Spanish Express, Luis Leon Sanchez Delivers – 2010 Santos Tour Down Under Stage 5
Heading into Stage 5 of the 2010 Santos Tour Down Under, the opportunities to overtake current race leader, Andre Greipel (Team HTC-Columbia), were limited, if not completely non-existent.
But that fact did not stop Cadel Evans (BMC Racing), or the rest of the peloton, from testing the big German and his seemingly indomitable HTC-Columbia squad. If cycling’s history has taught us anything it is that fortune is fickle, and the outcome of a race is only certain once the "provisional" is taken away from the results.
Once again, the parcours, which featured several passes of Old Willunga Hill before an uphill finish, favored a sprinter/climber, like Evans or Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne), rather than the true sprinter. Several riders animated the race early, but those attempts would serve only as a prelude to the drama that was about to unfold on the final ascent of Old Willunga Hill.
The finale seemed more rife with anticipation than usual as spectators and riders alike were uncertain as to when an attack would occur. Cadel Evans would answer the call, putting in a demonstrative attack to which only Caisse d’Epargne teammates, Valverde and Luis Leon Sanchez, and Australian Luke Roberts (Milram) were able to respond.
A frantic and frenetic scene ensued with the foursome jostling for the stage win and for an outside chance, at least for Evans, of stealing the ochre leader's jersey off the shoulders of the German giant. For a brief moment, the attack looked to pay big dividends, as Evans led the break in the closing kilometers and was named the virtual leader on the road.
But with teammates in the break and a newly motivated peloton behind, Evans fell just short on both accounts. Valverde would set up Sanchez for the win, Roberts would take second ahead of Valverde, and a hard charging peloton would enable Greipel to hold on to the overall lead.
With the forthcoming circuit race around Adelaide as the only remaining hurdle on the schedule, Greipel is now all but assured the 2010 Santos Tour Down Under title.
Results Stage 5
1. Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d'Epargne)
2. Luke Roberts (Milram)
3. Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne)
General Classification After Stage 5
1. Andre Greipel (Team HTC-Columbia)
2. Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d'Epargne)
3. Luke Roberts (Team Milram)
4. Robbie McEwen (Team Katusha)
5. Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team)
6. Greg Henderson (Team Sky)
7. Eduard Vorganov (Team Katusha)
8. Jurgen Roelandts (Omega Pharma-Lotto)
9. Markus Fothen (Team Milram)
10. Andriy Grivko (Astana)
More:
Greipel sights victory as Armstrong hopes fade
Armstrong vows no 'goofing off' after Tour
Next: Adelaide City Council Stage 6 - Adelaide (Circuit Race, 90km)
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