Photo: © AFP
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ONCE has finished the season with a win, with 22 year old neo-pro Joaquin Rodriguez taking the 38th edition of the Escalada a Montjuic. Rodriguez won the first stage, a 24.3 kilometre road race to the top of Barcelona's famous mountain, and followed it up with a second place in the 8.7 kilometre mountain time trial in the afternoon to win the overall classification by 15 seconds from his teammate Joseba Beloki. Kelme's Oscar Sevilla won the time trial and finished third in the overall classification.
"I did not hope to win today with so many important names in the race," said a delighted Rodriguez afterwards. "It was the end of an incredible season and it is a dream winning here where only the chosen ones do so."
Rodriguez is familiar with this race, having won it as an U23 rider and a cadet in past years. He gave credit to his teammate Beloki, who helped him in the first stage which he won solo. Surprisingly, Rodriguez is the first Spanish winner of this race since Marino Lejarreta won in 1990.
World Champion Oscar Freire was in attendance, finishing 14th overall after travelling back from Italy the night before.
Stage 1 - Road Race, 24.3 km 1 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 46.37 2 Joseba Beloki Dorronsoro (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 0.08 3 Felix M. Garcia Casas (Spa) Festina 0.12 4 Oscar Sevilla (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 0.18 5 Roberto Laiseka Jaio (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.29 6 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 7 Fabian Jeker (Swi) Milaneza-MSS 0.31 8 Angel Edo (Spa) Milaneza-MSS 9 Angel Casero (Spa) Festina 10 Angel Vicioso Arcos (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 0.33 Stage 2 - Time Trial, 8.7 km 1 Oscar Sevilla (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 15.25 2 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 0.02 3 Joseba Beloki Dorronsoro (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 0.09 4 Felix M. Garcia Casas (Spa) Festina 0.18 5 Angel Vicioso Arcos (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 0.24 6 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.25 7 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Colchón Relax-Fuenlabrada 0.38 8 Angel Casero (Spa) Festina 0.39 9 José Luis Rubiera Vigil (Spa) US Postal Service 0.50 10 Melchior Mauri Prat (Spa) Milaneza-MSS 0.53 Final general classifcation 1 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 1.02.04 2 Joseba Beloki Dorronsoro (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 0.15 3 Oscar Sevilla (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 0.16 4 Felix M. Garcia Casas (Spa) Festina 0.28 5 Roberto Laiseka Jaio (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.44 6 Iban Mayo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.52 7 Angel Vicioso Arcos (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 0.55 8 Angel Casero (Spa) Festina 1.08 9 Angel Edo (Spa) Milaneza-MSS 1.26 10 José Luis Rubiera Vigil (Spa) US Postal Service 1.31
1965 (March) 1. Federico Bahamontes (Spa) 2. Julio Jimenez (Spa) 3. Antonio Karmany (Spa) 1965 (October) 1. Raymond Poulidor (Fra) 2. Federico Bahamontes (Spa) 3. Joaquin Galera (Spa) 1966 1. Eddy Merckx (Bel) 2. Ferdinand Bracke (Bel) 3. Lucien Aimar (Fra) 1967 1. Raymond Poulidor (Fra) 2. Joaquin Galera (Spa) 3. Felice Gimondi (Ita) 1968 1. Raymond Poulidor (Fra) 2. Luis Ocaña (Spa) 3. Joaquin Galera (Spa) 1969 1. Gianni Motta (Ita) 2. Felice Gimondi (Ita) 3. Luis Ocaña (Spa) 1970 1. Eddy Merckx (Bel) 2. Luis Ocaña (Spa) 3. Joaquim Agostinho (Por) 1971 1. Eddy Merckx (Bel) 2. Agustin Tamames(Spa) 3. Luis Ocaña (Spa) 1972 1. Eddy Merckx (Bel) 2. Gonzalo Aja (Spa) 3. Antonio Martos (Spa) 1973 1. Jesus Manzaneque (Spa) 2. Jose Pesarrodona (Spa) 3. Luis Ocaña (Spa) 1974 1. Eddy Merckx (Bel) 2. Antonio Martos (Spa) 3. Vicente Lopez-Carril (Spa) 1975 1. Eddy Merckx (Bel) 2. Joop Zoetemelk (Ned) 3. Jose Martins (Por) 1976 1. Michel Pollentier (Bel) 2. Joop Zoetemelk (Ned) 3. Joaquim Agostinho (Por) 1977 1. Bernard Thevenet (Fra) 2. Jose Erique Cima (Spa) 3. Francisco Galdos (Spa) 1978 1. Michel Pollentier (Bel) 2. Eulalio Garcia (Spa) 3. Vicente Belda (Spa) 1979 1. Claude Criquielion (Bel) 2. Pedro Vilardebo (Spa) 3. Joop Zoetemelk (Ned) 1980 1. Marino Lejarreta (Spa) 2. Antonio Coll (Spa) 3. Jose Luis Laguia (Spa) 1981 1. Joop Zoetemelk (Ned) 2. Pedro Muñoz (Spa) 3. Alberto Fernandez (Spa) 1982 1. Marino Lejarreta (Spa) 2. Joop Zoetemelk (Ned) 3. Pedro Muñoz (Spa) 1983 1. Marino Lejarreta (Spa) 2. Sean Kelly (Ire) 3. Pedro Muñoz (Spa) 1984 1. Claude Criquielion (Bel) 2. Jose Luis Laguia (Spa) 3. Inaki Gaston (Spa) 1985 1. Viente Belda (Spa) 2. Claude Criquielion (Bel) 3. Joop Zoetemelk (Ned) 1986 1. Viente Belda (Spa) 2. Laurent Fignon (Fra) 3. Pedro Delgado (Spa) 1987 1. Alvaro Pino (Spa) 2. Joop Zoetemelk (Ned) 3. Viente Belda (Spa) 1988 1. Marino Lejarreta (Spa) 2. Alvaro Pino (Spa) 3. Viente Belda (Spa) 1989 1. Erik Breukink (Ned) 2. Marino Lejarreta (Spa) 3. Pedro Delgado (Spa) 1990 1. Marino Lejarreta (Spa) 2. Erik Van Lanker (Bel) 3. Inaki Gaston (Spa) 1991 1. Olivier Rincon (Col) 2. Joaquin Llach (Spa) 3. Erik Breukink (Ned) 1992 1. Alex Zulle (Swi) 2. Tony Rominger (Swi) 3. Olivier Rincon (Col) 1993 1. Maurizio Fondriest (Ita) 2. Olivier Rincon (Col) 3. Claudio Chiapucci (Ita) 1994 1. Tony Rominger (Swi) 2. Claudio Chiapucci (Ita) 3. Felix Garcia-Casas (Spa) 1995 1. Claudio Chiapucci (Ita) 2. Mauro Gianetti (Swi) 3. Francesco Casagrande (Ita) 1996 1. Fabian Jeker (Swi) 2. Mauro Gianetti (Swi) 3. Daniel Clavero (Spa) 1997 1. Laurent Jalabert (Fra) 2. Alex Zulle (Swi) 3. Daniel Clavero (Spa) 1998 1. Fabian Jeker (Swi) 2. Félix Garcia Casas (Spa) 3. Melchior Mauri (Spa) 1999 1. Andrei Zintchenko (Rus) 2. Melcior Mauri (Spa) 3. Miguel Ángel Martín Perdiguero (Spa) 2000 1. Fabian Jeker (Swi) Festina Watches 2. José Luis Rubiera (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 3. Oscar Freire (Spa) Mapei-Quick Step