Vuelta a Espana

Stage 8 Results and Reports

Stage 8: Marbella - Jerez de la Frontera, 220.7 km:

  1. Nicola Minali (Ita, GEWISS)             5.56.57  (37.111 km/h)
  2. Giovanni Lombardi (Ita, POLTI)
  3. Jeroen Blijlevens (Hol, TVM) 
  4. Fabio Baldato (Ita, MG)       
  5. Laurent Jalabert (Fra, ONCE)          
  6. Asier Guenetxea (Esp, EUSKADI)
  7. Tom Steels (Bel, MAPEI)   
  8. Roberto Pistore (Ita, MG)   
  9. Martin Hvastjia (Slo, CANTINA TOLLO)  
 10. Massimiliano Mori (Spa)     
 11. Eleuterio Anguita (Spa)                           
 12. Massimo Apollonio (Ita)                           
 13. Stefano Faustini (Ita)                            
 14. Dimitri Konyshev (Rus)                            
 15. Gianluca Gorini (Ita)                             
 16. Pascal Chanteur (Fra)                             
 17. Alessandro Petacchi (Ita)                         
 18. Laurent Dufaux (Swi)                              
 19. Miguel Indurain (Spa)                             
 20. Giuseppe Citterio (Ita)
 ..       
 26. Stephen Hodge (Aus)              same time as winner
 ..       
 28. Kevin Livingston (USA)           
 ..      
 41. Melchor Mauri (Spa)              
 ..
 44. Neil Stephens (Aus)              
 ..       
 46. Bobby Julich (USA)               
 47. Alex Zulle (Swi)                 
 ..       
 57. Tony Rominger (Swi)              
 ..       
 59. Bo Hamburger (Den)               
 ..       
 71. Michel Lafis (Sue)               
 ..       
 77. Peter Meinert (Den)              
 ..       
 94. William Chann McRae (USA)        
 ..      
106. Michel Andersson (Sue)                  all s.t.
 ..      
127. Lars Johnsen (Nor)                      	1:23
 ..      
132. Claus Moller (Den)                         1:37
 ..       
166. Maximilian Sciandri (Gbr)                  4:54

Overall after Stage 8:

  1. Fabio Baldato (Ita, MG)               36.29.59
  2. Giovanni Lombardi (Ita, POLTI)        +   0.20
  3. Laurent Jalabert (Fra, ONCE)          +   0.21 
  4. Juergen Werner (Ger, TELEKOM)         +   0.45
  5. Luca Pavanello (Ita, AKI)             +   0.52
  6. Stefano Faustini (Ita, AKI)           +   0.53
  7. Roberto Pistore (Ita, MG)                 s.t.
  8. Alex Zuelle (Sui, ONCE)               +   0.56
  9. Massmimo Apollonio (Ita, SCRIGNO)     +   0.59
 10. Melchior Mauri (Esp, ONCE)            +   s.t.   
 11. Valerio Tebaldi (Ita)                          0:59
 12. Gianluca Gorini (Ita)                          1:10
 13. Laurent Dufaux (Swi)                           1:20
 14. Bobby Julich (USA)                             1:23
 15. Juan Arenas (Spa)                              1:23
 16. Inaki Aiarzaguena (Spa)                        1:26
 17. Herminio Diaz Zabala (Spa)                     1:29
 18. Daniel Clavero (Spa)                           1:29
 19. Inigo Gonzalez (Spa)                           1:29
 20. Mikel Zarrabeitia (Spa)                        1:29
 21. Neil Stephen (Aus)                             1:33
 22. Miguel Indurain (Spa)                          1:35
 ..        
 24. Bo Hamburger (Den)                             1:36
 ..        
 27. Kevin Livingston (USA)                    	    s.t.
 ..        
 62. Stephen Hodge (Aus)                            8:59
 ..        
 66. Peter Meinert (Den)              
 67. Tony Rominger (Swi)                   	all s.t.
 ..        
 85. Michael Andersson (Swe)                       12:12
 ..        
 90. Maximilan Sciandri (Gbr)                      13:06
 ..
117. Michel Lafis (Swe)                            24:34
118. William Chann McRae (USA)                     24:40
 ..       
159. Lars Johnsen (Nor)                            45:45

Stage 8 Report

Nicola Minali achieved his second stage victory of the Tour of Spain on Saturday -- catching fellow Italian Giovanni Lombardi at the line in yet another sprint finish.

All eight stages have ended the same way, with five won by Italians.

Fabio Baldato, also from Italy, remained overall leader with Frenchman Laurent Jalabert a provisional 21 seconds behind.

Minali said he had been helped by an uncharacteristic break for the line made by home favourite Miguel Indurain.

Early in the 220 km haul from Marbella to Jerez several other big names, including three times winner Tony Rominger of Switzerland and Frenchman Armand de las Cuevas, had tried to steal away.

Rominger's attack spread the riders before Baldato's MG and Rominger's ONCE teams restored the status quo.

A last-ditch attack by Italian Marco di Renzo was quickly neutralized two kilometres from home.

With the Tour urgently needing a change of pace after more than a week of largely monotonous action outside the final moments of each stage, the riders tackle the 162 km ninth section between Jerez and Cordoba on Sunday.

More

Italian cyclist Nicola Minali won the 220km eighth stage of the Tour of Spain, his second of the Tour, from Marbella to Jerez on Saturday but compatriot Fabio Baldato retained the overall leader's pink jersey.

Minali won in a sprint finish beating another Italian Giovanni Lombardi with Dutchman Jeroen Blijlevens, winner of Wednesday's stage, finishing third.

The peloton had been split into three groups on the final stretch of the stage when they were hit by strong winds.

This prompted Sweden's Michael Andersson to escape, but he was quickly reeled in and then Ukrainian rider Sergei Outschakov escaped with 4km to go but was caught within a few hundred metres of the line.

The 1995 Tour winner Laurent Jalabert, the world number one, finished fifth in the stage but picked up a valuable three second bonus on one of the special sprint stages. However, he lost his second place in the overall standings to Lombardi.

The Tour was marred by the disqualification from the King of the Mountains competition of Dimitri Konyshev, the Russian national champion. He was eliminated after being judged guilty of causing the fall of American Bobby Julich on the third-category climb to Palmones.

Sunday's ninth stage is a 203.5km ride from Jerez to Cordoba.