Minali wins in field sprint; Zulle retains overall lead in Vuelta yawner
By Andrew Hood

Monday's 16th stage of the Vuelta a España was one of those unextraordinary days typical in long, three-week stage races.

There can't be fireworks every day for three weeks straight, and after three tough climbing stages in four days, the peloton absorbed several break attempts and roared into Sabinanigo for a field-sprint finish.

Italy's Nicola Minali (Gewiss-Playbus), who pulled a hat trick in the opening stages of the Vuelta, won his fourth stage in this year's Tour of Spain, sprinting past Telekom's Steffan Wesemann in the final 50 meters.

Wesemann led out early but couldn't hold off Minali's charge and the Telekom sprinter crossed the line in second, three bike-lengths back. Russia's Serguei Smetanine (Santa Clara) finished third in the 220-kilometer stage, while ONCE's Alex Zulle retained his overall lead. American Bobby Julich came in 15th with the same time as the winner. He remains in 11th place overall at 11 minutes back.

"I made it through the climbing stages because I wanted to win another stage," Minali said. "The last week was very hard, very high, and it's hard for me to maintain this rhythm in the climbing stages."

Minali's win makes it 10 stage wins for the Italians in this year's Vuelta, breaking a previous record in which Italians won nine stages.

With a strong tailwind and sunny skies, it was a day for the peloton to take a breather--as much as a breather is possible when the race powers along at an average speed of 24 miles per hour.

With a string of climbing stages and the final time trial still ahead before the 22-stage Tour of Spain ends Sunday in Madrid, the sprinters were hungry for another chance at a stage.

Euskadi's Igor Galdeano broke with two other riders with 20 kilometers to go, but Scrigno and Telekom put down the hammer and caught them with 10 kilometers left.

There was good news for the Spanish Euskadi team Monday, when the team's sponsor announced it will run the team for two more years.

"That's good news for us," Galdeano said. "You never know if you're going to get a contract when there's such uncertainty. It's good for us, but we need to improve so we can race in the major races."

The Euskadi team wasn't among the 22 teams lining up in this year's Tour de France and it didn't race in the Giro d'Italia, considered the top two stage races ahead of the Vuelta.

With six kilometers to go, Italy's Gianni Bugno (MG) made a run, but couldn't hold off the peloton. Bugno, more than one hour back in the overall standings, hasn't won a stage since the Giro in May.

ONCE controlled the peloton throughout the day as the racers wound through beautiful valleys along the flanks of the towering Pyrenees, already covered with the first dusting of autumn snow.

Overall leader Zulle is remaining cautious, despite his lead over teammate Laurent Jalabert at 1:23 back and more than five minutes ahead of third-place Laurent Dufaux (Festina-Lotus).

"We still have to get through the mountains, and there are several strong climbers," said Zulle, who won Sunday's climbing stage when he bolted past Banesto's Jose Maria Jiminez in the final 100 meters.

"If I have the lead going into the time trial (Saturday), I'm going to feel good," he said.

The 28-year-old Zulle has never won a major stage race, but has finished second twice. He was second behind Tony Rominger in the 1993 Vuelta, and second behind Miguel Indurain in the 1995 Tour de France.

"I've never thought that I would always finish in second place. I know there have been many great racers in the past who never won a major stage race, but won many other races. I want to win the Vuelta.

"Every year I race, I have more experience and it gets easier to win," he continued. "If I finish second and I had a good race, I feel good. But it feels better to be in the lead, that's for sure."

Several riders and coaches, however, are saying that defending champion Jalabert is stronger than Zulle, and that the Frenchman held back in Sunday's stage when Zulle struggled through the lower parts of the Category 1 climbing finish.

"I believe that we are more or less at the same level. Some days I'm stronger than others," Zulle said. "I know that Jalabert could win, but last year I worked for him, and this year he's working for me. We're working like a happy family."

The only thing that appears to be between Zulle and the podium in Madrid is a major crash or illness. He says it's bad luck to even think about such things.

"I never think about falling. It's bad luck and nothing more," Zulle said.

Mapei's Rominger won both of the day's Category 3 climbs to maintain his climber's jersey. Jalabert keeps the overall points jersey and Telekom's Jurgen Werner keeps his points sprint jersey.

The Tour of Spain continues Tuesday with a tough climbing stage 165 kilometers (102 miles) from Sabinanigo to Ampriu, high in the Pyrenees. The stage starts with a Category 1 climb at the 31-kilometer mark, followed by a Category 2 climb at 109 kilometers, and ends with a beyond-category climb finish at Alto de Ampriu at 1,930 meters (6,369 feet).

Tomorrow's Alto de Ampriu is the high point of this year's Vuelta and is named in honor of Spanish racer Alberto Fernandez, who died in an accident in 1984.

Stage 16 results

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