Calm stage what racers needed:
Blijlevens wins field sprint, Jalabert retains lead
By Andrew Hood

Stage 5 winner Jeroen Blijlevens

That's just fine for the 172 remaining riders in the peloton. Following Monday's race-busting seven-minute break that split the field, and Tuesday's chaotic, rain-induced sprint crashes, Wednesday's "near-normal" stage was just what the wary racers needed.

Field-sprint master Jeroen Blijlevens (TVM) got what he wanted in the Vuelta's first week tailored for sprinters--a stage win.

And ONCE's Laurent Jalabert remained the overall leader by three seconds over Italy's Fabio Baldato (MG), despite a nervous attack midway through the stage by Euskadi's Inaki Aiarzaguena which put the Spaniard into the on-course lead.

The rain made another appearance in Spain's southern desert country. When the rains fell in Tuesday's stage, it was the first time the skies had opened up over Murcia in five years.

Threatening skies finally let loose Wednesday just five kilometers from the finish. Racers described Tuesday's finish like racing on ice. Today looked dangerously similar, but the finish was a straightaway and the sprinters felt confident to open up over the final stretch.

"Yesterday was very dangerous in the final kilometers, but today the course wasn't as challenging and we went all-out," said Kelme's Angel Edo, who finished fifth Wednesday.

"The Vuelta is the most important race for me. I want to win a stage," added the Spaniard, who took a stage in this year's Giro d'Italia. "My attack came too late and I couldn't catch Blijlevens."

Blijlevens, a three-year pro who won his first Vuelta stage last year at Siviglia, charged ahead of the field in the final 100 meters and finished a bike-length ahead of Nicola Minali (Gewiss) and Tuesday's stage-winner Tom Steels (Mapei), who crossed the line third.

Wednesday's flat stage saw plenty of action early on. Two points sprints featuring time bonuses helped Baldato chip another second off three-day leader Jalabert's margin.

Baldato, a sprinter who won't be challenging for the overall at the end of the 22-stage Vuelta, is looking to get into the leader's jersey this week before the climbing stages start in the Tour's second week. Today he tried to use the sprints to get at Jalabert. He won the first time-bonus sprint for three seconds, but Jalabert was on the alert and crossed the line second, earning two seconds.

At the day's second time-bonus sprint, Baldato wasn't a factor and the Italian who won the final stage of the Tour de France remained in second place.

After several tries by various riders to escape early, Euskadi's Aiarzaguena and Polti's Mirco Crepaldi made a break they held for more than 100 kilometers.

The pair went out at the 83-kilometer mark and 15 kilometers later had a four-minute gap, putting Aiarzaguena into the on-course lead.

Aiarzaguena started the day in 22nd place, one minute behind Jalabert, and by the 135-kilometer mark, when the pair had 8:51 on the peloton, the ONCE team started getting nervous.

MX Onda and Gewiss went to the head of the peloton and upped the tempo. ONCE was there helping and hoping. Another 30 kilometers and the lead was down to three minutes and Aiarzaguena knew his hold wasn't likely to stick.

"We went out strong, but with only two of us, we couldn't stay out against the peloton," Aiarzaguena said.

In the final 10 kilometers, the ONCE riders moved to the front of the peloton and quickly ended the challenge to Jalabert's overall lead. Teams strung out the peloton over the final kilometers, getting their sprinters in position for the final stretch.

Just as the racers roared into Almeria, a port city along the Mediterranean Coast, the rains started. First lightly, then stronger.

In Tuesday's stage, when it started to rain, there were two crashes in the final kilometers, forcing five-time Tour de France champion Miguel Indurain to lose more than 30 seconds on Jalabert.

"I would rather lose time than crash," Indurain said. In Wednesday's finish, Indurain was riding cautiously near the back of the field and remains slightly more than a minute behind Jalabert.

The 22-stage Vuelta continues Thursday, 196.5 kilometers (121 miles) from Almeria to Malaga along the beautifully stark southern coast of Spain.

There's one small Category 3 climb at the 132-kilometer mark. American Bobby Julich will likely be making a push to keep the climber's jersey he's held since the second stage.

The forecast? More rain, for the first time in five years.

Results after five stages:

Stage 5: Murcia to Almeria, 208.4 kilometers, average speed: 44.713 kph
1. Jeroen Blijlevens, 4 hours, 39 minutes, 39 seconds
2. Nicola Minali, same time
3. Tom Steels, same time

General: Individual
1. Laurent Jalabert (FRA), ONCE, 20 hours, 43 minutes, 47 seconds
2. Fabio Baldato (ITA), MG, at 3 seconds
3. Giovanni Lombardi (ITA), Polti, at 9 seconds

Teams:
1. AKI, 62 hours, 12 minutes, 39 seconds
2. MG, same time
3. ONCE, at 12 seconds
4. Telekom, at 30 seconds
5. Festina, at 33 seconds

Points overall:
1. Giovanni Lombardi (ITA), Polti, 79 points
2. Tom Steels (BEL), Mapei, 75 points
3. Laurent Jalabert (FRA), ONCE, 71 points
4. Fabio Baldato (ITA), MG, 67 points
5. Biagio Conte (ITA), Scrigno, 50 points

Mountain points:
1. Bobby Julich (USA), Motorola, 18 points
2. Dmitri Konyshev (RUS), AKI, 14 points
3. Igor Galdeano (ESP), Euskadi, 6 points
4. Angelo Canzonieri (ITA), Saeco, 6 points
5. Flavio Vanzella (ITA), Motorola, 4 points

Points sprint:
1. Jurgen Werner (GER), Telekom, 17 points
2. Fabio Baldato (ITA), MG, 15 points
3. Bobby Julich (USA), Motorola, 7 points

Stage 5 results

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