Vuelta a Espana

Stage 16 Results and Reports

Stage 16, Logrono-Sabinanigo, 222 km:

 1. Nicola Minali (Italy) Gewiss 		5.34.38 
 2. Steffen Wesemann (Germany) Telekom 
 3. Sergei Smetanin (Russia) Santa Clara 
 4. Marcel Wust (Germany) MX Onda 
 5. Tom Steels (Belgium) Mapei 
 6. Biagio Conte (Italy) Scrigno 
 7. Martin Hvastija (Slovenia) Cantina 
 8. Paolo Valoti (Italy) Cantina 
 9. Denis Zanette (Italy) AKI 
10. Marco di Renzo (Italy) Cantina 
11. Giuseppe Citterio (Italy) AKI 
12. Laurent Jalabert (France) ONCE 
13. Pascal Chanteur (France) Petit Casino 
14. Mauro Gianetti (Switzerland) Polti 
15. Bobby Julich (U.S.) Motorola 
16. Laurent Dufaux (Switzerland) Lotus 
17. Juergen Werner (Germany) Telekom 
18. Jose Espinosa (Spain) MX Onda 
19. Angel Edo (Spain) Kelme 
20. Inaki Aiarzaguena (Spain) Euskadi 		all same time

Overall classification:

 1. Alex Zuelle (Switzerland) ONCE 	     72.32.19 
 2. Laurent Jalabert (France) ONCE 		 1.23 
 3. Dufaux                                    	 5:26
 4. Roberto Pistore (Italy) MG                 	 7:14
 5. Stefano Faustini (Italy) AKI               	 7:22
 6. Davide Rebellin (Italy) Polti           	 7:55
 7. Georg Tostching (Austria) Polti           	 8:36
 8. Melchor Mauri (Spain) ONCE                	 8:45
 9. Tony Rominger (Switzerland) Mapei          	 8:55
10. Neil Stephens (Australia) ONCE               9:20
11. Julich                                      11:00
12. Andrea Peron (Italy) Motorola        	12:37
13. Mikel Zarrabeitia (Spain) ONCE          	13:55
14. Daniel Clavero (Spain) MX Onda            	14:34
15. Massimo Apollonio (Italy) Scrigno         	14:45
16. Vladislav Bobrik (Russia) Gewiss           	15:05
17. Fernando Escartin (Spain) Kelme            	15:20
18. Marcos Serrano (Spain) Kelme                15:28
19. Jose Maria Jimenez (Spain) Banesto        	15:50
20. Mauro Gianetti (Switzerland) Polti         	16:06

Reports

Nicola Minali completed his fourth stage win in the Tour of Spain on Monday, a record 10th success by Italian riders in this year's race.

But Swiss Alex Zuelle maintained overall supremacy heading into the final week, one minute ahead of ONCE team mate Laurent Jalabert of France.

After four days of mountain finishes, the riders were able to relax and made the best of good weather and tail winds on the 222 km haul from Logrono to Sabinanigo.

Minali timed his break to the line well and finished stage 16 with a comfortable advantage over Germany's Steffen Wesemann and Russian Sergei Smetanine.

The 158 km haul from Sabinanigo to the tough mountain finish at Celer on Tuesday appears to be the last real chance for anyone to catch Zuelle and Jalabert before the Tour ends in Madrid on Sunday.

Italian cyclist Nicola Minali won his fourth stage of the Tour of Spain on Monday taking the 220.9km 16th stage, the Tour's longest, from Logrono to Sabinanigo -- bettering his 1995 Tour performance when he won three stages.

Switzerland's Alex Zulle, second in the 1993 Tour, retained the overall leader's yellow jersey.

Minali, the 1995 Paris-Tours Classic winner, beat Germany's Stefan Wesemann and Tom Steels of Belgium in a sprint finish.

Although Christophe Agnolutto of France, Spaniard Alvaro Gonzalez de Galdeano and Angelo Canonzieri of Italy escaped after 167km they were reeled in after only 40km.

Veteran Italian Gianni Bugno, a former double world champion, also escaped with 15km to the finish but the peloton caught him and Minali celebrated yet another triumph.

Minali, though, will find Tuesday's stage less to his liking as the Tour enters the Pyrennees

Jalabert complains about the Tour

France's World cycling number one Laurent Jalabert led cyclists complaints that the Tour of Spain was too long and too difficult here on Monday.

Jalabert, who lies second overall behind Swiss teammate Alex Zulle, complained that the race, which he won last year, had become too difficult.

"This Tour has become too hard. We have had a lot of difficult days and the weather hasn't been too good. The peloton has also ridden extremely fast and everybody is exhausted," Jalabert said.

Spanish cyclist Angel Edo was franker about how he felt.

"I am dead. This race really shouldn't come at the end of September, as we're all exhausted after the Tour of Italy and the Tour de France," Edo said.

Meanwhile Italian cyclist Nicola Minali won his fourth stage taking the 220.9km 16th stage, the Tour's longest, from Logrono to Sabinanigo -- bettering his 1995 Tour performance when he won three stages.

Minali, the 1995 Paris-Tours Classic winner, beat Germany's Stefan Wesemann and the Russian Sergei Smetanine in a sprint finish.

Germany's Marcel Wust, who finished fourth in the stage, said he was another who was really suffering.

"I can't even speak. I am going to find it very hard to finish in Madrid on September 29," Wust said.