Baldato does it again with last-second sprint win, keeps overall lead after seventh stage
By Andrew Hood

The Vuelta a España is turning into the Fabio Baldato show--this week, at least. The flamboyant, goatee-sporting Italian turned in another stellar field sprint Friday, solidifying his hold on the leader's yellow jersey over second-place Laurent Jalabert (ONCE) and taking the seventh stage of the Tour of Spain in what's becoming his trademark finish.

Despite the glory, the MG sprinter admits he may not be around too much longer.

"I'll make it to Avila (the site of the first of two time trials Tuesday). After that, who knows," said Baldato, who won his second-straight sprint Friday in familiar fashion.

The final stretch into Marbello, a fashionable resort town along Spain's Costa del Sol, was eerily similar to Thursday's Malaga finish.

Instead of blowing past Dimitri Konyshev (AKI)--like he did to win the stage and take the overall lead away from Jalabert Thursday--Baldato stole the stage win Friday from Motorola's Max Sciandri.

Sciandri led out early, powering ahead of the frenetic pack of sprinters with 300 yards to go. Sciandri thought he had the win; Konyshev made the same mistake Thursday.

"I've lost too many sprints because I led out too early. Now I'm more patient and time my sprints just at the right moment," Baldato said. He remains 22 seconds ahead of Jalabert and 26 seconds ahead of third-place Giovanni Lombardi (Polti) in the overall standings.

Baldato attacked in the final 30 yards, slipping past Sciandri on the left while fellow Italian Lombardi squeaked past on the right to finish second ahead of the Motorola rider.

Sciandri, an Italian who raced under the British flag to win the bronze medal in the Atlanta Olympic road race, probably did more to give Baldato the stage win than Baldato did.

Sciandri veered to his right in the final few yards to block a surging Lombardi, allowing Baldato to edge past on Sciandri's left.

While yesterday's course was buffeted by vicious headwinds that slowed the race by nearly an hour, the pace was quick again Friday when the 171-kilometer (106-mile) stage ended in just over four hours, a half-hour faster than expected.

The Costa del Sol lived up to its name Friday. The rain that marred stages earlier in the week is gone and warm sunshine welcomed the 170 remaining riders in the peloton as they rolled out of Malaga.

American Bobby Julich (Motorola) kept the climber's jersey after taking fourth in the toughest climb yet in the Vuelta, a Category 2 climb at Alto de Ojen, 580 meters (1,914 feet) high at the 97-kilometer mark.

Italians Denis Zanette (AKI) and Biagio Conte (Scrigno) broke at the 53-kilometer mark and held the lead through Alto de Ojen and a Category 3 climb all the way to the final 20 kilometers of the stage.

The pair took the top points in both climbs. At Alto de Ojen, Konyshev finished third with Julich just behind. Julich had enough points to hold off the Russian, who started the stage six points behind him, for the climber's jersey.

On the Category 3 climb at the 127-kilometer mark, Julich and Konyshev were out of position and remain in first and second places, respectively, for the mountain jersey.

At the 20-kilometer mark, Alex Zulle (ONCE) and Giancarlo Pierdomenico (Cantilla Tollo) broke and built up a 30-second lead going into the first points sprint at the 38-kilometer mark.

Zulle took first and the three-second time bonus, with Pierdomenico second and Denis Zanette (AKI) crossing third.

Zulle and Pierdomenico gave up on their break at the 50-kilometer mark, but for Zulle, the time bonuses he earned could come in handy later.

"I went for the time bonuses today to get back a few seconds that I lost earlier," said Zulle, who's in 14th place overall, less than one minute behind Baldato.

Zulle made a last-minute decision to race in this year's Vuelta. The runner-up to Miguel Indurain in the 1995 Tour de France had a disastrous 1996 Tour. Zulle said he felt tired and exhausted at the end of racing's most illustrious stage race.

But the Swiss rider said he felt better after competing in the Olympics and a World Cup race in his home country and decided to race the Vuelta after all.

"I want to see how I am after the second week. If I am feeling good, I will finish and try to win. If I am well back, I may quit to prepare for the world championships (in Switzerland in mid-October)," Zulle said.

Like many of the favorites, the opening week of the Vuelta is little more than show time for the sprinters. Although disaster can strike during any stage--just ask Tony Rominger (Mapei) and Fernando Escartin (Kelme) who lost more than seven minutes apiece after missing an ONCE-driven attack earlier this week--for the contenders, the real Vuelta starts Tuesday.

"Everything will change after Avila," Zulle said. "But now we are going for time bonuses because we will need them against Indurain."

Indeed, all eyes will be on Indurain (Banesto), sitting quietly in the top 30 less than two minutes behind Baldato. Indurain said he won't challenge for time bonuses in the opening stages because it's too dangerous to be at the front of the pack.

Instead, the Olympic time trial gold medalist and five-time Tour de France champion will look to make up the time and more in the Avila time trial, a short, 46.5-kilometer (29-mile) course with a Category 2 climb.

Banesto team manager Jose Miguel Echavarri said Indurain will win the time trial.

"Jalabert better have two minutes before Avila," Echavarri said. "It's sure one minute in the Vuelta is not the same as one minute in the Tour (de France), where I would be worried. One minute there is equal to three minutes here and then I begin to get worried."

Echavarri said Indurain is in good spirits despite being forced to race in the Vuelta by team sponsor Banesto.

"Miguel is a grand professional and I've always said that. In respect to his attitude to this race, my only doubt is knowing if this is the best of Miguel because it's September," he said.

There are still two long, flat stages--220 kilometers (136 miles) from Marbella to Jerez de la Frontera Saturday and 203 kilometers (125 miles) from Jerez to Cordoba Sunday--before the lone rest day Monday and the time trial Tuesday.

"Our plan is to get to Avila with as little time difference as possible," Echavarri said.

Stage 7 results

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