51st Vuelta Colombia - 2.5

Colombia, June 17 - July 2, 2001

Stage 6 - June 23: Chinchiná - Medellín, 191.0 km

Buenahora wins first mountain stage

By Daniel Alejandro Lopez

Hernán Buenahora (Selle Italia) has won the sixth stage after a 50 kilometre escape, while Marlon Perez (05 Orbitel) continued his stay in the leader's tricolor jersey by finishing third in the first mountain stage.

The first part of the stage was across the Cauca River Cannon. It was very hot with a temperature over 36 °C. The group was controlled by the riders of 05 Orbitel who did not let anybody jump away. After the second intermediate sprint, a group of five riders: José Ibañez, Jairo Pérez, John Fredy García, Raul Gómez and Nelson Vargas escaped and began the climb with an advantage of more than eight minutes over the group.

The leader Marlon Pérez punctured twice during the first kilometres of the climb.

In the second part of the climb, the group split and only the best riders including Marlon Perez, who seemed very solid, continued in the lead. Hernán Buenahora "El Cabrito de Barichara" attacked, and the escapees only had a gap of 1.13 over him and 2.18 over the group.

Hernán Buenahora won the first category Climb at Alto de Minas (km 153), where he was 2.16 ahead of the lead group. The leader and the favorites, with the exception of Raul Montaña, were in this group. Buenahora set a new record for the climb to Minas with a time of 1 hour 35 minutes.

On the descent, the entire 05 Orbitel team started to chase Buenahora, but they didn't catch him and he won into Medellin.

Stage Description

The sixth stage of the Vuelta A Colombia-Telecom is from Chinchiná ton Medellín and is 191 km. It is the first real contact with the high mountains. The stage begins at 1378 meters altitude, then there is a descent to the Cauca River Cannon (640 meters) followed by a flat road between the towns of La Felisa and La Pintada, the city where the climb to the mythical Alto de Minas or "Cima Julio Arrastía" begins.

The climb is about 40 kilometres and starts at La Pintada (580 meters), continues to Santa Bárbara (1760 meters) and finishes in Minas at 2400 meters. After that, the riders descend towards Medellín, where the stage finishes in a short climb of two kilometers to the typical Pueblito Paisa.

Results

1 Hernán Buenahora (Col) Selle Italia-Baterías MAC       4.41.58 
2 Héctor Iván Palacio (Col)) Empresas Públicas Medellín     0.22
3 Marloz Perez (Col) 05 Orbitel
4 Israel Ochoa (Col)  Lotería de Boyacá
5 Carlos Alberto Contreras (Col) Selle Italia-Baterías MAC  0.23
6 Libardo Niño (Col) Lotería de Boyacá
7 Javier Zapata (Col) 05 Orbitel
8 Alexis Rojas (Col) 

Climbs

Alto de Minas "Cima Julio Arrastía" - Cat. 1, km 153

1 Hernán Buenahora (Col) Selle Italia - Baterías MAC 
2 Ubaldo Mesa (Col) Lotería de Boyacá
3 Israel Ochoa (Col) Lotería de Boyacá
4 Libardo Niño (Col) Lotería de Boyacá
5 Noel Vasquez (Ven) Lotería del Táchira
6 Javier Zapata (Col) Empresas Públicas de Medellín
7 Marlon Perez (Col) 05 Orbitel

Intermediate sprints

Irra - km 45

1 Gregorio Ladino (Col) Aguardiete Néctar             5 pts
2 Darío Sedano (Col) Aguardiente Cristal              3
3 Fredy Moncada (Col)                                 2

La Felisa 

1 Rigoberto Ibañez (Col) Aguardiente Nectar           5 pts
2 Darío Sedano (Col) Aguardiente Cristal              3
3 José Ibañez (Col) Lotería de Boyacá                 2
4 Nelsón Vargas (Col) Indeportes Antioquia            1

La Pintada - km 109

1 Jairo Pérez (Col) Lotería de Boyacá                 5 pts
2 Nelsón Vargas (Col) Indeportes Antioquia            3
3 John Fredy García (Col) Selle Italia- Baterias MAC  2
4 Raúl Gómez (Col) Triple Gordo - Trujillo            1

General classification after stage 6

1 Marlon Alirio Pérez (Col) 05 Orbitel 
2 Javier Zapata (Col) 05 Orbitel                         0.41
3 Libardo Niño (Col) Lotería de Boyacá                   1.10
4 Ismael Sarmiento (Col) Lotería de Boyacá               1.34
5 Israel Ochoa (Col) Lotería de Boyacá                   1.45
6 Julio César Aguirre (Col) 05 Orbitel                   1.53
7 Elder Herrera (Col) 05 Orbitel                         2.07
8 Hernán Buenahora (Col) Selle Italia -Baterías MAC      2.10
9 Juan Diego Ramírez (Col) 05 Orbitel                    2.18
10 Carlos Contreras (Col) Selle Italia- Baterías MAC     2.33
11 Héctor Iván Palacios (Col) Empresas Públicas Medellín 

Intermediate sprints classification

1 Gregorio Ladino (Col) Aguardiente Nectar           15 pts
2 Darío Sedano (Col) Aguardiente Cristal             13
3 John Fredy Moncada (Col) Triple Gordo-Trujillo      8
4 Guillermo Chaparro (Col) Ciclo Ases                 8
5 Jairo Pérez (Col) Lotería de Boyacá                 6
6 Rigoberto Ibañez (Col) Aguardiente Nectar           5
7 Alirio Contrera (Ven) Triple Gordo - Trujillo       5
8 Gustavo Guzmán - Fuerzas Armadas                    5