26th Vuelta a Burgos - 2.1

Spain, August 2-5, 2004

2003 results Stage List Preview Start List Past winners

The Stages

Stage 1 - August 2: Burgos - Poza de la Sal (Altotero), 149 km
Stage 2 - August 3: Lerma - Aranda de Duero, 170.45 km
Stage 3 - August 4: Areniscas de los Pinares - Lag. de Neila, 139.65 km
Stage 4 - August 5: Miranda de Ebro - Burgos, 171.8 km

Mountains await in shortened Vuelta a Burgos

By Martin Hardie

Sixteen teams will fight out the first Spanish week-long vuelta after the Tour de France lull when the 26th Vuelta a Burgos kicks off this Monday. This year, the traditional five day race, because of the tightness of the pre-Olympic calendar, is jammed into four days of the week rather than the usual five. The result is the loss of the team trial but with the retention of its famed mountain top finishes.

Stage 1 over 149 km sees the finish atop the first category Altotero with Stage 3 finishing atop the special category Lagunas de Neila. Tuesday's second stage is far less mountainous, containing only two third category climbs. Wednesday's stage to the special category Lagunas de Neila should, as it usually does, mark the most decisive differences of the race. It is here that those thinking about their ride in September's Spanish Vuelta will be out to test their legs. The final stage on Thursday runs, as is traditional, from Mirando de Ebro to the cathedral city of Burgos and in its course crosses the cat. 2 Busto and the cat. 3 Valmala climbs.

The race in the last years has been dominated by the old Banesto squad - with Lastras, Mancebo, Mercado and Piepoli all winners here in the last four years. They are now all spread throughout different teams including Banesto's successor, Illes Baleares, Quick.Step and Saunier Duval and as such expect these three teams especially to all be out looking for the victory. With Mercado out on the sideline with tendonitis expect Quick Step to be looking to push either José Antonio Pecharroman or Patrik Sinkewitz up the G.C.

Riders to watch, other than the past winners? Valverde, Heras and don't forget Joseba Beloki, who will head off for his second outing in Saunier Duval's director Matxin's magic yellow bus. Quick.Step's Pedro Horrillo and the Silloniz brothers from Euskaltel might be good ones to keep an eye on in the flatter stages.

Start list

Illes Balears-Banesto                    MrBookmaker.com-Palmans
 
1 Francisco Mancebo Pérez (Spa)          11 Angel Castresana Del Val (Spa)
2 José Vicente García (Spa)              12 Kurt Van De Wouwer (Bel)
3 Isaac Gálvez López (Spa)               13 Roger Hammond (GBr)
4 Denis Menchov (Rus)                    14 Gert Vanderaerden (Bel)
5 David Navas Chica (Spa)                15 Jens Renders (Bel)
6 Aitor Osa Eizaguirre (Spa)             16 Tom Vannoppen (Bel)
7 Vladimir Karpets (Rus)                 17 Ben Day (Aus)
8 Xabier Zandio Echaide (Spa)            18 Peter Wuyts (Bel)
 
Quick.Step-Davitamon                     Saunier Duval-Prodir
 
21 Patrick Sinkewitz (Ger)               31 Joseba Beloki Dorronsoro (Spa)
22 Aurélien Clerc (Swi)                  32 Rafael Casero Moreno (Spa)
23 José Antonio Garrido Lima (Spa)       33 Juan Carlos Domínguez (Spa)
24 Pedro Horrillo Muñoz (Spa)            34 Fabian Jeker (Swi)
25 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel)               35 Miguel Angel Martín Perdiguero (Spa)
27 José A Pecharroman Fabian (Spa)       36 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita)
28 Bram Tankink (Ned)                    37 Joaquín Rodríguez Oliver (Spa)
                                         38 Constantino Zaballa (Spa)
 
Liberty Seguros                          Comunidad Valenciana-Kelme
 
41 Rafael Diaz Justo (Spa)               51 Alejandro Valverde (Spa)
42 Giampaolo Caruso (Ita)                52 Carlos García Quesada (Spa)
43 Marcos A. Serrano (Spa)               54 David Latasa Lasa (Spa)
44 Allan Davis (Aus)                     55 Jon Odriozola Mugarza (Spa)
45 Koldo Gil Pérez (Spa)                 56 Javier Pascual Rodríguez (Spa)
46 Isidro Nozal Vega (Spa)               57 Rubén Plaza Molina (Spa)
47 Javier Ramírez Abeja (Spa)            58 Francisco Cabello Luque (Spa)
48 Luis León Sánchez Gil (Spa)
 
Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie       Acqua e Sapone
 
61 Stefano Garzelli (Ita)                71 Alexandr Arekeev (Rus)
62 Pavel Tonkov (Rus)                    72 Claudio Astolfi (Ita)
63 Dario Andriotto (Ita)                 73 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita)
64 Patrick Calcagni (Swi)                74 Kyrylo Pospyeyev (Ukr)
65 Mauro Gerosa (Ita)                    75 Lorenzo Cordellini (Ita)
66 Roberto Sgambelluri (Ita)             76 Ondrej Sosenka (Cze)
67 Gianluca Sironi (Ita)                 77 Crescenzo D´Amore (Ita)
68 Mauro Zinetti (Ita)                   78 Giuseppe Palumbo (Ita)
 
Vlaanderen-T Interim                     Chocolade Jacques Wincor-Nixdorf
 
81 Paul Van Hyfte (Bel)                  91 Geert Verheyen (Bel)
82 Geoffrey Demeyere (Bel)               92 Mauricio Albert Ardila (Col)
83 Steven Kleynen (Bel)                  93 Andoni Aranaga Azkune (Spa)
84 Koen Barbe (Bel)                      94 Zbigniew Piatek (Pol)
85 Jef Peeters (Bel)                     95 Maxim Rudenko (Ukr)
86 Jehudi Schoonacker (Bel)              96 Denys Kostyuk (Ukr)
87 Wim Van Huffel (Bel)                  97 Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel)
88 Wesley Van der Linden (Bel)           98 Christophe Stevens (Bel)
 
Phonak Hearing Systems                   Costa de Almeria-Paternina
 
101 Gonzalo Bayarri Esteve (Spa)         111 Jon Del Rio (Spa)
102 Cyril Dessel (Fra)                   112 Joaquim Lopez Torrella (Spa)
103 Marco Fertonani (Ita)                113 Lander Euba Ziarrusta (Spa)
104 Alexandre Moos (Swi)                 114 Dermot Nally (Irl)
105 Daniel Schnider (Swi)                115 Jokin Ormaetxea (Spa)
106 Johann Tschopp (Swi)                 116 Javier Pérez Pereira (Spa)
107 Alexandre Usov (Blr)                 117 Jonathan González Rios (Spa)
108 Tadej Valjavec (Slo)                 118 Carlos Torrent Tarres (Spa)
 
Cafes Baque                              Euskaltel-Euskadi
 
121 Pedro Arreitunandia (Spa)            131 Roberto Laiseka Jaio (Spa)
122 Jorge García Marín (Spa)             132 Samuel Sánchez González (Spa)
123 Mikel Gaztañaga (Spa)                133 Mikel Artetxe Gezuraga (Spa)
124 Fernando Torres Martín (Spa)         134 Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui (Spa)
125 David López García (Spa)             135 Iñaki Isasi Flores (Spa)
126 Francisco Palacios San (Spa)         136 Joseba Albizu Lizaso (Spa)
127 Aitor Pérez Arrieta (Spa)            137 Alberto López De Munain (Spa)
128 Ricardo Serrano González (Spa)       138 Aitor Silloniz Aresti (Spa)
 
Team LPR                                 Relax-Bodysol
 
141 Ivan Degasperi (Ita)                 151 Nacor Burgos Rojo (Spa)
142 Luca Nardello (Ita)                  152 Moisés Dueñas Nevado (Spa)
143 Aitor Hernández Gutiérrez (Spa)      153 Xavier Florencio Cabre (Spa)
144 Elio Aggiano (Ita)                   154 José Alberto Martínez (Spa)
145 Daniele Masolino (Ita)               155 José Luis Rebollo Aguado (Spa)
146 Danilo Napolitano (Ita)              156 Bert Roesems (Bel)
147 Claudio Lucchini (Ita)               157 Johan Van Summeren (Bel)
148 Mauro Santambrogio (Ita)             158 Josep Jufré Pou (Spa)

Past winners

2003 Pablo Lastras García (Spa) iBanesto.com  
2002 Francisco Mancebo (Spa) iBanesto.com 
2001 Juan Miguel Mercado (Spa) iBanesto.com 
2000 Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Banesto
1999 Abraham Olano (Spa) ONCE-Deutsche Bank
1998 Abraham Olano (Spa) Banesto
1997 Laurent Jalabert (Fra) ONCE
1996 Tony Rominger (Swi) Mapei
1995 Laurent Dufaux (Swi) Festina
1994 Armand De las Cuevas (Fra) Castorama
1993 Laudelino Cubino (Spa)
1992 Alex Zülle (Swi) ONCE
1991 Pedro Delgado (Spa) Banesto
1990 Marino Lejarreta (Spa) ONCE
1989 Francisco Antequera (Spa) BH
1988 Marino Lejarreta (Spa) Caja Rural
1987 Marino Lejarreta (Spa) Orbea
1986 Marino Lejarreta (Spa) Seat Orbea
1985 José Recio (Spa) Kelme
1984 Federico Echavé (Spa) Teka
1983 Angel De las Heras (Spa) Kelme
1982 José Laguia (Spa) Ciudad Real
1981 Faustino Ruperez (Spa) Zor-Helios Novostil
Past winners by Mario Stiehl, www.world-of-cycling.com