Three time world champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) snagged his second victory of the year by winning the final stage of this year’s Tour of Romandie on Sunday ahead of Tyler Farrar (Garmin – Slipstream). 22-year-old Czech rider Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) was able to hold on to his lead in the general classification, moving himself up a step on the final podium from last year’s performance to take the overall win.
The resilient Spaniard, a former three-time world champion, has been dogged with injuries throughout his career. Earlier this season he crashed out of the Tour of California resulting in a back injury that forced him to march on the comeback trail once again.
Kreuziger put in a fine performance this week getting a well-deserved win, as he was able to capitalize on having a strong Liquigas team to keep the race under control. With his convincing win today he has proven himself a potential grand tour contender in the coming years.
Team Columbia was forced to divide the team in two today when their super sprinter Mark Cavendish was dropped. Some stayed in the front group to protect their man for general classification man Tony Martin, and the rest assigned to try to drag the Manxman back into the fold for a stage win.
With only a 40 second gap between the two groups Columbia made a massive effort to make contact with the lead group. But the concerted efforts of the Garmin and Rabobank teams proved to be too much as the gap grew to an unassailable lead.
The run into Geneva was full throttle and complicated by the traffic and road furniture lining the Swiss capital. The high speeds ended up working in the peloton’s favor, as it kept the obstacles largely out of play.
As the sprint began to unfold, Phillip Gilbert (Silence-Lotto) and Oscar Freire (Rabobank) began to assert themselves as they pushed and shoved their way into contention. With less than a kilometer to go Gilbert powered to the front looking to take advantage of the final turn that led into a short finishing straight. But a tactical Freire sat on Gilbert’s wheel, and bet that the Belgian would be too tired to stave off his punch to the line. Rounding the corner Farrar had worked himself onto Freire’s wheel, but the combination of a rear wheel bounce and having to pass a formidable sprinter in such a short distance made a win for the American impossible. Freire’s powerful bid for the line in contrast to the others wasted no energy, as he uncorked a smooth sprint reminiscent of Italian Mario Cipollini.
Stage Results:
1 Oscar Freire (Rabobank) in 3.29.49 (43.038 km/h)
2 Tyler Farrar (Garmin – Slipstream)
3 Koldo Fernandez (Euskaltel – Euskadi)
4 Philippe Gilbert (Silence-Lotto)
5 Nico Sijmens Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne)
6 Tony Martin (Team Columbia – Highroad)
7 Markus Zberg (BMC Racing Team)
8 Iker Camano (Fuji-Servetto)
9 Sebastian Lang (Silence-Lotto)
10 Jens Voigt (Team Saxo Bank)
Final Overall:
1 Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) @ 14.20.14
2 Vladimir Karpets (Team Katusha) @ .18
3 Rein Taaramae (Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne) @ .25
4 Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) @.46
5 Rigoberto Uran (Caisse d’Epargne) @ .48
6 Lars Ytting Bak (Team Saxo Bank) @ 1.01
7 Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto) @ 1.07
8 Tony Martin (Team Columbia – Highroad) @ 1.08
9 Fredrik Kessiakoff (Fuji-Servetto) @ 1.16
10 Kanstantsin Siutsou (Team Columbia – Highroad) @ 1.21