Euskaltel-Euskadi rider prevails again after 2008

Koldo Fernández gave his Basque Euskaltel-Euskadi team the 17th win of the season when he sprinted to victory in the Tour de Vendée on Sunday. Fernández beat Davide Appollonio (Cervélo TestTeam) and Jonathan Hivert (Saur – Sojasun) to the line after 206 kilometers. The race between Montaigu and La Roche sur Yon counts to the French Cup race. Heinrich Haussler launched Appollonio, who started the sprint from far out, but was beaten in the end.

The winner Fernández was quite pleased with the outcome. “I am very content, as it is really hard to get a win,” he said after the race. “Winning is difficult and when there is an opportunity you have to take it,” the Basque sprinter said. He had a perfect preparation for the race. “Racing the Vuelta a España gives you a good form. This week I could rest and I knew that I would have good legs.”

Fernández hopes to continue his winning ways in France. “The next objective is Paris – Bourges; we will see what happens there but for now we just savour this victory.”

The Spaniard is saddened that the surge in form cannot be shown to the world. “Seeing the form that I have, it hurts that I am not going to the World Championships, but there is no need to revisit this subject any longer.” He knew that the key was a less than perfect spring. “I was lacking consistency in the first part of the season. I was unlucky with the ear infection and the crashes, but in the second part I was more consistent and I obtained some results.”

Fernández finished second in the overall of the Tour de Picardie, third in the Spanish National road race and won stage one of the Vuelta a Burgos. He also came close to a Vuelta a España stage win, but was beaten to second place by Tyler Farrar in stage 5, between Guadix and Lorca.

His consistency shows. “Besides my two wins, I have finished second on six occasions, one of them in the Vuelta. If that day I would have beaten Farrar, it would have been an even more spectacular Vuelta. Ending the season this way gives me power for 2011. The team was excellent, we have completed a great year.”

The French Cup was won by Leonardo Duque, with a single point over Frenchman Florian Vachon.

The race found an 11-man break after nine kilometers, including Thomas Voeckler. The Frenchman won the first sprint of the day (km35), ahead of Jérémy Roy. The two switched their placings for the second sprint (km53). The peloton was chasing hard around three minutes behind, mostly led by AG2R.

The work paid off and the move was eliminated well before the end of the race. A counter move of four was reeled back in by RadioShack, leaving the scene for the sprinters.

Results

1º FERNANDEZ DE LARREA, Koldo Euskaltel – Euskadi 4:44:07
2º APPOLLONIO, Davide Cervélo Test Team s.t.
3º HIVERT, Jonathan Saur – Sojasun s.t.