Boonen Scores The Double, As Contador Keeps Gold Jersey
ZAMORA, Spain, Sept 16, 2008 (AFP) - Belgium’s Tom Boonen dominated a bunch sprint on the 16th stage of the Tour of Spain, held over 186.4km between Pontferrada and here on Tuesday, to claim his second win of this year’s race.
Spaniard Alberto Contador, of the Astana team, retained the race leader’s gold jersey after a stage marked by the incredibly slow riding of the peloton.
With five days remaining but only two stages in which his rivals can hope to challenge for the race lead, Contador leads American teammate Levi Leipheimer by 1min 17sec.
Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre is third overall, but nearly a further two and a half minutes adrift at 3:41 behind Contador.
If he wins on Sunday, Contador - the 2007 Tour de France winner and reigning Giro d’Italia champion - will become the first rider since Frenchman Bernard Hinault, over two decades ago, to win all three major Tours.
Contador will have to be on the lookout for potential rivals in the hilly 19th stage, then the penultimate stage time trial on Saturday.
But before then there is room for some sprinters and all-rounders to shine.
It was Boonen’s day on Tuesday, although judging by the snail’s pace of the peloton - who averaged 34.812km/h for the day despite having a mostly downhill ride after the 14km climb at the start - they were lucky to arrive before dark.
The peloton finally upped the pace in the final 20km, in the process overtaking early escapees Jesus Rosendo of Team Andalucia-Cajasur and Walter Pedraza of Team Tinkoff, with 7km to race.
From there Quick Step set the pace, and after a textbook lead-out by his team Boonen finished the job at the finish line to claim his second victory from this year’s Vuelta after his win on the third stage to Cordoba.
In second place was Italian all-rounder Filippo Pozzato of Liquigas with German Heinrich Haussler of Gerolsteiner claiming third place.
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