First win after suspension for German former-doper
Stefan Schumacher (Miche-Guerciotti) took his first victory since returning from a two-year doping suspension, taking the first stage of the Vuelta a Asturias between Oviedo and Gijón. The German outsprinted a group of just 26 riders, which was all that was left of the peloton after the fast rolling stage. Schumacher’s teammate Constantino Zaballa was second, with David Gutierrez (Geox-TMC) third.
“Today everything has finally fitted together; I’m overjoyed,” said Schumacher after the race. ” I have worked hard for this moment for the last two and a half years.
“My legs were very good despite the high speed,” he explained. “I knew that I had to be on the front in [the final] corner, if I wanted to have a chance of winning. From there it was, of course, just full throttle to the finish”
There were attempted attacks from the very start of the 162km stage, but none were successful. Finally though, on the second category climb to El Fito after 73km, the Colombian EPM-UNE team increased the pace and the peloton began to shatter into small groups.
After El Fito the front group was reduced to just thirty riders, when veteran Iñigo Cuesta (Caja Rural) attacked and was joined by seven others including Rafael Infantino (EPM-UNE). On the next climb, the second category Alto de San Martin de Huerces, Infantino escaped alone and, with the climb topping out with just over 14km to go, made a bid for solo victory.
The Colombian’s hopes of a stage victory were dashed though, as a headwind on the road to Gijón proved too much for him and he was caught by the first main group, led by Miche-Guerciotti, with just 4km to go.
Schumacher’s victory gives him the first leader’s jersey of the race; unusually for a Spanish stage race, bonus seconds are awarded in Asturias, so the German leads Zaballa by 3 seconds.