Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4a
Stage 4b
Stage 5
Stage 1, Bilbao - Bermeo 116 kms:Brian Stephens is with the Australian team in Spain this week for the Vuelta Viscaya Bira. He writes that they are staying in Bilbao and the race is all around Viscaya and has 5 days and 6 stages. Had a very long drive to get here on Tuesday and the race started yesterday. The team is an Australian National team and the riders were supposed to be Jonathon Hall, Baden Cooke, Warren Jennings, Kris Denham, Allan Iacuone and Matt Wilson. We had some problems with Jono Hall's team manager who blocked him from joining the National Team. Too complicated to go into but the short of it he couldn't start at all. John Pollock from Victoria is also riding for Banaka. The guy who ran 2nd, Paul Bertino, in the stage was born in Tasmania and has lived in Italy since he was a kid. He has Australian citizenship. The first stage was short and had a cat. 2 climb close to the finish, then a descent to the finish. The race winning break went at around the 40km mark and one by one, 7 riders formed up. The 2 Pagnocelli (Italy) riders attacked this group and went on to win with most of the others being caught. Allan Iacuone who is our hope for a good overall result, came over the climb in the front main group. He lost a few seconds when a gap opened on the descent.
1. Bruno Minniti (Ita) Pagnocelli 2.50.43 2. Paul Bertone (Ita) Pagnocelli 3. Aitor Silloniz Aresti (Spa) Banaka 0.27 4. Igor Astarloa Askasibar (Spa) Caffe Baque 0.37 5. Josu Isasi Flores (Spa) Saunier Duval .. 28. Allan Iacuone (Aus) AIS 1.00 32. Baden Cooke (Aus) AIS 1.41 55. John Pollock (Aus) Banaka 2.11 83. Matt Wilson (Aus) AIS 3.58 84. Kris Denham (Aus) AIS 87. Warren Jennings (Aus) AIS s.t. GC the same Stage 2, Ondarroa - Ondorroa 152 kms:Brian Stephens writes that the Australian team had a van break down that diverted energies. So the report is a little late. The race split into several groups on the last climb with Allan and Kris making the second group and losing a minute and a half. Today is a harder stage and one of the hardest along with the last one.
1. Mikel Artetxe Gezuraga (Spa) Olara 3.35.46 2. Paul Bertino (Ita) Pagnoncelli 3. Aitor Silloniz Aresti (Spa) Banaka 4. Ruben Oarbeaskoa Ispizua (Spa) Olara 5. Igor Astarloa Askasibar (Spa) Caffes Baque .. 31. John Pollock (Aus) Banaka 61. Alan Iacoune (Aus) AIS 1.46 62. Kris Denham (Aus) AIS 66. Warren Jennings (Aus) AIS 5.09 93. Matt Wilson (Aus) AIS 12.52 94. Baden Cooke (Aus) AIS GC after Stage 2
1. Paul Bertone (Ita) Pagnoncelli 6.26.29 2. Bruno Minniti (Ita) Pagnoncelli 3. Aitor Silloniz Aresti (Spa) Banaka 0.27 4. Mikel Artetxe Gezuraga (Spa) Olara 0.37 5. Igor Artetxe Askasibar (Spa) Caffes Baque .. 31. John Pollock (Aus) Banaka 2.11 35. Alan Iacoune (Aus) AIS 2.46 62. Kris Denham (Aus) AIS 5.44 74. Warren Jennings (Aus) AIS 9.07 90. Baden Cooke (Aus) AIS 14.33 96. Matt Wilson (Aus) AIS 16.50 Stage 3, Ondarroa - Ondorroa 152 kms:Brian Stephens writes that Allan Iacuone did everything right today. He got himself into a good break at the right time only to puncture at the wrong time. We couldn't get to him so he was serviced by neutral spares and restarted in the 2nd group. He ran out of legs on the last climb and was dropped by that group. Ah well! Kris Denham was dropped early and didn't finish the stage. John Pollock again performed well and finished up there.
1. Aitor Silloniz Aresti (Spa) Banaka 3.38.22 2. Paul Bertino (Ita) Pagnoncelli 3. Roger Lucia Ibarra (Spa) CAI 0.02 4. Bruno Minniti (Ita) Pagnoncelli 0.50 5. Angel Arcos Vicioso (Spa) CAI .. 25. John Pollock (Aus) Banaka 2.03 47. Allan Iacuone (Aus) AIS 6.31 75. Matt Wilson (Aus) AIS 14.00 78. Baden Cooke (Aus) AIS 14.00 80. Warren Jennings (Aus) AIS 14.00 GC after Stage 3
1. Paul Bertone (Ita) Pagnoncelli 10.04.51 2. Aitor Silloniz Aresti (Spa) Banaka 0.27 3. Bruno Minniti (Ita) Pagnoncelli 1.50 4. Roger Lucia Ibarra (Spa) CAI 1.02 5. Igor Astarloa Askasibar (Spa) Caffes Baque 1.27 .. 30. John Pollock (Aus) Banaka 4.36 45. Alan Iacoune (Aus) AIS 9.17 77. Warren Jennings (Aus) AIS 23.07 87. Baden Cooke (Aus) AIS 28.33 89. Matt Wilson (Aus) AIS 30.50 Stage 4a, 111 kms:It was a split stage today with 111km in the morning and a 7.7km hill time trial in the afternoon. We were keen for a sprint in the morning stage and the boys worked for it, keeping the race under control. Baden Cooke was the man for the sprint but was involved in a fall in the last kilometer. He didn't crash but went fairly close which interupted his run.
1. Stephano Venturini (Ita) Pagnocelli 2.23.22 2. Alex Gallastegi Santorcuato (Spa) Caffes Baque 3. Ruben Oarbeaskoa Ispizua (Spa) Olara 4. Antonio Alcaniz Patino (Spa) ACR 5. Igor Miner Aldasoro (Spa) Caffes Baque .. 14. Baden Cooke (Aus) AIS 72. John Pollock (Aus) Banaka 77. Alan Iacuone (Aus) AIS 81. Warren Jennings (Aus) AIS 96. Matt Wilson (Aus) AIS 6.44 GC after Stage 4a
1. Paul Bertone (Ita) Pagnoncelli 12.28.13 2. Aitor Silloniz Aresti (Spa) Banaka 0.27 3. Bruno Minniti (Ita) Pagnoncelli 0.50 4. Roger Lucia Ibarra (Spa) CAI 1.02 5. Igor Astarloa Askasibar (Spa) Caffes Baque 1.27 .. 30. John Pollock (Aus) Banaka 4.36 45. Alan Iacoune (Aus) AIS 9.17 75. Warren Jennings (Aus) AIS 23.07 86. Baden Cooke (Aus) AIS 28.33 93. Matt Wilson (Aus) AIS 37.34 Stage 4b, ITT 7.7 kms:1. Bruno Minniti (Ita) Panoncelli 11.30 2. Aitor Silloniz Aresti (Spa) Banaka 0.06 3. Jose Antinio Garrido Lima (Spa) Iberdrola 0.06 4. Paul Bertino (Ita) Panoncelli 0.09 5. David Cancela Matellano (Spa) Porcelanatto 0.10 .. 29. John Pollock (Aus) Banaka 0.51 64. Alan Iacoune (Aus) AIS 1.25 73. Warren Jennings (Aus) AIS 1.35 80. Baden Cooke (Aus) AIS 1.46 89. Matt Wilson (Aus) AIS 2.19 GC after Stage 4b
1. Paul Bertone (Ita) Pagnoncelli 12.39.52 2. Aitor Silloniz Aresti (Spa) Banaka 0.24 3. Bruno Minniti (Ita) Pagnoncelli 0.41 4. Roger Lucia Ibarra (Spa) CAI 1.08 5. Pedro Arrietunanda Quintero (Spa) Olarra 1.36 .. 28. John Pollock (Aus) Banaka 4.56 45. Alan Iacoune (Aus) AIS 10.33 71. Warren Jennings (Aus) AIS 24.33 83. Baden Cooke (Aus) AIS 30.10 91. Matt Wilson (Aus) AIS 39.44 Stage 5, Amorbieta - Amorbieta, 165 kms:1. Iker Flores (Spa) Caja Rural 3.56.46 2. Igor Astarloa (Spa) Caffes Baque 3. Bruno Minniti (Ita) Pagnoncelli 4. Gaizka Lejarreta (Spa) Iberdrola 5. Iban Sastre (Spa) Iberdrola Final GC
1. Paul Bertone (Ita) Pagnoncelli 16.36.38 2. Aitor Silloniz Aresti (Spa) Banaka 0.24 3. Bruno Minniti (Ita) Pagnoncelli 0.41 4. Roger Lucia Ibarra (Spa) CAI 1.08 5. Pello Arreitunandia (Spa) Olarra 1.36 .. 28. John Pollock (Aus) Banaka 4.56 45. Alan Iacoune (Aus) AIS 10.33 71. Warren Jennings (Aus) AIS 24.33 83. Baden Cooke (Aus) AIS 30.10 91. Matt Wilson (Aus) AIS 39.44 |