Rominger hammers to time trial win;
earns place on podium for Swiss sweep of Vuelta
By Andrew Hood

It's going to be a Swiss sweep in the Tour of Spain after Mapei's Tony Rominger hammered his way to victory in Saturday's 43-kilometer (26-mile) time trial and jumped into the third spot on the podium.

Barring disaster in Sunday's finale into Madrid, Swiss riders will finish 1-2-3 in the 22-stage Vuelta a España.

Concluding with eight laps on Madrid's Paseo de la Castellana, ONCE's Alex Zulle will win his first major stage-race, second-place Laurent Dufaux (Festina-Lotus) takes his first podium in a major stage-race, and Rominger finishes in third, a remarkable feat considering the 35-year-old Mapei captain lost more than eight minutes in the Vuelta's opening week.

"I am very satisfied to win the stage and to finish on the podium. It's like the Tour of Switzerland," said Rominger, who finished 13 seconds ahead of Zulle Saturday to win both time trials in this year's Vuelta.

"To win today really helps my motivation going into the world championships," said Rominger, who finished strong over the second half of the course. Rominger and the other elite riders head next to Lugano, Switzerland, for the world cycling championships October 9-13.

Zulle, who finished second to Rominger in the Vuelta's first time trial in Avila, roared out of the start ramp, posting the fastest times at the first two splits.

Zulle was seven seconds ahead of Rominger at the 15-kilometer mark and six seconds ahead at the 32-kilometer mark. But the eager Rominger was riding for a place on the podium.

The three-time Vuelta champion Rominger (1992-94) started the day in fifth place, five seconds behind Polti's Georg Totsching, and 1:29 behind MG's Roberto Pistore.

The pair were no match for Rominger, one of the strongest time trialists in the peloton, and they finished more than three minutes behind Rominger's winning time of 53:37 with an average speed of 48.19 kph (29.87 mph).

With five kilometers to go, Zulle reeled in second-place rival Dufaux, who started two minutes ahead of Zulle, and the 28-year-old Zulle knew he had won the Vuelta and eased off his pace.

"When I saw Dufaux ahead, it was more important to me. I knew that I had won the race," said Zulle, who finished second, 13 seconds behind Rominger.

ONCE's Laurent Jalabert showed no signs of stomach problems that plagued him in Thursday's climbing stage, when the defending champion lost more than 25 minutes and fell from second to 20th.

With his third-place finish Saturday at 1:47 back, Jalabert sits in 19th overall. Mapei's Daniele Nardello rode a strong time trial, finishing fourth at 2:07 back and is 15th overall.

The Motorola team posted a strong time trial, with three riders in the top-20 for the stage. Kevin Livingston posted the top early time and finished 16th on the day at 3:15 back. Andrea Peron and Bobby Julich finished ninth and 10th, respectively, at 2:31 and 2:36 back.

Peron will finish eighth overall and Julich, riding in his best stage-race of his career, secures a ninth-place finish overall.

Second-place Dufaux started the day with little chance of catching Zulle. Dufaux, who attacked on Zulle's lead in Thursday's stage and moved into second overall, congratulated Zulle when they crossed the finish line just a few meters apart.

"I'm happy with second place. I won a stage and I will finish on the podium. I achieved my goals in this Vuelta," said Dufaux, who won a stage and finished fourth in this year's Tour de France and has twice won the Tour de Dauphine, the prime lead-up race for the Tour.

The individual time trial is the ultimate test of strength in professional cycling, pitting racers alone against the clock, and Rominger is one of the best.

The top racers left in two-minute intervals from the shadows of Segovia's famous Roman aqueduct, a 2,000-year-old monument to Roman architecture that towers above the city.

The rolling course wound past two of Spain's regal palaces at Riofrio and La Granja, where Spanish royalty came to escape the summer heat of Madrid, and ended at a whiskey distillery just south of Segovia.

For the cautious Zulle, Saturday's finish cements his victory and gets a very big monkey off his back. Since taking the leader's jersey in the Avila time trial in the Vuelta's 10th stage, Zulle's been hesitant to talk of the Vuelta victory, until now.

"To win is very hard. I think that in the future I will make more things happen," said Zulle. "To win for the first time makes it easier to win more races in the future."

Zulle's finished second twice in major stage races; second behind Miguel Indurain in the 1995 Tour de France and second behind Tony Rominger in the 1993 Vuelta.

"I am happy to win. To win by four minutes or by five seconds, a win is a win," said Zulle. "After three weeks of racing and very difficult mountains, I am very happy."

The pace throughout this year's Vuelta has been blazing, nearly the fastest ever in the race's 51-year history.

Only the 1969 Vuelta, which had far fewer kilometers, was faster. Through Friday's stage, the average speed has been 39.889 kph (24.731 mph) over more than 3,747 kilometers (2,323 miles) in three weeks. That doesn't include the final 200 kilometers remaining in today's stage and Sunday's finale in Madrid.

This year's Vuelta is also among the toughest for peloton, at least measured by abandonments. Sixty-four races have pulled out; only four other Vueltas have had more riders quit the race.

The 22-stage Vuelta concludes Sunday with a flat 157-km (97-mile) stage into Madrid. Riders will conclude the race with eight laps through downtown Madrid on the Paseo de la Castellana, the Champs Elysees of the Iberian peninsula.

Thousands of Spanish cycling fans will be on hand to welcome the race, and hope for a Spanish victory on the last day of Spain's national tour when no Spanish racers have won a stage.

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