Joaquim Rodriguez came within a whisker of losing the overall lead on Friday’s stage of the Tour of Catalunya after a dangerous last-minute attack by arch rival and fellow Spaniard Luis Leon Sanchez.
Rodriguez contained the late attack by forming a working alliance with second-placed Xavier Tondo of Spain and the Katusha rider said afterwards it had been a close run thing.
“If the stage had been two kilometers shorter, then Sanchez would be leader now,” Rodriguez said.
PHOTO: EPA
“He attacked on a descent when I wasn’t paying attention and when you give Luis a 20m margin, it’s like a death sentence for your chances,” he said. “Fortunately Xavier and me agreed to work together to pull him back, but it was touch and go.”
The fifth stage was won by Italian Davide Malacarne after a daylong break with three other riders ahead of German Andreas Kloeden, 36 seconds back, and third-placed Sanchez.
Overall there were no major changes, with Rodriguez leading ahead of Tondo by 10 seconds. Estonian Rein Taaramae remains in third at 43 seconds.
Malacarne’s victory came after he dropped the three other breakaways on a tough stage through the hills of Montsant Natural Park.
“It was very beautiful but I didn’t have time to appreciate it,” the former junior world cyclo-cross champion said. “This kind of difficult terrain doesn’t give you a minute to recover, but it’s where I shine the most.”
Malacarne’s 36-second advantage gave him time to celebrate the first victory of his career on the uphill finish in Cabaces, with just 340 inhabitants, the smallest locality the race has visited in its 99 years.
Villagers greeted the riders wearing Soc Verge [I’m a virgin] T-shirts, a reference to the purity of the olive oil that is the powerhouse of local agriculture.
“There aren’t many of us and this race has cost us a fortune,” mayor Josep Anton Robles said. “But we know how to put on a good show.”
Meanwhile, British sprinter Mark Cavendish abandoned the Tour of Catalunya during Friday’s fifth stage after coming down with flu three days after his first win of the season.
The most prolific winner last year, with 24 victories, quit 80km into the 181.2km stage won by Italian Davide Malacarne.
“I’ve been feeling ill for the last couple of days and today was worse,” Cavendish said.
Cavendish’s start to racing this year was delayed by two weeks after a severe tooth infection wrecked his early season training program.
On Tuesday he ended a six-month wait for a win by taking an emphatic bunch sprint victory in stage two of the Tour of Catalunya.
The Tour of Catalunya finishes today in Montmelo.
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