Stage 5 - March 27: Benavente - Valladolid, 152.5km

Valverde takes another stage, Leipheimer the overall

By Bjorn Haake

Caisse d'Epargne dominated the final sprint of the Vuelta a Castilla y León on Friday in Valladolid, with Alejandro Valverde taking the win ahead of teammate José Joaquín Rojas. Levi Leipheimer (Astana) finished in the group, two seconds behind four sprinters, and secured the overall victory. Valverde also won the points and mountains classification.

Caisse d'Epargne took over from the Astana team at the front of the race in order to try for another stage win. "We worked hard all day," said Valverde. "First to reel in the breakaway and later to control it for a sprint, thinking today could be the day for my teammate, José Joaquín Rojas." But things didn't quite work out. "Luis Pasamontes was supposed to launch the sprint for Rojas, but he punctured in the final, so I had to do it."

Valverde was ready to let Rojas finish off the work, but noticed Euskaltel-Euskadi's Pablo Urtasun was coming up fast. "Rojas himself told me to keep going and not stop, as it seemed too dangerous and we could have lost the stage."

Rojas said that in the end he and Valverde were the only ones left for Caisse. "There were several attacks, and I needed to sacrifice myself in the last 500m. In the end he [Valverde] tried to control it so I could pass him, but we ran the risk of losing the stage and the important part is that the win didn't slip out from underneath us."

Two seconds later a smiling Leipheimer crossed the line in a group of about 40 riders, with the overall title secured. Leipheimer praised his team that supported him once he took over the lead after the time trial. "I am very satisfied with this race because our team has been the strongest; after the time trial I did not have to do anything because my teammates did it all."

Leipheimer was especially grateful for the work of Alberto Contador, who could have won himself. "Alberto is the hero of Spain," Leipheimer said, adding that Contador was also very generous. "He has demonstrated it because since the first day, when I said to him that I would work for him, he answered 'no' to me. He said it was a better race for me and that I should try."

Leipheimer was already thinking ahead "on the Giro and preparing the Tour, which is our great aim of the year and where I will help Alberto, who is currently the best rider in the world," Leipheimer said.

Almost no sprint

A bunch sprint almost didn't materialise. Edgar Pinto (Liberty Seguros) took off inside the final kilometre. He was countered by Ricardo Serrano (Fuji-Servetto), but even Serrano came up short in the end. He sat up just a few metres before the line, still getting fourth place.

"Yes, there wasn't much missing, but bueno... I saw a Liberty riding going first, then I tried. I will say that our team was very strong," Serrano stated. Fuji-Servetto achieved its first victory yesterday. However, there were mixed feelings, as Javier Megias, Alberto Benitez and Beñat Intxausti fell in a massive pile-up 40km from the line. Intxausti broke his collarbone.

The day started with several attacks, but there were already more than 40km raced when Bauke Mollema (Rabobank) and Mikel Ilundain Tirapu (Orbea) rode away from the peloton. They build up a maximum lead of just under five minutes.

The work by Caisse ended the day's break about 15km from the line. The Spanish team kept the pace up high to discourage moves like the one from Francisco José Martínez (Andalucía Cajasur). The high pace meant no one was getting away on the front, but people started dropping off the back.

Eventually a group of some 40 riders arrived on the finishing straight, with several attackers trying to surprise the sprinters, but Caisse was able to profit from its tireless work throughout the stage.