American Julich riding tall in the saddle;
Conte retains overall lead after second Vuelta stage
By Andrew Hood

American Bobby Julich is king for a day and Italian Biagio Conte retains the overall lead after the second day of the Tour of Spain that ended with a very hard bang.

Italian Mirko Rossato crashed in a cramped field sprint, sprawling to the ground 100 yards from the finish. As scores of riders swerved to miss the reeling rider, compatriot Nicola Minali (Gewiss) squeezed past defending Vuelta champion Laurent Jalabert (ONCE) and Italian Fabio Baldato (MG) to win the stage.

Coloradan Julich (Motorola) nabbed the king of the mountain climber's jersey Sunday after holding a break over two category-three climbs during the 210-kilometer (130-mile) stage that moved from the hot, sticky Mediterranean Coast at Valencia to the hot, dry plains of central Spain at Cuenca at 980 meters (3,234 feet) above sea level.

Julich, the four-year pro who rode the 1993 season without a team, attacked 54 kilometers (33 miles) into the stage and built up a two-minute lead over the Alto de Mira at 990 meters and the Alto de Naborneta at 970 meters.

The peloton caught him as the race moved onto the high, wooded tableland that rolls into Cuenca, but Julich made his mark, earning enough points to take the climber's jersey and garner the media play that comes with it.

"It was definitely a difficult, long stage today. I get a little exposure, so it was good," said Julich, who's had a frustrating season. The 25-year-old didn't make the U.S. Olympic team and was left off the Motorola Tour de France squad.

But he's here in the Vuelta, looking to make an impression on other pro teams. Like most of the other Motorola team riders, Julich is scrambling to find a team for next season.

"I'm just happy to be here racing and hopefully over the next few weeks my riding will become stronger," he said. "I just want to ride well and hopefully things will work out. Being an American it's hard to get a contract on a European team because historically we're not as strong."

Julich, whose exploits Sunday also put him in a tie with Alvaro Galdeano (Euskadi) for the sprint point jersey, is one of two Americans in the Vuelta field. Teammate Kevin Livingston is here, but top American rider Lance Armstrong gave the Tour a miss.

"There are a lot of Americans who want to ride over here. I just want to find a team that will let me ride for them. It's a long road to get a sponsor," Julich said, adding that the Motorola team is hoping to make an impression in its last major stage race.

"We're looking at winning stages. I think for the overall, with Rominger and Jalabert here, we have a relatively young team here," he said. "I think the general classification is too hard for us. I think stages are better for our team."

Sunday's stage was just as blistering as the Iberian sun. The peloton charged its way over the course in less than five hours, averaging 42.6 kph on the rolling course.

After Julich pulled out early in the stage, the peloton held back and let the American have his fun. At the 80-kilometer (48-mile) mark, Spain's Juan Vicario (MX-Onda) gave chase, but couldn't reel in the leader.

Charging at the front of the peloton were the Gewiss and Mapei teams, setting a quick tempo over the final 40 kilometers (24 miles) into Cuenca, an historic town built along the steep canyon of Rio Jucar.

As the peloton roared into the narrow, winding streets of Cuenca, fans lined the course. Many cheered from balconies of whitewashed buildings as their cycling heroes raced past.

Olympic road race bronze medalist Max Sciandri (Motorola) bolted from the field with one kilometer to go. It appeared the Italian-cum-English rider would hold on for the victory, but with 200 meters to go Sciandri sat up and couldn't find the strength to hold off the charging peloton, hungry for a field sprint finish.

Minali came from the left of Jalabert and sprinted past the defending Vuelta champion and Italy's Baldato to take his fourth career Vuelta stage victory.

"I felt really good coming in. The team really worked hard to get me in position to make a good sprint," said Minali, who moves into second behind Conte for the overall lead.

"The finish was a little bit complicated, but I was in a good position and I missed the crash," Minali added.

"The crash" was Rossato's endo into the asphalt of downtown Cuenca. The Italian clipped a tire and went down hard, landing on his back and cracking several ribs.

Doctors loaded him into an ambulance for a one-way trip to the hospital. For Rossato, the Vuelta is over.

The 22-stage Tour continues Monday with a flat stage 167 kilometers from Cuenca to Albacete.

Team standings overall:
1. Telekom, 26 hours, 24 minutes, six seconds
2. Saeco, same time
3. MG, same time
4. Aki, same time
5. Motorola, same time

Mountain jersey:
1. Bobby Julich (USA), Motorola, 12 points
2. Dmitri Konyshev (Russia), Aki, 10 points
3. Igor Galdeano (ESP), Euskadi, 6 points
4. Angelo Canzonieri (ITA), Saeco, 4 points
5. Flavio Vanzella (ITA), Motorola, 4 points

Sprint jersey:
1. Bobby Julich (USA), Motorola, 6 points
2. Igor Galdeano (ESP), Euskadi, 6 points
3. Biagio Conte (ITA), Scrigno, 5 points

Points jersey:
1. Biagio Conte (ITA), Scrigno, 38 points
2. Tom Steels (BEL), Mapei, 34 points
3. Fabio Baldato (ITA), MG, 32 points
4. Laurent Jalabert (FRA), ONCE, 28 points
5. Giovanni Lombardi (ITA), Polti, 28 points

Stage 2 results

Andrew Hood is in Spain covering the Vuelta for Outside Online