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61st Vuelta Ciclista a la Comunidad Valenciana - 2.3
Spain, February 25-March 1, 2003
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Stage 1 - February 25: San Vicent Del Raspeig ITT, 9.7 km
Frigo comes in from the cold
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Italian cyclist Dario Frigo has claimed his first victory in the Fassa Bortolo jersey since he was sacked from the team during the Giro in 2001. The peroxide blond time trial specialist won today's opening leg of the Vuelta Ciclista a Valencia, a 9.7 kilometre time trial in San Vincent del Raspeig. Frigo averaged 50.881 km/h to record a time of 10'58 for the flat course, beating last year's Valencia champion Alex Zülle (Team Coast) by 5 seconds, and ONCE's Rene Andrle by 6 seconds.
The stage was run in windy and slightly wet conditions, but as the parcours was not overly technical, high speeds could still be achieved. As his name implies, Frigo is a rider who prefers cold conditions and today suited him down to the ground. He was also more fortunate than some of the other riders, as it had stopped raining when he sot off on his ride. That enabled him to break the ONCE deadlock, whose best performed rider, Rene Andrle held the best time for quite some time.
As it turned out, ONCE finished with six riders in the top 15 - a testament to the team's incredible depth in this discipline. However, whether they have the strength to challenge Frigo or Alex Zülle in the mountains during this race remains to be seen.
Zülle has won this race twice and is keen to repeat his victory from last year. His Coast teammate Daniel Becke finished in 6th position today, and will be an important part of the Swiss rider's assault on the leader's yellow jersey in the coming days.
Another good performance came from Cofidis' David Millar, who in only his second race of the season recorded a top five placing against the clock, also his speciality.
Tomorrow's second stage of the Vuelta Valencia takes place from (Xorret del Catí) Castalla to Vila-Joiosa, and contains the Cat. 1 climbs of Alto de Tudons (at 42 and 126 km) and the Cat. 2 climb of Alto de Confrides (at 112 km).
Photography
Images by Mike Papageorge/www.masadelante.com
- Milazena-MSS's new Orbea rig in black and green.
- Hometown boy Aitor Gonzalez, making the hometown crowd happy.
- Quick-Step Davitamon TT Bike.
- A member of the Zebra train waiting for the arrival of the Lion King.
- A Rabobank rider warms up.
- Front fork on the iBanesto Pinarello.
- Front fork on the iBanesto Pinarello.
- The Kelme boys warm up in front of many friends and family.
- A ride fit for a King.
- A ride fit for a King.
- Quick-Step Davitamon warming up in a garage entrance.
- The sign says nothing about 'not cycling'.
- A Fassa-Bartolo rider warms up in the plaza of an apartment complex.
- Members of the Zebra train making the locals happy.
- The World Road Champion snuck out the bus quietly...
- ... grabbed his bike and rode off before anyone really noticed.
- Danilo Hondo (Telekom) shows off the colours of German champion.
- The bright orange of a Euskaltel rider lights up the finish straight.
- Mario Cipollini warms up before the fans.
- Danilo Hondo (Telekom) comes into the finish.
- Third place finisher Rene Andrle of ONCE-Eroski tries to make up time.
Results
1 Dario Frigo (Ita) Fassa Bartolo 10.58 (50.881 km/h) 2 Alex Zuelle (Swi) Team Coast 0.05 3 Rene Andrle (Cze) ONCE-Eroski 0.06 4 Jorg Jaksche (Ger) ONCE-Eroski 0.07 5 David Millar (GBr) Cofidis 0.08 6 Daniel Becke (Ger) Team Coast 0.10 7 Angel Vicioso (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 0.13 8 Alvaro Gonzalez (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 0.14 9 David Bernabeu (Spa) Milaneza-MSS 0.15 10 Javier Pas.Llorente (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 11 David Caņada (Spa) Quick Step-Davitamon 0.18 12 Rafael Diaz (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 0.19 13 Xavier Florencio (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 0.20 14 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Fassa Bartolo 0.22 15 Jan Hruska (Cze) ONCE-Eroski 0.23 16 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Fassa Bartolo 0.24 17 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) iBanesto.com 18 Thomas Liese (Ger) Team Coast 0.25 19 Robert Hayles (GBr) Cofidis 20 Marco Velo (Ita) Fassa Bartolo 0.27 21 Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank 22 Bert Grabsch (Ger) Phonak Hearing Systems 23 Massimiliano Lelli (Ita) Cofidis 0.28 24 Santos Gonzalez (Spa) Domina Vacanze-Elitron 25 Cadel Evans (Aus) Telekom 26 Guido Trentin (Ita) Cofidis 0.30 27 Ruben Plaza (Spa) iBanesto.com 28 Alexandre Moos (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 0.31 29 Jose Luis Martinez (Spa) Paternina-Costa Almeria 30 Alberto Contador (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 31 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Domina Vacanze-Elitron 32 Igor Astarloa (Spa) Saeco 33 Gorka Arrizabalaga (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.32 34 Iņigo Cuesta (Spa) Cofidis 0.33 35 Juan Fuentes (Spa) Saeco 0.34 36 Andreas Kloden (Ger) Telekom 0.35 37 Mario Cipollini (Ita) Domina Vacanze-Elitron 38 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 39 Javier Pas. Rodriguez (Spa) iBanesto.com 0.36 40 Francisco Perez (Spa) Milaneza-MSS 41 Constantino Zaballa (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 0.37 42 Rui Miguel Sousa (Por) Milaneza-MSS 43 Rafael Casero (Spa) Paternina-Costa Almeria 44 Ronald Mutsaars (Ned) Rabobank 45 Jon Odriozola (Spa) iBanesto.com 0.38 46 Ivan Ramiro Parra (Col) Kelme-Costa Blanca 47 Antonio Colom (Spa) Colchon Relax-Fuenla 0.39 48 Angelo Lopeboselli (Ita) Cofidis 49 Bram De Groot (Ned) Rabobank 50 Iker Camaņo (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems 51 Iņigo Landaluze (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 52 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Quick Step-Davitamon 53 M. Martin Perdiguero (Spa) Domina Vacanze-Elitron 0.40 54 Alexandr Shefer (Kaz) Saeco 55 Francisco Cabello (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 56 Kurt Van De Wouwer (Bel) Quick Step-Davitamon 57 Jose Antonio Lopez (Spa) iBanesto.com 58 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Telekom 0.41 59 Thorwald Veneberg (Ned) Rabobank 60 Nacor Burgos (Spa) Colchon Relax-Fuenla 0.42 61 Benot Salmon (Fra) Phonak Hearing Systems 62 Bobby Julich (USA) Telekom 63 Rafael Mateos (Spa) iBanesto.com 0.43 64 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Saeco 65 Marc Lotz (Ned) Rabobank 66 David Latasa (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 67 Jose Manuel Maestre (Spa) Colchon Relax-Fuenla 0.45 68 Ricardo Serrano (Spa) Labarca 2-Cafe Baque 0.46 69 Jose Cayetano Julia (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 70 Hector Guerra (Spa) Colchon Relax-Fuenla 71 Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) Quick Step-Davitamon 72 Ivan Herrero (Spa) Labarca 2-Cafe Baque 0.47 73 Jose Manuel Vazquez (Spa) Colchon Relax-Fuenla 74 Mario Scirea (Ita) Domina Vacanze-Elitron 0.48 75 Raphael Schweda (Ger) Team Coast 76 Domenico Passuello (Ita) Quick Step-Davitamon 77 Aitor Kintana (Spa) Labarca 2-Cafe Baque 78 Oscar Laguna (Spa) Colchon Relax-Fuenla 79 Gonzalo Bayarri (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems 0.49 80 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Fassa Bartolo 0.51 81 Andre Kivilev (Kaz) Cofidis 0.52 82 Danilo Hondo (Ger) Telekom 0.53 83 Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) Team Coast 84 Gustavo M. Toledo (Arg) Paternina-Costa Almeria 85 Juan Jose De Los Angeles (Spa) Fassa Bartolo 86 Dermot Nally (Irl) Paternina-Costa Almeria 0.55 87 Juan Miguel Cuenca (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 88 Richard Virenque (Fra) Quick Step-Davitamon 0.57 89 Pedro Diaz Lobato (Spa) Paternina-Costa Almeria 90 Bingen Fernandez (Spa) Cofidis 0.58 91 Rui Lavarinhas (Por) Milaneza-MSS 92 German Nieto (Spa) Colchon Relax-Fuenla 93 Angel Luis Casero (Spa) Team Coast 94 Marco Fertonani (Ita) Phonak Hearing Systems 95 Bram Tankink (Ned) Quick Step-Davitamon 96 Sven Montgomery (Swi) Fassa Bartolo 97 Alberto Ongarato (Ita) Domina Vacanze-Elitron 98 Roberto Laiseka (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0.59 99 Piotr Wadecki (Pol) Quick Step-Davitamon 100 Luis Perez (Spa) Team Coast 1.01 101 Stefan Kupfernagel (Ger) Phonak Hearing Systems 102 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Rabobank 103 Gorka Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 104 Leandro Navarrete (Spa) Labarca 2-Cafe Baque 105 Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Saeco 1.02 106 Mario Aerts (Bel) Telekom 1.03 107 Francisco Palacios (Spa) Labarca 2-Cafe Baque 1.07 108 Addy Engels (Ned) Rabobank 1.08 109 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Saeco 1.09 110 Eladio Jimenez (Spa) iBanesto.com 111 Dionisio Galparsoro (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 1.12 112 Joseba Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 113 Joaquim Lopez (Spa) Paternina-Costa Almeria 1.13 114 Matthias Kessler (Ger) Telekom 115 Julen Fernandez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 116 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 117 Joan Horrach (Spa) Milaneza-MSS 1.14 118 Evgeni Petrov (Rus) iBanesto.com 1.15 119 Carlos Carneiro (Por) Milaneza-MSS 1.17 120 Angel Edo (Spa) Milaneza-MSS 121 Ivan Quaranta (Ita) Saeco 122 Guido Trenti (USA) Fassa Bartolo 1.19 123 Jose Antonio Garrido (Spa) Paternina-Costa Almeria 1.22 124 Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Domina Vacanze-Elitron 1.25 125 Jose Miguel Elias (Spa) Colchon Relax-Fuenla 1.28 126 David Muņoz (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 1.32 127 Aitor Garmendia (Spa) Team Coast 1.34 128 Massimo Strazzer (Ita) Phonak Hearing Systems 1.37 129 Gustavo Miguel Otero (Spa) Labarca 2-Cafe Baque 130 Jorge Ferrio (Spa) Paternina-Costa Almeria 1.38 131 Francisco J. Cerezo (Spa) Labarca 2-Cafe Baque 1.42 132 Gian Matteo Fagnini (Ita) Telekom 1.48 133 Jose Javier Gomez (Spa) Labarca 2-Cafe Baque 1.59 134 Gerrit Glomser (Aut) Saeco 2.15 135 Gabriele Colombo (Ita) Domina Vacanze-Elitron 2.16 136 Lizuarte Martins (Por) Milaneza-MSS 2.41 Points 1 Dario Frigo (Ita) Fassa Bartolo 25 pts 2 Alex Zuelle (Swi) Team Coast 20 3 Rene Andrle (Cze) ONCE-Eroski 16 4 Jorg Jaksche (Ger) ONCE-Eroski 14 5 David Millar (GBr) Cofidis 12 6 Daniel Becke (Ger) Team Coast 10 7 Angel Vicioso (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 9 8 Alvaro Gonzalez (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 8 9 David Bernabeu (Spa) Milaneza-MSS 7 10 Javier Pas.Llorente (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 6 11 David Caņada (Spa) Quick Step-Davitamon 5 12 Rafael Diaz (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 4 13 Xavier Florencio (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 3 14 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Fassa Bartolo 2 15 Jan Hruska (Cze) ONCE-Eroski 1 Teams 1 ONCE-Eroski 33.20 2 Team Coast 0.14 3 Fassa Bartolo 0.20 4 Cofidis 0.35 5 Milaneza-MSS 1.02 6 iBanesto.com 1.04 7 Kelme-Costa Blanca 8 Domina Vacanze-Elitron 1.08 9 Phonak Hearing Systems 1.11 10 Quick Step-Davitamon 11 Rabobank 1.13 12 Telekom 1.18 13 Saeco 1.19 14 Paternina-Costa Almeria 1.35 15 Colchon Relax-Fuenlabrada 1.40 16 Euskaltel-Euskadi 1.44 17 Labarca 2-Cafe Baque 1.55
