Zulle wins stage in dense fog, secures overall lead of Tour of Spain
By Andrew Hood

In the gut-wrenching world of climbing stages, a few hundred meters can make the difference between glory and anonymity.

For Spain's Jose Maria Jimenez, redemption melted into another Banesto team disappointment Sunday when the 25-year-old climber disappeared into a dense fog bank just 200 meters from what looked to be an all-but-certain victory.

Attacking with two kilometers left in the 3,300-foot climb to Alto Cruz de la Demanda in the Tour of Spain's 15th stage, Jimenez looked strong as he approached the Category 1 summit finish.

He was several seconds ahead of ONCE's Alex Zulle, defending Vuelta champion Laurent Jalabert, Mapei's Tony Rominger, and Festina-Lotus' Laurent Dufaux, all struggling up 10-percent grades.

With just 200 yards to go, Jimenez slipped into the swirling clouds that engulfed the action, obscured television images, and limited visibility to just a few yards.

When overall leader Zulle rolled through a few seconds later to cross the finish line for his first 1996 Vuelta stage win, everyone asked, "Donde esta Jimenez?"

Next was third-place Laurent Dufaux, followed by Jalabert and Rominger and then ... MG's Roberto Pistore.

And Jimenez? He didn't cross the line until sixth place, alone and dejected.

"I attacked very strongly and thought I had enough to make it to the finish, but in the final meters the others attacked very strongly and I just couldn't do it," Jimenez said.

"I couldn't believe they passed me. I can't believe it," he added.

It was another day of disappointment for the proud Banesto squad looking to collect a bit of dignity after five-time Tour de France champion Miguel Indurain pulled out of the Vuelta during Friday's 13th stage.

In Saturday's stage, Banesto's Orlando Rodrigues held a break throughout the day, but finished second to Scrigno's Biagio Conte in a finish-line sprint.

Sunday, salvation for Jimenez was lost on the unrelenting steeps of the Sierra de la Demanda, one of Spain's most remote and rugged landscapes. Zulle and company made a ferocious attack in the final stretch, blowing past a surprised Jimenez and giving the Swiss rider the stage win and further securing his hold on the leader's yellow jersey.

"The pace was very strong and several attacked early in the climb. I was feeling very bad early, but Jalabert helped me," said Zulle, sitting in first 1:21 ahead of ONCE teammate Jalabert. "In the end, we were very focused and we attacked very strong and caught Jimenez very close to the finish."

Throughout Sunday's stage, ONCE controlled the tempo of the race, and the Spanish team looks secure to ride to victory when the Vuelta ends with a ceremonial spin into Madrid September 29.

Rominger keeps his climber's jersey for another day after winning the Category 1 climb at Puerto de Lunada at the 45-kilometer mark. Dufaux was second, Dimitri Konyshev (AKI) third, and Jalabert fourth.

Following the climb, the peloton rode together through beautiful canyon country on the southern flanks of the Picos de Europa until eight riders broke at the 73-kilometer mark just after the day's first of three points sprints.

Three quickly fell back, but ONCE's Oliverio Rincon and Mikel Zarrabeitia; Cantina Tollo's Marco Di Renzo, winner of the Jerez stage last week; Mapei's Daniele Nardello, winner of Friday's Oviedo stage; and Scrigno's Sauro Gallorini worked together and built up a six-minute lead.

Powered by a strong tailwind, the peloton caught the break just as it started up the narrow, twisting 10-mile climb with grades as steep as 10 percent.

The Banesto team set a blazing pace up the lower section of the climb, dropping scores of riders over the first five kilometers.

With 10 kilometers to go to the top, a group of about 20 of the peloton's strongest climbers worked out of the saddle. Zulle was struggling to keep pace and Jalabert rode shoulder-to-shoulder with the Swiss rider until Zulle regained his form.

Several riders made attacks, but none stuck until MX-Onda's Daniel Clavero pulled ahead with eight kilometers to go. Although he was working hard, Clavero couldn't put more than 50 yards on the lead group.

Kelme's Marcos Serrano pulled out with six kilometers to go and the pair slowly peeled away. With four kilometers to go they had a 17-second lead. With three to go the lead was down to 12 seconds and Clavero fell back.

"I'm happy to at least try to win. I am too far back in the general classification that I want to try to get a stage," said Clavero, who started the stage 15th overall at 13:52.

Serrano stayed ahead of the Zulle group until Jimenez went out with two kilometers to go. The young Spaniard is a good friend of Indurain and said he wanted to dedicate the stage to his fellow countryman had he won.

While Jimenez was struggling to win, Indurain, for his part, was taking it easy. The 32-year-old turned up Saturday at his beach house along Spain's southern coast with his wife and young son, Miguel Jr.

In an interview with Spain's leading sports daily, Indurain said he hasn't made a decision on his future, although he says many have already written him off.

"Some have already said I'm finished without even asking me," Indurain told a Marca reporter. "Many say that I'm done. I haven't make a decision on whether I'll race for another season or not. Either way, I'll live."

Doctors confirmed Saturday that Indurain was suffering from minor bronchitis, and prescribed him antibiotics. He's also not sure if he'll race in October's world championships in Lugano, Switzerland.

"I could have finished the Vuelta with my cold, but later it was a question of when I'd recover. It's better to quit than suffer through the race," Indurain said.

Meanwhile, Zulle remains in a strong position at the Vuelta. With teammate and good friend Jalabert a certain ally, Zulle's only threat is Dufaux, more than five minutes back in third place.

But the spectacled Zulle, who's suffered bad luck throughout much of his career, is being cautious.

"Last year I worked for Jalabert, this year he's working for me," said Zulle, who's never won a major stage race. "It's very important for me, but I haven't won it yet. Until we get to Madrid, we're taking it day by day."

Only 132 racers of the original 180 remain in the 51st Vuelta, with Motorola's Max Sciandri skipping the start Sunday. The Olympic road race bronze medalist tried to win several early stages of the Vuelta, but came up short. He'll be competing in the world championships in October.

The 22-stage Vuelta a España continues Monday with a flat, easy 220-kilometer (136-mile) stage, starting in the renowned wine region of La Rioja and finishing in Sabinanigo, in the shadow of the Pyrenees, where the race heads later this week.

Stage 15 results

Andrew Hood is in Spain covering the Vuelta for Outside Online.