km to go and couldn’t recover in time to challenge for the sprint. Without Fassa Bortolo driving it home, the sprint was rather disorganized, opening the door for Van Heeswijk.
Christian Vande Velde (CSC) crashed during the final descent, but he wasn't seriously hurt and managed to finish in the main peloton.
Preliminary results
1. Max Van Heeswijk (Nl), Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, 212.5km in 5:21:21
2. Erik Zabel (G), T-Mobile
3. Alberto Ongarato (I), Fassa Bortolo
4. Marco Zanotti (I), Liquigas-Bianchi
5. Tom Steels (B), Davitamon-Lotto
6. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Credit Agricole
7. José Ivan Gutierrez (Sp), Illes Balears
8. Anthony Geslin (F), Bouygues Telecom
9. Samuel Sanchez (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi
10. Martin Elmiger (Swi), Phonak
FullResults
Overall
1. Roberto Heras (Sp), Liberty Seguros, 29:03:28
2. Denis Menchov (Rus), Rabobank, at 0:12
3. Carlos Sastre (Sp), CSC, 1:07
4. Joaquin Rodriguez (Sp), Saunier Duval, 1:09
5. David Blanco (Sp), ECV, 1:11
6. Francisco Mancebo (Sp), Illes Balears, 1:26
7. Carlos Garcia Quesada (Sp), ECV, 1:39
8. Juan Miguel Mercado (Sp), Quickstep, 1:39
9. Unai Yus (Sp), Bouygues Telecom, 1:39
10. Michele Scarponi (I), Liberty Seguros, 1:58
FullResults
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