Rominger, Escartin big losers as winds of change sweep Tour of Spain
By Andrew Hood

Laurent Jalabert

The third stage of the three-week Vuelta a España looked innocuous enough, but after a lone Category 3 climb 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) into the otherwise flat stage, a break powered by the ONCE and Banesto teams blew apart the peloton, stranding more than 100 riders some seven minutes behind and out of the race.

With still more than two weeks staring the riders in the face like a raging bull looming at the Plaza de Toros, the Vuelta is all but over for the second group of riders as far as the overall standings go.

For defending Vuelta champion Laurent Jalabert (ONCE), however, the world's No. 1 ranked rider is looking more like a matador back on familiar turf.

Jalabert's squad initiated the attack early on in the stage and the 28-year-old Frenchman powered past Italy's Fabio Baldato (MG) in the final sprint to win the stage and move into the overall lead on time bonuses.

"This is one of those stages with a little bit of surprise," said Jalabert, looking fit after suffering during July's Tour de France, where he failed to finish the race that many picked he'd challenge for the overall.

The surprise came early in the 167-kilometer (103-mile) stage from Cuenca, a beautiful Medieval city, to Albacete, a city already in the throes of a two-week-long fiesta featuring bull fights, live music, and plenty of sangria. The course took the peloton over the 1,240-meter (4,092-foot) Puerto de Tordiga, an easy, Category 3 climb just 10 miles outside of Cuenca. But the ONCE team turned the veritable mole hill into a Mount Everest for the peloton. A lead group of 50 riders, including the whole ONCE team, as well as Miguel Indurain and three Banestos, put the hammer down after cresting the short climb.

The first week of the Vuelta looked easy enough on paper; long and flat, ideally suited for the peloton's sprinters. But in pro road racing, every day can harbor its surprises.

"There aren't any big climbs, but just like today, you can lose the Vuelta on any stage," said eighth-place Laurent Dufaux. The Swiss rider on the Festina/Lotus team who made the first break is looking to stay in the hunt for the overall.

Topping out first was American Bobby Julich (Motorola), who kept his hold on the climber's jersey he'd earned the previous day. Both Julich, who now is in seventh overall, and teammate Kevin Livingston, now in 41st at 28 seconds back, made the break.

Just six miles later, down a quick descent, the lead group had more than one minute on the second group.

Lagging with Rominger (Mapei) and Escartin (Kelme) in the second group were most of their teammates, as well as two-day race leader Biagio Conte (Scrigno). The lead slowly built up to about two minutes over the next 100 kilometers (62 miles). After buffeting crosswinds tired the chase group, the Indurain/Jalabert group built the lead up to three minutes.

Hammering at nearly 50 kilometers per hour over the final stretch, the lead group powered into the finish, leaving behind the chase group by 5:45 with 10 kilometers (six miles) to go.

"We had two or three teams behind who weren't working and the lead group got away little by little," said a disappointed Escartin, who said only yesterday his goal was to win the Vuelta.

Escartin, who was the top Spaniard in this year's Tour de France at eighth overall, said at 7:55 back, "for me, it's over because it's too much time."

As the chase group lagged, the lead group roared into Albacete. Thousands of fans cheered as Baldato made his attack with about 400 meters to go.

Baldato led out too soon and Jalabert attacked and caught him in the final 30 meters, while a late-charging Giovanni Lombardi (Polti) barely missed Jalabert to finish second in the stage.

For Jalabert, the Frenchman is hoping the Vuelta will mark a return to good fortune. He suffered through the wet, miserable opening days of the Tour de France with a cold and pulled out during the epic Les Arcs stage in the Tour's first week.

"The Tour was a very hard moment for me because many people wanted me to win. This was very difficult, because I had a cold and had to quit," Jalabert said.

"The Vuelta is very important to our team and I am very well prepared," he continued, "there's still a lot of Vuelta left."

Who else was left behind? The whole Motorola team besides Julich and Livingston, as well as Italy's Nicola Minali (Gewiss), Mapei's Tom Steels, and MG's Gianni Bugno. The entire Kelme team missed the break. TVM's Jesper Skibby and MG's Rolf Jaermann did too.

Who's in? There are 50 riders within 28 seconds of Jalabert's lead, including Indurain in 16th place, Alex Zulle in 34th, and Davide Rebellin (Polti) in 19th.

The 22-stage Vuelta continues Tuesday with another supposedly easy stage, 166.5 kilometers (103 miles) from Albacete to Murcia back toward the Mediterranean Coast.

Stage 3 results

Andrew Hood is in Spain covering the Tour of Spain for Outside Online.