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August 21/12 17:35 pm - Vuelta a Espana - Stage 4


Posted by Editoress on 08/21/12
 

Simon Clarke Nets Victory Atop Valdezcaray

Simon Clarke took his first professional win in his Grand Tour debut on the fourth stage of the Vuelta a España. Having eyed the stage ever since he reviewed the route, Clarke set himself up perfectly for his career-changing result atop the Valdezcaray summit finish.

"I had always had a bit of a circle around this stage," said an ecstatic Clarke. "Yesterday was a hard day, and it presented a chance to lose some time and move off the general classification, so I did that intentionally. I thought Movistar might allow the breakaway to go today as long as no one in the move was a threat to the race leader."

Clarke joined Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Assan Bazayev (Astana), Jesus Rosendo (Andalucia) and Luis Angel Mate (Cofidis) in a five-rider escape group during the opening hour of racing. The quartet built up a maximum lead of more than 13 minutes.

"Although we had such a huge gap, I never thought it was assured that we would stay away," admitted Clarke. "There was so much wind, and I know what can happen in these conditions. When the field gets going, they can easily sit on 60 kilometers/hour, and the break can be caught out going more slowly. Even with 13 minutes, I wasn't convinced that we were going to stay away."

Thirty kilometers from the finish crosswinds and a crash split the field into four distinct groups. The first, headed by Team Sky, set a ferocious pace that would distance the riders that had missed out on the move and more than halve the gap to Clarke's breakaway before the base of the summit finish.

"I was getting a bit of information while I was in the break," explained Clarke. "I didn't know about the crash, but I did know the Sky had attacked in the wind and the pace had picked up. I started to get nervous about that. Being out front for so long, it's not easy to decide to suddenly go ten kilometers/hour faster. We sat out there and kept doing what we had been doing, hoping we would have enough time for the finish."

Only Martin could match Clarke's pace as they pressed on towards the foot of the Valdezcaray. The duo had a four minute advantage as they began the nine kilometer climb to the finish.

"Luckily, Tony was feeling strong, and we were able to work well together until we reached the top," said Clarke. "I really backed myself in the sprint finish. I was confident I could beat Tony in a sprint, so I had to be careful that he didn't attack me in a moment of lost concentration in the closing kilometers. At the same time, I was a bit worried about Bazayev, who was only about 20 seconds behind us. I knew he wasn't far off our pace, and he's a fast finisher. I didn't want to go to the line with him."

Clarke and Martin held off all of their pursuers. The stage win came down to a two-up sprint.

"I wanted Tony to lead out the sprint, and I knew I needed to wait long enough to come around him," explained Clarke. "With a hilltop finish, you don't have a 400 meter sprint left in your legs, so it's important to wait. In the end, Tony was the one to go too early. I followed him and waited. I made sure I saw the 200 meter sign before I started my sprint. From there, I went for it and it worked out."

The monumental win has yet to sink in for the 26-year-old.

"I have been a professional for four years, and this is only my first professional win," Clarke said. "It's been a long time coming, and I never imagined it would come in such a big way for me and the team. I couldn't be any happier."

Orica - GreenEDGE press release



Stage 4: Barakaldo to Estación de Valdezcaray, 160.6 km
1 Simon Clarke (Aus) Orica - GreenEDGE 4:30:26
2 Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quickstep at 0:02
3 Assan Bazayev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:22
4 Marcos Garcia (Esp) Caja Rural 0:55
5 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale s.t.
6 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) Radioshack-Nissan 0:57
7 Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team s.t.
8 Andrey Zeits (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 1:01
9 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 1:04
10 Jan Bakelants (Bel) Radioshack-Nissan
11 Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre - ISD
12 Tomasz Marczynski (Pol) Vacansoleil-Dcm Pro Cycling Team
13 Steve Morabito (Sui) BMC Racing Team
14 Andre Fernando Cardoso (Por) Caja Rural
15 Christopher Froome (GBr) SKY Procycling
16 Winner Anacona (Col) Lampre - ISD
17 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Radioshack-Nissan
18 Joaquim Rodriguez (Esp) Katusha Team
19 Sergio Luis Henao (Col) SKY Procycling
20 Kevin Seeldraeyers (Bel) Astana Pro Team all s.t.
 
121 Dominique Rollin (Can) FDJ-Big Mat 12:14
 
GC
1 Joaquim Rodriguez (Esp) Katusha Team 13:18:45
2 Christopher Froome (GBr) SKY Procycling at 0:01
3 Alberto Contador (Esp) Team Saxo Bank - Tinkoff Bank 0:05
4 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:09
5 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team s.t.
6 Rigoberto Uran (Col) SKY Procycling 0:11
7 Daniel Moreno (Esp) Katusha Team 0:14
8 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 0:24
9 Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team 0:36
10 Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:46
11 Juan Jose Cobo (Esp) Movistar Team 0:47
12 Sergio Luis Henao (Col) SKY Procycling 0:52
13 Winner Anacona (Col) Lampre - ISD 0:53
14 Steve Morabito (Sui) BMC Racing Team s.t.
15 Tomasz Marczynski (Pol) Vacansoleil-Dcm Pro Cycling Team 0:55
16 Igor Anton (Esp) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:57
17 Daniel Navarro (Esp) Team Saxo Bank - Tinkoff Bank s.t.
18 Kevin Seeldraeyers (Bel) Astana Pro Team 1:17
19 Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin - Sharp 1:26
20 Bart De Clercq (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 1:33
 
149 Dominique Rollin (Can) FDJ-Big Mat 24:26

 

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