Last mountain-top finish tomorrow; then there's just Sunday's sprint-fest, which won't affect the overall placings. Stage 19 (Penafiel - La Lastrilla) Results 1 GILBERT, Philippe (BMC RACING) 4:56:25 2 VALVERDE BELMONTE, Alejandro (MOVISTAR) + 0:01 3 MORENO FERNANDEZ, Daniel (KATUSHA) 4 RODRIGUEZ OLIVER, Joaquin (KATUSHA) 5 MEERSMAN, Gianni (LOTTO BELISOL) + 0:03 6 MOLLEMA, Bauke (RABOBANK) 7 BAKELANTS, Jan (RADIOSHACK-NISSAN) 8 SWIFT, Ben (SKY PROCYCLING) 9 NOCENTINI, Rinaldo (AG2R LA MONDIALE) 10 HENAO MONTOYA, Sergio Luis (SKY PROCYCLING) General Classification after Stage 19 1 CONTADOR VELASCO, Alberto (SAXO BANK-TINKOFF BANK) 77:21:49 2 VALVERDE BELMONTE, Alejandro (MOVISTAR) + 1:35 3 RODRIGUEZ OLIVER, Joaquin (KATUSHA) + 2:21 4 FROOME, Christopher (SKY PROCYCLING) + 9:48 5 MORENO FERNANDEZ, Daniel (KATUSHA) + 11:29 6 GESINK, Robert (RABOBANK) + 12:00 7 TEN DAM, Laurens (RABOBANK) + 12:58 8 TALANSKY, Andrew (GARMIN-SHARP) + 13:09 9 ANTON HERNANDEZ, Igor (EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI) + 13:52
And it looks as if Contador is going to win..... (Froome slipping further back....) Stage 20 Results 1 MENCHOV, Denis (KATUSHA) 4:48:48 2 PORTE, Richie (SKY PROCYCLING) + 0:17 3 DE WEERT, Kevin (OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP) + 0:42 4 KESSIAKOFF, Fredrik Carl Wilhelm (ASTANA) + 1:16 5 SICARD, Romain (EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI) + 1:39 6 CAPECCHI, Eros (LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE) + 2:30 7 BOUET, Maxime (AG2R LA MONDIALE) + 2:39 8 GESCHKE, Simon (ARGOS-SHIMANO) + 3:14 9 RODRIGUEZ OLIVER, Joaquin (KATUSHA) + 3:31 10 VALVERDE BELMONTE, Alejandro (MOVISTAR) + 3:56 11 MACHADO, Tiago (RADIOSHACK-NISSAN) + 4:08 12 CONTADOR VELASCO, Alberto (SAXO BANK-TINKOFF BANK) + 4:15 13 MORENO FERNANDEZ, Daniel (KATUSHA) 14 ANTON HERNANDEZ, Igor (EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI) + 4:24 15 TALANSKY, Andrew (GARMIN-SHARP) + 4:34 16 DE LA FUENTE RASILLA, David (CAJA RURAL) + 4:37 17 PETERSON, Thomas (GARMIN-SHARP) + 4:38 18 GESINK, Robert (RABOBANK) 19 FROOME, Christopher (SKY PROCYCLING) + 4:43 20 VERDUGO MARCOTEGUI, Gorka (EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI) General Classification after Stage 20 1 CONTADOR VELASCO, Alberto (SAXO BANK-TINKOFF BANK) 82:14:52 2 VALVERDE BELMONTE, Alejandro (MOVISTAR) + 1:16 3 RODRIGUEZ OLIVER, Joaquin (KATUSHA) + 1:37 4 FROOME, Christopher (SKY PROCYCLING) + 10:16 5 MORENO FERNANDEZ, Daniel (KATUSHA) + 11:29 6 GESINK, Robert (RABOBANK) + 12:23 7 TALANSKY, Andrew (GARMIN-SHARP) + 13:28 8 TEN DAM, Laurens (RABOBANK) + 13:41 9 ANTON HERNANDEZ, Igor (EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI) + 14:01 10 INTXAUSTI ELORRIAGA, Benat (MOVISTAR) + 16:13
That's all folks......Contador wins the Vuelta. Stage 21 Results 1 DEGENKOLB, John (ARGOS-SHIMANO) 2:44:57 2 VIVIANI, Elia (LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE) 3 BENNATI, Daniele (RADIOSHACK-NISSAN) 4 DAVIS, Allan (ORICA - GREENEDGE) 5 FERNANDEZ, Koldo (GARMIN-SHARP) 6 VALVERDE BELMONTE, Alejandro (MOVISTAR) 7 STEEGMANS, Gert (OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP) 8 STYBAR, Zdenek (OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP) 9 KREDER, Raymond (GARMIN-SHARP) 10 VERDUGO MARCOTEGUI, Gorka (EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI) Final General Classification 1 CONTADOR VELASCO, Alberto (SAXO BANK-TINKOFF BANK) 84:59:49 2 VALVERDE BELMONTE, Alejandro (MOVISTAR) + 1:16 3 RODRIGUEZ OLIVER, Joaquin (KATUSHA) + 1:37 4 FROOME, Christopher (SKY PROCYCLING) + 10:16 5 MORENO FERNANDEZ, Daniel (KATUSHA) + 11:29 6 GESINK, Robert (RABOBANK) + 12:23 7 TALANSKY, Andrew (GARMIN-SHARP) + 13:28 8 TEN DAM, Laurens (RABOBANK) + 13:41 9 ANTON HERNANDEZ, Igor (EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI) + 14:01 10 INTXAUSTI ELORRIAGA, Benat (MOVISTAR) + 16:13 11 VERDUGO MARCOTEGUI, Gorka (EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI) + 16:22 12 ROCHE, Nicolas (AG2R LA MONDIALE) + 17:50 13 MARCZYNSKI, Tomasz (VACANSOLEIL-DCM) + 19:14 14 HENAO MONTOYA, Sergio Luis (SKY PROCYCLING) + 19:59 15 NIEMIEC, Przemyslaw (LAMPRE - ISD) + 20:48 16 MONFORT, Maxime (RADIOSHACK-NISSAN) + 20:50 17 DE CLERCQ, Bart (LOTTO BELISOL) + 20:56 18 NOCENTINI, Rinaldo (AG2R LA MONDIALE) + 22:30 19 ANACONA GOMEZ, Winner (LAMPRE - ISD) + 23:38 20 BOUET, Maxime (AG2R LA MONDIALE) + 26:30
He's got two years left - of a 3-year contract - and wants out, as you say. Will be interesting to see what he does in the T of B - whether he'll go for stage wins, or say "Fukkit" to Sky. (Wiggy will be riding a Tour of Honour, I reckon). Teams are after Cav - but they have to shadow-box with Murdoch for a deal......
Wasn't the Tour of Britain in your neck of the woods yesterday Stan? If so, did you go and have a butchers?
Yep - about 12 miles away - but as I went to set off, discovered my car had a flat. Changed the wheel, but by then it was too late. Also, it was effin hot! (So I went for a pint in my local..... )
Erm...3 or 4 to be honest. Cottage Brewing ales - superb! (Started with a Bateman's XB, just to wet the mouth). Then (spare) roast spuds appeared out of the kitchen, on to the bar.....!!
Being king of the mountains for the Norfolk stage doesn't have quite the same aura as the Vuelta stages to me.
