Frenchman Samuel Dumoulin again turned on the power in an uphill finish to win stage five of the Tour of Catalunya on Friday — from El Vendrell to Tarragona.
Alberto Contador of Spain remained the overall leader for a third successive day.
Cofidis rider Dumoulin also won a stage in the race last year after a climb through Barcelona’s Montjuic Park.
“I was lucky to win today because I only found out very late in the day that the finish would suit me so well,” he said.
“Someone on the staff who was at the finish realized I’d have a chance and called through to the team director,” he said. “He radioed it through to me and I quickly got myself to the front.”
Dumoulin said uphill sprinting was a specialty at which he had worked hard at since he turned professional in 2002.
“Today’s sprint wasn’t about speed, it was more about pure strength and that’s just what I like,” Dumoulin said. “My team director, Eric Boyer, recently sent us all an e-mail reminding us we needed more high-profile success. Today’s win is a good answer to that e-mail.”
Contador needed the help of his Saxo Bank teammates after a dangerous four-man break featuring challenger Francesco Masciarelli of Italy.
Less than two minutes behind on general classification, the Astana rider’s move opened up a gap of more than five minutes in rugged terrain, before Saxo Bank finally picked up the pace in the pack.
Thanks to Saxo Bank’s brutal acceleration, the break was finally caught with 5km left to race.
With two days racing remaining, Contador stayed in control with a 23-second advantage over American Levi -Leipheimer. Italy’s Michele Scarponi is third.
The Tour of Catalunya finishes today in Barcelona.
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