Vuelta a Espana, Grand Tour

Spain, September 4-26, 1999

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A long break sees Ekimov triumph

A comparatively flat 15th stage, containing just one 3rd category climb 40 km from the finish, proved to be a suitable platform for 33-yr old Russian rider, Viatcheslav Ekimov (Amica Chips - Costa Almeria) to win his first stage of the Vuelta.

The 193 km stage saw a breakaway group of nine riders go clear after just 20 km of racing, none of which were a threat to race leader Jan Ullrich. Many of the major teams were represented so there was no effort shown by the peleton to chase them down, and the break's lead ballooned out to nearly 19 minutes at the 148 km mark.

In addition to Ekimov, the break contained Italians Paolo Bettini, Mariano Piccoli, Eddy Mazzoleni and Cristian Moreni, Spaniards Igor Flora and Antonio Tauler, with U.S. and French riders Frankie Andreu and Pascal Herve completing the group.

After crossing the 500 m Alto de l'Oronet (155km), the break's lead diminished to a still-comfortable 12:46 by the end after Banesto worked to ensure there were no major disruptions to the top GC positions.

Coming into the finish at Valence, the usual cat-and-mouse tactics started as the nine knew they had plenty of time to burn. In a break with tradition, Ekimov didn't end up going for the solo flyer with 2 km to go, but left it to Euskadi rider Igor Flores who attacked in the last kilometer.

The headwind into the finish destroyed his chances however, and a jubilant Ekimov powered across the line ahead of Andreu and Bettini. "I could see that Igor was going to run out of steam. It was the others, like Bettini, that were going to be more dangerous but at 500 metres to go I knew it was going to be my race," commented the Russian, who lives in Tortosa close to Valence.

Germany's Jan Ullrich enjoyed another day in the golden jersey, finishing in the 56-strong second group nearly 13 minutes behind the leaders. The top 15 positions on GC were unchanged.

Tomorrow's 16th stage between Valence and Teruel will be more mountainous than today, with two 2nd and two 3rd category climbs to be crossed in the 200 kms of racing, although Ullrich should have no difficulty covering his rivals.

Stage 15, La Senia - Valencia, 185 kms:

Stage 15, La Senia - Valencia, 193 km, AVS 42.704 kmh


1   Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips        4.31.44
2   Frankie Andreu (USA) US Postal Service                      
3   Paolo Bettini (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                        
4   Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale                       
5   Pascal Hervé (Fra) Lotus-Festina                            
6   Cristian Moreni (Ita) Liquigas                              
7   Mariano Piccoli (Ita) Lampre-Daikin                         
8   Igor Flores Galarza (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                 
9   Toni Tauler (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca                            9
10  Miguel A. Martin Perdiguero (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank        12.46
11  Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale                   12.46
12  Geert van Bondt (Bel) TVM-Farm Frites                       12.46
13  Marcus Zberg (Swi) Rabobank                                 12.46
14  Andrea Tafi (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                          12.46
15  Bram de Groot (Ned) Rabobank                                12.46
16  Michel Lafis (Swe) TVM-Farm Frites                          12.46
17  Orlando Gomes Rodrigues (Por) Banesto                       12.46
18  Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank                             12.46
19  Juan C. Vicario Barbera (Spa) Fuenlabrada                   12.46
20  Laurent Brochard (Fra) Lotus-Festina                        12.46
21  Jan Ullrich (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                     12.46
22  Andrei Zintchenko (Rus) Vitalicio Seguros                   12.46
23  Massimiliano Lelli (Ita) Cofidis                            12.46
24  Andreas Klier (Ger) TVM-Farm Frites                         12.46
25  Manuel Beltran Martinez (Spa) Banesto                       12.46
26  Felix Garcia Casas (Spa) Lotus-Festina                      12.46
27  Angel Casero (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros                        12.46
28  José L. Rubiera Vigil (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca              12.46
29  David Garcia Marquina (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros               12.46
30  Inigo Chaurreau Bernadez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi            12.46
31  Oscar Lopez Uriarte (Spa) Sport Lisboa Benfica              12.46
32  Ivan Parra (Col) Vitalicio Seguros                          12.46
33  Quintino Fernandez Rodrigues (Por) Sport Lisboa Benfica     12.46
34  Frank Vandenbroucke (Bel) Cofidis                           12.46
35  Igor Gonzalez Galdeano (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros              12.46
36  William Chann McRae (USA) Mapei-Quick Step                  12.46
37  Massimo Codol (Ita) Lampre-Daikin                           12.46
38  José Uria Gonzalez (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca                 12.46
39  Victor Peńa (Col) Vitalicio Seguros                         12.46
40  Roberto Heras Hernandez (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca            12.46
41  Francisco Cabello Luque (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca            12.46
42  Alberto Lopez de Munain (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi             12.46
43  Daniele Nardello (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                     12.46
44  Alexandre Shefer (Kaz) Riso Scotti-Vinavil                  12.46
45  Txema Del Olmo Zendegi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi              12.46
46  Oscar Camenzind (Swi) Lampre-Daikin                         12.46
47  Aitor Osa Eizaguirre (Spa) Banesto                          12.46
48  Santiago Blanco (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros                     12.46
49  Andreas Klöden (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                  12.46
50  Alvaro Gonzalez Galdeano (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros            12.46
51  José M. Jimenez Sastre (Spa) Banesto                        12.46
52  Jon Odriozola Mugarza (Spa) Banesto                         12.46
53  Pavel Tonkov (Rus) Mapei-Quick Step                         12.46
54  Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Banesto                              12.46
55  Davide Rebellin (Ita) Team Polti                            12.46
56  Melchor Mauri (Spa) Sport Lisboa Benfica                    12.46
57  Alex Zülle (Swi) Banesto                                    12.46
58  Ińigo Cuesta Lopez (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank                 12.46
59  Marcos A. Serrano Rodriguez (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank        12.46
60  Rafael Diaz Justo (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank                  12.46
61  Mikel Zarrabeitia Uranga (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank           12.46
62  Cesar Solaun Solana (Spa) Banesto                           12.46
63  José V. Garcia Acosta (Spa) Banesto                         12.46
64  Roberto Laiseka Jaio (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                12.46
65  Ramon Gonzalez Arrieta (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi              12.46
66  Jörg Jaksche  (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                   12.46
67  Marco Gili (Ita) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips                  17.25
68  Fabio Roscioli (Ita) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips              17.25
69  Carlos Golbano (Spa) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips              17.25
70  Alessandro Pozzi (Ita) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips            17.25
71  Giuseppe Palumbo (Ita) Riso Scotti-Vinavil                  17.25
72  Glenn Magnusson (Swe) US Postal Service                     17.25
73  Alessio Bongioni (Ita) Riso Scotti-Vinavil                  17.25
74  Arnoldas Saprykinas (Ltu) Riso Scotti-Vinavil               17.25
75  Matias Cagigas Amedo (Spa) Fuenlabrada                      17.25
76  Serguei Smetanine (Rus) Vitalicio Seguros                   17.25
77  Luis Perez Rodriguez (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank               17.25
78  Remco Van Der Ven (Ned) TVM-Farm Frites                     17.25
79  Rolf Aldag (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                      17.25
80  Ralf Grabsch (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                    17.25
81  Eleuterio Anguita Hinojosa (Spa) Fuenlabrada                17.25
82  Stefano Verziagi (Ita) Fuenlabrada                          17.25
83  Stefano Casagranda (Ita) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips          17.25
84  Dirk Baldinger (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                  17.25
85  German Nieto Fernandez (Spa) Fuenlabrada                    17.25
86  Andrea Noe (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                           17.25
87  Danilo Hondo (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                    17.25
88  José Uriarte Zubero (Spa) Lotus-Festina                     17.25
89  Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Team Deutsche Telekom               17.25
90  Ruslan Ivanov (Mda) Liquigas                                17.25
91  Paul van Hyfte (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar                         17.25
92  Gianni Faresin (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                       17.25
93  Nicola Miceli  (Ita) Liquigas                               17.25
94  Cesar Perez Padron  (Spa) Fuenlabrada                       17.25
95  Chris Peers (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar                            17.25
96  Julian Dean (NZl) US Postal Service                         17.25
97  Frank Hoj (Den) US Postal Service                           17.25
98  Angel Edo Alsina (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca                   17.25
99  Jaime Hernandez Bertran (Spa) Lotus-Festina                 17.25
100 Daniel Bayes (Spa) Sport Lisboa Benfica                     17.25
101 Marcel Wüst (Ger) Lotus-Festina                             17.25
102 Robert Hunter (RSA) Lampre-Daikin                           17.25
103 Pedro Diaz Lobato (Spa) Fuenlabrada                         17.25
104 Mario Traversoni (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale                     17.25
105 Andres Bermejo Siller (Spa) Fuenlabrada                     17.25
106 José A. Garrido (Spa) Sport Lisboa Benfica                  17.25
107 Andrei Teteriouk (Kaz) Liquigas                             17.25
108 Joona Laukka (Fin) Sport Lisboa Benfica                     17.25
109 Angel Castresana Del Val (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi            17.25
110 Jan Boven (Ned) Rabobank                                    17.25
111 Unai Etxebarria Arana (Ven) Euskaltel-Euskadi               17.25
112 Stefano Cattai (Ita) Team Polti                             17.25
113 Rossano Brasi (Ita) Team Polti                              17.25
114 Servais Knaven (Ned) TVM-Farm Frites                        17.25
115 Simone Zucchi (Ita) Team Polti                              17.25
116 Niki Aebersold (Swi) Rabobank                               17.25
117 Aart Vierhouten (Ned) Rabobank                              17.25
118 Kurt van de Wouwer (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar                     17.25
119 Jeroen Blijlevens (Ned) TVM-Farm Frites                     17.25
120 Giancarlo Raimondi (Ita) Liquigas                           17.25
121 Cristian Salvato (Ita) Team Polti                           17.25
122 Anthony Rokia (Fra) Cofidis                                 17.25
123 Oscar Pozzi (Ita) Riso Scotti-Vinavil                       17.25
124 Marco Della Vedova (Ita) Lampre-Daikin                      17.25
125 Koen Beeckman (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar                          17.25
126 Igor Pugaci (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale                          17.25



Mountains

Alto De L'Oronet   154.5 km   Cat 3

1   Pascal Hervé (Fra) Lotus-Festina                     6
2   Toni Tauler (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca                 4
3   Mariano Piccoli (Ita) Lampre-Daikin                  2
4   Frankie Andreu (USA) US Postal Service               1


Sprints

Traguera  19.8 km
              
1   Robert Hunter (RSA) Lampre-Daikin                     4
2   Marcel Wüst (Ger) Lotus-Festina                       2
3   German Nieto Fernandez (Spa) Fuenlabrada              1


Betxi 105.7 km 

1   Toni Tauler (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca                   4
2   Frankie Andreu (USA) US Postal Service                 2
3   Pascal Hervé (Fra) Lotus-Festina                       1

Vall D'Uixo  123.7km

1   Pascal Hervé (Fra) Lotus-Festina                       4
2   Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips     2
3   Cristian Moreni (Ita) Liquigas                         1



Stage finish 193.4 km

1   Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips    25
2   Frankie Andreu (USA) US Postal Service                20
3   Paolo Bettini (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                  16
4   Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale                 14
5   Pascal Hervé (Fra) Lotus-Festina                      12
6   Cristian Moreni (Ita) Liquigas                        10
7   Mariano Piccoli (Ita) Lampre-Daikin                    9
8   Igor Flores Galarza (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi            8
9   Toni Tauler (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca                   7
10  Miguel A. Martin Perdiguero (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Ban    6
11  Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale              5
12  Geert van Bondt (Bel) TVM-Farm Frites                  4
13  Marcus Zberg (Swi) Rabobank                            3
14  Andrea Tafi (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                     2

GC after Stage 15: 


GC after Stage 15

1   Jan Ullrich (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                   64.03.21
2   Igor Gonzalez Galdeano (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros                 .49
3   Roberto Heras Hernandez (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca              2.35
4   José M. Jimenez Sastre (Spa) Banesto                          3.35
5   Pavel Tonkov (Rus) Mapei-Quick Step                           3.45
6   José L. Rubiera Vigil (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca                4.23
7   Manuel Beltran Martinez (Spa) Banesto                         5.05
8   Angel Casero (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros                          5.19
9   Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Banesto                                6.00
10  Ivan Parra (Col) Vitalicio Seguros                            8.08
11  Santiago Blanco (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros                       9.24
12  José Uria Gonzalez (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca                  18.26
13  Felix Garcia Casas (Spa) Lotus-Festina                       20.21
14  Txema Del Olmo Zendegi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi               20.31
15  Roberto Laiseka Jaio (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                 27.25
16  Aitor Osa Eizaguirre (Spa) Banesto                           28.33
17  Mikel Zarrabeitia Uranga (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank            32.52
18  Frank Vandenbroucke (Bel) Cofidis                            33.42
19  William Chann McRae (USA) Mapei-Quick Step                   34.04
20  Victor Peńa (Col) Vitalicio Seguros                          34.38
21  Inigo Chaurreau Bernadez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi             35.57
22  Melchor Mauri (Spa) Sport Lisboa Benfica                     39.13
23  Niki Aebersold (Swi) Rabobank                                40.36
24  Nicola Miceli  (Ita) Liquigas                                41.38
25  Davide Rebellin (Ita) Team Polti                             44.54
26  Daniele Nardello (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                      47.50
27  Massimo Codol (Ita) Lampre-Daikin                            48.10
28  Michel Lafis (Swe) TVM-Farm Frites                           53.08
29  Gianni Faresin (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                        55.04
30  Marcus Zberg (Swi) Rabobank                                  56.57
31  Paolo Bettini (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                         57.04
32  Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank                              58.13
33  Andrea Tafi (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                           58.59
34  Andrei Teteriouk (Kaz) Liquigas                            1.01.31
35  Jon Odriozola Mugarza (Spa) Banesto                        1.02.53
36  Kurt van de Wouwer (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar                    1.02.58
37  David Garcia Marquina (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros              1.03.54
38  Juan C. Vicario Barbera (Spa) Fuenlabrada                  1.03.57
39  Andrei Zintchenko (Rus) Vitalicio Seguros                  1.04.45
40  Marcos A. Serrano Rodriguez (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank       1.08.22
41  Andrea Noe (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                          1.08.51
42  Jörg Jaksche  (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                  1.09.01
43  Oscar Lopez Uriarte (Spa) Sport Lisboa Benfica             1.10.49
44  Alex Zülle (Swi) Banesto                                   1.12.17
45  Alexandre Shefer (Kaz) Riso Scotti-Vinavil                 1.13.25
46  Massimiliano Lelli (Ita) Cofidis                           1.14.46
47  Pedro Diaz Lobato (Spa) Fuenlabrada                        1.14.55
48  Rolf Aldag (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                     1.15.48
49  Toni Tauler (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca                       1.18.39
50  Ruslan Ivanov (Mda) Liquigas                               1.21.22
51  Joona Laukka (Fin) Sport Lisboa Benfica                    1.22.06
52  Laurent Brochard (Fra) Lotus-Festina                       1.26.17
53  Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips         1.29.43
54  Alvaro Gonzalez Galdeano (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros           1.29.54
55  Orlando Gomes Rodrigues (Por) Banesto                      1.33.05
56  Oscar Camenzind (Swi) Lampre-Daikin                        1.34.04
57  Stefano Cattai (Ita) Team Polti                            1.35.35
58  Ramon Gonzalez Arrieta (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi             1.37.49
59  Angel Castresana Del Val (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi           1.37.55
60  Cristian Moreni (Ita) Liquigas                             1.38.05
61  Ińigo Cuesta Lopez (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank                1.38.17
62  José V. Garcia Acosta (Spa) Banesto                        1.40.44
63  Mariano Piccoli (Ita) Lampre-Daikin                        1.40.58
64  Rafael Diaz Justo (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank                 1.46.53
65  Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale                  1.52.56
66  Bram de Groot (Ned) Rabobank                               1.53.30
67  Robert Hunter (RSA) Lampre-Daikin                          1.57.31
68  Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale                      1.58.14
69  Jan Boven (Ned) Rabobank                                   1.59.18
70  Andreas Klöden (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                 1.59.24
71  Oscar Pozzi (Ita) Riso Scotti-Vinavil                      2.01.43
72  Fabio Roscioli (Ita) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips             2.02.27
73  Miguel A. Martin Perdiguero (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank       2.03.08
74  Luis Perez Rodriguez (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank              2.04.31
75  Ralf Grabsch (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                   2.05.05
76  Aart Vierhouten (Ned) Rabobank                             2.05.26
77  Quintino Fernandez Rodrigues (Por) Sport Lisboa Benfica    2.05.35
78  Andreas Klier (Ger) TVM-Farm Frites                        2.06.14
79  Frankie Andreu (USA) US Postal Service                     2.07.58
80  José Uriarte Zubero (Spa) Lotus-Festina                    2.07.59
81  Paul van Hyfte (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar                        2.08.36
82  Serguei Smetanine (Rus) Vitalicio Seguros                  2.09.03
83  Igor Flores Galarza (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                2.10.17
84  Cesar Solaun Solana (Spa) Banesto                          2.10.28
85  Stefano Verziagi (Ita) Fuenlabrada                         2.10.33
86  Alberto Lopez de Munain (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi            2.11.14
87  Rossano Brasi (Ita) Team Polti                             2.13.42
88  Eleuterio Anguita Hinojosa (Spa) Fuenlabrada               2.14.36
89  Pascal Hervé (Fra) Lotus-Festina                           2.15.03
90  Chris Peers (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar                           2.15.32
91  Arnoldas Saprykinas (Ltu) Riso Scotti-Vinavil              2.16.02
92  Francisco Cabello Luque (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca           2.17.45
93  Danilo Hondo (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                   2.20.24
94  Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Team Deutsche Telekom              2.20.32
95  Matias Cagigas Amedo (Spa) Fuenlabrada                     2.20.49
96  Geert van Bondt (Bel) TVM-Farm Frites                      2.22.28
97  Unai Etxebarria Arana (Ven) Euskaltel-Euskadi              2.22.49
98  Glenn Magnusson (Swe) US Postal Service                    2.25.38
99  Frank Hoj (Den) US Postal Service                          2.26.03
100 Dirk Baldinger (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                 2.27.20
101 Angel Edo Alsina (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca                  2.27.34
102 Carlos Golbano (Spa) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips             2.28.02
103 Giuseppe Palumbo (Ita) Riso Scotti-Vinavil                 2.29.16
104 Remco Van Der Ven (Ned) TVM-Farm Frites                    2.29.52
105 Jaime Hernandez Bertran (Spa) Lotus-Festina                2.30.03
106 Mario Traversoni (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale                    2.30.50
107 Koen Beeckman (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar                         2.31.46
108 German Nieto Fernandez (Spa) Fuenlabrada                   2.33.22
109 Giancarlo Raimondi (Ita) Liquigas                          2.33.45
110 Andres Bermejo Siller (Spa) Fuenlabrada                    2.34.05
111 Alessio Bongioni (Ita) Riso Scotti-Vinavil                 2.35.29
112 José A. Garrido (Spa) Sport Lisboa Benfica                 2.36.47
113 Cesar Perez Padron  (Spa) Fuenlabrada                      2.38.08
114 Servais Knaven (Ned) TVM-Farm Frites                       2.38.16
115 Stefano Casagranda (Ita) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips         2.38.44
116 Simone Zucchi (Ita) Team Polti                             2.39.44
117 Marco Della Vedova (Ita) Lampre-Daikin                     2.43.14
118 Cristian Salvato (Ita) Team Polti                          2.46.06
119 Marcel Wüst (Ger) Lotus-Festina                            2.49.41
120 Julian Dean (NZl) US Postal Service                        2.50.41
121 Alessandro Pozzi (Ita) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips           2.52.03
122 Marco Gili (Ita) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips                 2.52.31
123 Anthony Rokia (Fra) Cofidis                                2.54.05
124 Jeroen Blijlevens (Ned) TVM-Farm Frites                    2.59.04
125 Daniel Bayes (Spa) Sport Lisboa Benfica                    3.03.24
126 Igor Pugaci (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale                         3.08.54 



Mountains after Stage 15


1   José M. Jimenez Sastre (Spa) Banesto                       92
2   Roberto Heras Hernandez (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca           67
3   Victor Peńa (Col) Vitalicio Seguros                        65
4   Laurent Brochard (Fra) Lotus-Festina                       62
5   José Uria Gonzalez (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca                59
6   Inigo Chaurreau Bernadez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi           57
7   Ruslan Ivanov (Mda) Liquigas                               54
8   Igor Gonzalez Galdeano (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros             54
9   Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Banesto                             48
10  Manuel Beltran Martinez (Spa) Banesto                      47
11  Nicola Miceli  (Ita) Liquigas                              44
12  Pavel Tonkov (Rus) Mapei-Quick Step                        41
13  Jan Ullrich (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                    38
14  Daniele Nardello (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                    38
15  Alex Zülle (Swi) Banesto                                   37
16  Felix Garcia Casas (Spa) Lotus-Festina                     34
17  Pascal Hervé (Fra) Lotus-Festina                           29
18  Frank Vandenbroucke (Bel) Cofidis                          25
19  José L. Rubiera Vigil (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca             24
20  Orlando Gomes Rodrigues (Por) Banesto                      23
21  Aitor Osa Eizaguirre (Spa) Banesto                         23
22  Jon Odriozola Mugarza (Spa) Banesto                        21
23  Rafael Diaz Justo (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank                 19
24  José V. Garcia Acosta (Spa) Banesto                        12
25  Marcos A. Serrano Rodriguez (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank       12
26  Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale                      11
27  Alberto Lopez de Munain (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi            11
28  Paolo Bettini (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                       10
29  Marcus Zberg (Swi) Rabobank                                10
30  Melchor Mauri (Spa) Sport Lisboa Benfica                    9
31  William Chann McRae (USA) Mapei-Quick Step                  8
32  Massimiliano Lelli (Ita) Cofidis                            8
33  Santiago Blanco (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros                     8
34  Alvaro Gonzalez Galdeano (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros            8
35  Rolf Sörensen (Den) Rabobank                                7
36  Angel Casero (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros                        7
37  German Nieto Fernandez (Spa) Fuenlabrada                    6
38  Ivan Parra (Col) Vitalicio Seguros                          6
39  Mikel Zarrabeitia Uranga (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank           6
40  Roberto Laiseka Jaio (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                5
41  Cesar Solaun Solana (Spa) Banesto                           5
42  Toni Tauler (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca                        5
43  Ramon Gonzalez Arrieta (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi              5
44  Rolf Aldag (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                      5
45  Angel Castresana Del Val (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi            5
46  Mario Traversoni (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale                     4
47  Fabio Roscioli (Ita) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips              4
48  David Garcia Marquina (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros               4
49  Francisco Cabello Luque (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca            4
50  Davide Rebellin (Ita) Team Polti                            4
51  Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale                   4
52  Igor Flores Galarza (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                 3
53  Andrei Zintchenko (Rus) Vitalicio Seguros                   3
54  Mariano Piccoli (Ita) Lampre-Daikin                         3
55  Massimo Codol (Ita) Lampre-Daikin                           3
56  Oscar Camenzind (Swi) Lampre-Daikin                         2
57  Eleuterio Anguita Hinojosa (Spa) Fuenlabrada                2
58  Frankie Andreu (USA) US Postal Service                      1
59  Marcel Wüst (Ger) Lotus-Festina                             1
60  Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank                             1
61  Andrea Noe (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                           1
62  Jörg Jaksche  (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                   1



Points after Stage 15


1   Marcel Wüst (Ger) Lotus-Festina                          124
2   Robert Hunter (RSA) Lampre-Daikin                         94
3   Igor Gonzalez Galdeano (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros            92
4   Jan Ullrich (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                   73
5   Fabio Roscioli (Ita) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips            60
6   José M. Jimenez Sastre (Spa) Banesto                      57
7   Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Team Deutsche Telekom             57
8   Roberto Heras Hernandez (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca          56
9   Mario Traversoni (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale                   54
10  Miguel A. Martin Perdiguero (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank      53
11  Glenn Magnusson (Swe) US Postal Service                   46
12  Angel Casero (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros                      42
13  Nicola Miceli  (Ita) Liquigas                             39
14  José L. Rubiera Vigil (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca            39
15  Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Banesto                            38
16  Manuel Beltran Martinez (Spa) Banesto                     38
17  Laurent Brochard (Fra) Lotus-Festina                      37
18  Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips        37
19  Pavel Tonkov (Rus) Mapei-Quick Step                       36
20  Massimiliano Lelli (Ita) Cofidis                          29
21  José Uria Gonzalez (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca               29
22  Victor Peńa (Col) Vitalicio Seguros                       29
23  Frank Hoj (Den) US Postal Service                         28
24  Alex Zülle (Swi) Banesto                                  27
25  Daniele Nardello (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                   27
26  Frank Vandenbroucke (Bel) Cofidis                         27
27  Paolo Bettini (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                      26
28  Giancarlo Raimondi (Ita) Liquigas                         26
29  Andrei Zintchenko (Rus) Vitalicio Seguros                 26
30  Ińigo Cuesta Lopez (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank               23
31  Cristian Moreni (Ita) Liquigas                            23
32  Davide Rebellin (Ita) Team Polti                          23
33  Frankie Andreu (USA) US Postal Service                    22
34  William Chann McRae (USA) Mapei-Quick Step                21
35  Eleuterio Anguita Hinojosa (Spa) Fuenlabrada              21
36  Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale                     21
37  Serguei Smetanine (Rus) Vitalicio Seguros                 21
38  Aart Vierhouten (Ned) Rabobank                            21
39  Andrea Tafi (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                        20
40  Toni Tauler (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca                      20
41  Oscar Camenzind (Swi) Lampre-Daikin                       20
42  Ivan Parra (Col) Vitalicio Seguros                        19
43  German Nieto Fernandez (Spa) Fuenlabrada                  17
44  Pascal Hervé (Fra) Lotus-Festina                          17
45  Mariano Piccoli (Ita) Lampre-Daikin                       17
46  Melchor Mauri (Spa) Sport Lisboa Benfica                  17
47  Felix Garcia Casas (Spa) Lotus-Festina                    16
48  Pedro Diaz Lobato (Spa) Fuenlabrada                       16
49  Jon Odriozola Mugarza (Spa) Banesto                       15
50  Danilo Hondo (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                  15
51  Julian Dean (NZl) US Postal Service                       15
52  Stefano Casagranda (Ita) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips        14
53  Servais Knaven (Ned) TVM-Farm Frites                      14
54  Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank                           13
55  José V. Garcia Acosta (Spa) Banesto                       13
56  Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale                 12
57  Jeroen Blijlevens (Ned) TVM-Farm Frites                   12
58  Kurt van de Wouwer (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar                   11
59  Santiago Blanco (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros                   11
60  Angel Edo Alsina (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca                 10
61  Koen Beeckman (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar                        10
62  Michel Lafis (Swe) TVM-Farm Frites                         9
63  Ralf Grabsch (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                   9
64  Ruslan Ivanov (Mda) Liquigas                               9
65  Andreas Klier (Ger) TVM-Farm Frites                        9
66  Andreas Klöden (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                 9
67  Roberto Laiseka Jaio (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi               9
68  Igor Flores Galarza (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi                8
69  David Garcia Marquina (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros              8
70  Simone Zucchi (Ita) Team Polti                             8
71  Anthony Rokia (Fra) Cofidis                                6
72  Jan Boven (Ned) Rabobank                                   6
73  Mikel Zarrabeitia Uranga (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank          6
74  Massimo Codol (Ita) Lampre-Daikin                          6
75  Giuseppe Palumbo (Ita) Riso Scotti-Vinavil                 6
76  Inigo Chaurreau Bernadez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi           5
77  Marcus Zberg (Swi) Rabobank                                5
78  Ramon Gonzalez Arrieta (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi             4
79  Rafael Diaz Justo (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank                 4
80  Geert van Bondt (Bel) TVM-Farm Frites                      4
81  Stefano Verziagi (Ita) Fuenlabrada                         4
82  Aitor Osa Eizaguirre (Spa) Banesto                         3
83  Txema Del Olmo Zendegi (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi             3
84  Alvaro Gonzalez Galdeano (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros           3
85  Matias Cagigas Amedo (Spa) Fuenlabrada                     2
86  Rolf Aldag (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                     2
87  Orlando Gomes Rodrigues (Por) Banesto                      2
88  Marco Gili (Ita) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips                 2
89  Arnoldas Saprykinas (Ltu) Riso Scotti-Vinavil              2
90  Oscar Pozzi (Ita) Riso Scotti-Vinavil                      2
91  Bram de Groot (Ned) Rabobank                               2
92  Francisco Cabello Luque (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca           1
93  Cristian Salvato (Ita) Team Polti                          1


Sprints (Metas Volantes) after Stage 15

1   Robert Hunter (RSA) Lampre-Daikin                    38
2   German Nieto Fernandez (Spa) Fuenlabrada             17
3   Fabio Roscioli (Ita) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips       15
4   Marcel Wüst (Ger) Lotus-Festina                      10
5   Massimiliano Lelli (Ita) Cofidis                      9
6   Michel Lafis (Swe) TVM-Farm Frites                    9
7   Laurent Brochard (Fra) Lotus-Festina                  8
8   Mariano Piccoli (Ita) Lampre-Daikin                   8
9   Igor Gonzalez Galdeano (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros        6
10  Andrea Tafi (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                    6
11  Anthony Rokia (Fra) Cofidis                           6
12  Jan Boven (Ned) Rabobank                              6
13  Pascal Hervé (Fra) Lotus-Festina                      5
14  Toni Tauler (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca                  4
15  Paolo Bettini (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                  4
16  Ramon Gonzalez Arrieta (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi        4
17  Jon Odriozola Mugarza (Spa) Banesto                   4
18  Giancarlo Raimondi (Ita) Liquigas                     4
19  Inigo Chaurreau Bernadez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi      4
20  Rafael Diaz Justo (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank            4
21  William Chann McRae (USA) Mapei-Quick Step            3
22  Ińigo Cuesta Lopez (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank           3
23  Alex Zülle (Swi) Banesto                              2
24  Miguel A. Martin Perdiguero (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Ba    2
25  Matias Cagigas Amedo (Spa) Fuenlabrada                2
26  José Uria Gonzalez (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca           2
27  Rolf Aldag (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom                2
28  Viatcheslav Ekimov (Rus) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips    2
29  Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale             2
30  Frankie Andreu (USA) US Postal Service                2
31  José L. Rubiera Vigil (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca        2
32  Eleuterio Anguita Hinojosa (Spa) Fuenlabrada          2
33  Stefano Casagranda (Ita) Costa Almeria-Amica Chips    2
34  Ralf Grabsch (Ger) Team Deutsche Telekom              2
35  Orlando Gomes Rodrigues (Por) Banesto                 2
36  Mikel Zarrabeitia Uranga (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank     1
37  Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank                       1
38  José V. Garcia Acosta (Spa) Banesto                   1
39  Cristian Moreni (Ita) Liquigas                        1
40  Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale                 1
41  Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Team Deutsche Telekom         1
42  Aitor Osa Eizaguirre (Spa) Banesto                    1
43  Rolf Sörensen (Den) Rabobank                          1
44  Cristian Salvato (Ita) Team Polti                     1
45  Nicola Miceli  (Ita) Liquigas                         1
46  Francisco Cabello Luque (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca      1

Stage Preview:

Undulating and will suit breakaway attempts from riders who are aiming for stage wins and who couldn't sprint or climb well enough.