Vuelta a Espana

Stage 9 Results and Reports

Stage 9, Jerez to Cordoba, 203.5km:

 
 1. Nicola Minali (Italy) Gewiss 		5.04.52 
 2. Marcel Wust (Germany) MX Onda 
 3. Tom Steels (Belgium) Mapei 
 4. Giovanni Lombardi (Italy) Polti 
 5. Giuseppe Citterio (Italy) AKI 
 6. Sergei Smetanin (Russia) Santa Clara 
 7. Fabio Baldato (Italy) MG 
 8. Jeroen Blijlevens (Netherlands) TVM 
 9. Pascal Chanteur (France) Petit Casino 
10. Alessandro Petacchi (Italy) Scrigno 
11. Angel Edo (Spain) Kelme 
12. Biagio Conte (Italy) Scrigno 
13. Martin Hvastija (Slovenia) Cantina 
14. Oscar Aranguren (Spain) Santa Clara 
15. Massimiliano Mori (Italy) Saeco 
16. Jann Kirsipuu (Estonia) Petit Casino 
17. Denis Zanette (Italy) AKI 
18. Dmitry Konyshev (Russia) AKI 
19. Jose Rodriguez (Spain) Kelme 
20. Juergen Werner (Germany) Telekom              all s.t.
        
..
 22. Stephen Hodge (Aus) 
 ..                          
 55. Neil Stephen (Aus)                             
 ..
 61. Bo Hamburger (Dan)                             
 ..       
 80. Maximilan Sciandri (Gbr)                       
 ..       
 93. Lars Johnsen (Nor)                             
 ..       
 99. Michel Lafis (Swe)                             
100. Claus Moller (Dan)                             
 ..      
115. Peter Meinert (Dan)               
 ..      
166. Michael Andersson (Swe)                	2:34

Overall standings:

 1. Baldato                       		    41.34.49
 2. Lombardi                                 		0.20
 3. Laurent Jalabert (France) ONCE                      0.21
 4. Werner                                              0.39
 5. Luca Pavanello (Italy) AKI                          0.48
 6. Stefano Faustini (Italy) AKI                        0.53
 7. Roberto Pistore (Italy) MG                     	s.t.
 8. Alex Zuelle (Switzerland) ONCE                      0.56
 9. Massimo Apollonio (Italy) Scrigno                   0.59
10. Melchor Mauri (Spain) ONCE
11. Valerio Tebaldi (Italy) Lotus                     all s.t.
12. Gianluca Gorini (Italy) AKI                      	1:10
13. Laurent Dufaux (Switzerland) Lotus               	1:20
14. Bobby Julich (USA) Motorola                      	1:23
15. Juan Arenas (Spain) Lotus                     	s.t.
16. Inaki Aiarzaguena (Spain) Euskadi                	1:26
17. Herminio Diaz Zabala (Spain) ONCE                	1:29
18. Daniel Clavero (Spain) MX Onda
19. Inigo Gonzalez (Spain) Euskadi
20. Mikel Zarrabeitia (Spain) ONCE                    all s.t.
21. Neil Stephen (Aus)                        		1:33
        
 24. Bo Hamburger (Dan)                        		1:36
 ..      
 60. Stephen Hodge (Aus)                       		8:59
 ..       
 66. Peter Meinert (Dan)                       		8:59
 ..       
 88. Maximilan Sciandri (Gbr)                 	       13:06
 ..       
 92. Michael Andersson (Swe)                  	       13:12
 ..      
106. Claus Moller (Dan)                       	       22:08
 ..      
116. Michel Lafis (Swe)                       	       24:34
 ..     
158. Lars Johnsen (Nor)                       	       45:45

Stage 9 Reports

Italy's Nicola Minali of the Gewiss team on Sunday earned his third victory in the Tour of Spain by winning the 203km ninth stage between Jerez and Cordova.

Germany's Marcel Wust and Tom Steels of Belgium came second and third, but Minali's countryman Fabio Baldato of the MG team retained the leader's pink jersey.

However Baldato knows the following stages will probably see him overtaken by the climbers and the time-trial specialists.

"I hope to ride well during the week in the mountains, but I have very tired legs and the sprint today cost me a lot," Baldato said.

One of the key riders of ONCE, Spain's Inigo Cuesta, fell at the 115km point which also saw Italian Valerio Tebaldi and Spain's Oscar Lopez Uriarte also come off. But, thankfully all three were able to continue the race.

France's Martial Locatelli made the only serious breakaway of the day, getting ahead by about 20km and thirty seconds before being caught just before entering Cordova.

Then Minali came into his own. Minali won the sprint against Wust, who made a major boost in his form after finishing last in the eighth stage the day before.

The riders will leave on Monday morning by train to Madrid where they will spend their rest day before tackling a 46km mountain timetrial between El Tiemblo and Avila on Tuesday.

More Reporting

Italian sprinters once again dominated the Tour of Spain in Sunday's ninth stage but had no illusions about staying on top when the race resumes after Monday's rest day and moves into the moutains.

Both stage winner Nicola Minali and overall leader Fabio Baldato recognise that their time in the spotlight is up.

``I won't keep the yellow jersey in Tuesday's time-trial,'' Baldato said.

Minali was similarly realistic after outsprinting the rest of the pack to take his third stage, the second in two days.

``I'm physically in good shape. I just hope I can stay in the race until the final sprint in Madrid,'' he said.

Before then the Vuelta moves from the shallow hills of the south coast to the steep climbs of northern Castile.

The rest day will come as a welcome break after nine stages -- all decided right on the finish line -- from which no clear leader has emerged.

Sunday's stage escaped the bad weather which had killed off breakaway attempts throughout the opening week.

With the sun shining, much of the 162 kilometres between Jerez and Cordoba was ridden in a carnival atmosphere as entire villages turned out to pay tribute to Spanish hero Miguel Indurain.

Indurain has not ridden the Vuelta since 1991, the year he shot to prominence by winning the first of five Tours de France.

Minali again emerged at the front, timing his break to beat German rider Marcel Wust and Belgian Tom Steels.

Tuesday's stage is a 46-km time-trial from El Tiemblo to Avila.