August 29, 2006

Ventoso victorious at Vuelta 3rd stage

The 3rd stage of the Vuelta a España saw a SAUNIER DUVAL-PRODIR feast, with Francisco Ventoso grabbing victory in a final sprint. Early in the stage, David de la Fuente proved once again to be a tough fighter by attacking and keeping his leading position for more than 200 kilometers together with Enrico Franzoi (Lampre-Fondital) and Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Cofidis). They worked hard throughout the day, with de la Fuente harvesting points for the mountains classification, where he is currently ranked second.



The breakaways were reeled in by the peloton 5 kilometers before the finish line. In the final kilometer, David Millar saw his chance and rocketed away, but he was hindered and couldn’t take advantage. In a somewhat surprising turn, Francisco Ventoso stuck to the wheels in front of him and came around at the perfect time. It was, in sum, a beautiful day for SAUNIER DUVAL-PRODIR, whose riders enlivened the race from the word go all the way to the finish line. In addition to his second place in the mountains classification, David de la Fuente is the all-round jersey wearer at the moment, while, after his stage win, Ventoso stands second in the points classification.