Tour of the Mining Valleys, Cat 2.3

Spain, June 2-5, 1997


Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4 and Final GC

The Teams

Once (Spa), Banesto (Spa), Toscaf (Spa), Euskadi (Spa),
TVM (Ned), Progrecer-Tavira (Por), Boavista (Por), Mroz
(Pol), Brandeburg (Ger), Petroleo de Colombia (Spa).

The Stages

Stage 1: Pola de Laviana - Alto de Casa del Puerto (166 km);
Stage 2: Tineo - Grado (164.8 km)
Stage 3: Polo de Lena - Gijon (157 km)
Stage 4: Gijon - Mieres (165.7 km)

Stage , Pola de Laviana-Alto de la Casa del Puerto, 166 km:

 1. Coque Uria (Spa) Cafes Toscaf            4.28.51
 2. Ramsn Gonzalez Arrieta (Spa) Banesto      + 0.07
 3. David Canada (Spa) Once                     s.t.
 4. Cesar Solaum (Spa) Euskadi                + 0.10
 5. Marino Alonso (Spa) Banesto               + 0.20
 6. Aitor Osa (Spa) Banesto                   + 0.22
 7. Armand de la Cuevas (Fra) Banesto         + 0.45
 8. Roberto Laiseca (Spa) Euskadi             + 1.08
 9. Alvarez Gonzalez Galdeano (Spa) Euskadi   + 1.19
10. Steffen Kjaergaard (Nor) TVM              + 1.25

Stage 1 Report

Coque Uria from Team Deportpublic-Toscaf won the first stage of the 32nd edition of la Vuelta Ciclista a los Valles Mineros, which was constested between Pola de Laviana & el Alto de la Casa del Puerto, with 166 km. With 77 riders starting the stage, the action started at 23 km, when Portuguese Pedro Lopes from Team Progrecer-Tavira left the peloton on a lone adventure and rolled for 112 km by himself, reaching a maximum advantage of 11 minutes. But with 50 km to go Deportpublic-Toscaf, ONCE & Banesto came to the front and brought him back. With Lopes caught this three teams plus Euskadi, went to the front and reduced the peloton to about 30 riders. Which was further intensifies with 7 km to go, when a group of 7 riders was formed, including Laurent Jalabert, Uria, David Canada (ONCE), Marino Alonso, Ramon Gonzalez Arrieta, Aitor Osa (Banesto) & Cesar Solaum (Euskadi).

ONCE rider, David Canada was able to separate from the small group but was joined by Coque Uria, who beat him at the line. The second stage will be disputed tomorrow between Tineo & Grado, over 165 km.

Stage 2, Tineo-Grado, 165 km:

 1. Marino Alonso (Spa) Banesto)                3h.59:29
 2. David Etxebarria (Spa) ONCE
 3. Igor Flores (Spa) Euskadi
 4. Steffen Kjaergaard (Ned) TVM
 5. Jose Ramon Uriarte (Spa) Banesto
 6. Coque Uria (Spa) Deportpublic-Toscaf
 7. Armand de las Cuevas (Fra) Banesto
 8. Aitor Osa (Spa) Banesto
 9. Ramon Gonzalez Arrieta (Spa) Banesto
10. David Canada (Spa) ONCE			all s.t.
General Classification:
 1. Coque Uria (Spa) Deportpublic-Toscaf     8.28:20
 2. Ramon Gonzalez Arrieta (Spa) Banesto  	0.07
 3. David Canada (Spa) ONCE
 4. Marino Alonso (Spa) Banesto			0.20
 5. Aitor Osa (Spa) Banest			0.22
 6. Cesar Solaum (Spa) Euskadi			0.43
 7. Armand de la Cuevas (Fra) Banesto		0.45
 8. Roberto Laiseca (Spa) Euskadi		1:08
 9. Steffen Kjaergaard (Ned) TVM		1:19
10. Luis Perez (Spa) ONCE			1:21

Stage 2 Report

The Banesto rider, Marino Alonso won today at the second stage of the XXXII Vuelta Ciclista a los Valles Mineros, which was contested between Tineo & Grado, over 165 km, with Coque Uria (Deportpublic-Toscaf) Ned) ding the overall lead. The race was marked on the final section by a storm, with strong rain and ice, which caused many falls. The early stage went calmly, without escape attempts and with the front controlled by the leader's team, Deportpublic-Toscaf. But at the 50 km mark, Kiko Garcia (ONCE), Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano (Euskadi) & Carlos Teixeira (Recer Boavista) jumped from the group and working well together opened a gap. Their maximum difference was 5 min at km 107, with Gonzalez de Galdeano becoming the leader on the road, which caused Deportpublic-Toscaf, Banesto & TVM to take an initiative at the front and cut the difference.

The breakaway ended at km 132, on the first ascent of Alto de La Cabruqana, with an attack by Frenchman from Banesto, Armand de la Cuevas & Luis Perez, from ONCE. At the same time that these riders jumped, the storm began, which caused the peloton to become Fra) gmented, leaving about 25 riders in front, including the leader, Coque Uria. The two riders were hunted at 4 km from Grado and on the finish line, Marino Alonso beat David Etxebarria in the sprint. The third stage will be tomorrow, Pola de Lena-Gijon, over 157 km.

Stage 3, Polo de Lena-Gijon, 157 km:

  1. David Etxebarria (Spa) Once                4.03.50
  2. Nicholas Jalabert (Fra) Once                   s.t.
  3. Jose Ramsn Uriarte (Spa) Banesto            + 1.35
  4. Marino Alonso (Spa) Banesto
  5. Alvaro Gonzalez de Galdeano (Spa) Euskadi
  6. Oscar Lspez (Spa) Euskadi
  7. Aitor Osa (Spa) Banesto
  8. Luis Perez (Spa) Once
  9. Coque Uria (Spa) Cafes Toscaf
 10. David Canada (Spa) Once                   all s.t.

Overall:

  1. Coque Uria (Spa) Cafes Toscaf             12.33.45
  2. David Canada (Spa) Once                     + 0.07
  3. Ramsn Gonzalez Arrieta (Spa) Banesto          s.t.
  4. Marino Alonso (Spa) Banesto                 + 0.20
  5. Aitor Osa (Spa) Banesto                     + 0.22
  6. Cesar Solaum (Spa) Euskadi                  + 0.43
  7. Roberto Laiseca (Spa) Euskadi               + 1.08
  8. Luis Perez (Spa) Once                       + 1.21
  9. Jose Ramsn Uriarte (Spa) Banesto            + 1.29
 10. Jose Manuel Garcia (Spa) Cafes Toscaf         s.t.

Stage 3 Report

David Etxebarria (ONCE) won today the third stage of 32nd Vuelta Ciclista a los Valles Mineros, which was constested between Pola de Lena & Gijon, over 157 km, after an escape with his teammate, Nicholas Jalabert, while Coque Uria retains the overall lead. The stage became active almost from the start, since from the first climb, the Alto del Cordal (km.17), a group of eight was formed, which included Jalabert. On the descent, Etxebarria, Colombian Hugo Bolivar & Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano also took some meters from the peloton and were later joined by Jalabert. This group rolled together to the climb of Alto de San Esteban, km 50, pint at which the ONCE riders imposed a strong tempo and left their companions. Etxebarria & Jalabert rode the rest of the stage by themsleves, reaching a maximum advantage of six minutes. Deportpublic-Toscaf, together with TVM and Banesto to a lesser degree accelerated the rhtytm and started to cut the advantage until they reached the last climb with 3:15 of advantage. Nicholas Jalabert allowed Extebarria to win at the finish line. The race will conclude tomorrow with the stage between Gijon-Mieres, over 166 km, with the climbs of La Providencia (3rd), El Pedroso (3rd), La Campa (2nd), La Camperona (2nd) & la Colladona (1st).

Stage 4, Gijon-Mieres, 166 km:

  1. Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano (Spa) Euskadi    4.09.52
  2. Kiko Garcia (Spa) Once                        s.t.
  3. Tristan Hoffman (Ned) TVM                   + 0.57
  4. David Etxebarria (Spa) Once
  5. Igor Flores (Spa) Euskadi
  6. Achmed Wolke (Ger) Adler Brandenburg
  7. Marino Alonso (Spa) Banesto
  8. Coque Uria (Spa) Cafes Toscaf
  9. Aitor Bugallo (Spa) Euskadi
 10. Alvaro Mejia (Col) Petrolero              all s.t.

Final overall:

  1. Coque Uria (Spa) Cafes Toscaf             16.44.34
  2. David Canada (Spa) Once                     + 0.07
  3. Marino Alonso (Spa) Banesto                 + 0.20
  4. Aitor Osa (Spa) Banesto                     + 0.22
  5. Cesar Solaum (Spa) Euskadi                  + 0.43
  6. Roberto Laiseca (Spa) Euskadi               + 1.08
  7. Luis Perez (Spa) Once                       + 1.21
  8. Jose Ramon Uriarte (Spa) Banesto            + 1.29
  9. Jose Manuel Garcia (Spa) Cafes Toscaf         m.t.
 10. Oscar Lopez (Spa) Euskadi                   + 2.10

Stage 4 Report

Coque Uria, Asturian rider for Deportpublic-Toscaf, achieved today his first victory as a professional, when he won the general classification of la XXXII Vuelta Ciclista a los Valles Mineros, with the last stage being disputed between Gijon & Mieres, over 166 km, which was won by Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano, from Team Euskadi. Uria won the first stage and kept the leader's jersey for three days, today being the toughest stage he faced as leader. The first 57 km were quiet and without too many problems for the leader. But the attacks started soon, by Cesar Solaum & Roberto Laiseca, from Euskadi, together with Ramon Gonzalez Arrieta, from Banesto. Joined later by Armand de las Cuevas (Banesto).

Deportpublic-Toscaf started pulling and was able to neutralize them. In the descent of la Camperona there was a fall that caused Ramon Gonzalez Arrieta & from TVM, Steffen Kjeargaard, to abandon. The Banesto rider suffered a broken clavicle. The decisive escape would come at km 80, when Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano & Unai Etxebarria, both from Euskadi, jumped from the peloton together with ONCE's Kiko Garcia. In the descent of La Colladona they were joined by ONCE's Luis Perez, 8th in the overall at 1.21 from Uria. This riders are the ones that got the leader in trouble and for a few kilometers they had an advantage as big as 2:14 minutes with 30km to go. But Deportpublic-Toscaf was able to cut the advantage, until 12km from the finish Luis Perez dropped from the breakaway and was hunted by the peloton. Later the only ones left in front were Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano & Kiko Garcia, which would dispute the final victory. Gonzalez de Galdeano was the first one to attack and was able to stay in front until the finish line.