Tour of Catalunya: Albasini wins for GreenEdge

Former Tour of Britain Michael Albasini winner continues to help GreenEdge’s winning streak with victory on stage 1.

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Michael Albasini has won the opening stage of the Volta a Catalunya. The Swiss crossed the finish line in Calella alone to take his first win in GreenEDGE colors. Part of a five-rider break that formed following the first intermediate sprint, Albasini attacked from a group of riders in the breakaway on the Alt de Collsacreu, 15 kilometres from the finish.

“It’s great to get the win,” said Albasini. “The first win with a new team is always very special. I worked hard in the off season. To see this work pay off for me and the team is important.”

GreenEdge started the seven-day tour with a two-pronged approach for the first day of racing. “We had two different scenarios to play with,” said Sports Director Neil Stephens. “We had Michael, Daryl [Impey], Fumy [Beppu] and Christain [Meier] all ready to take any opportunity they saw. Among those four, Michael was the most experienced. We also had the sprinter side of the team with Julian [Dean], Brett [Lancaster] and Allan Davis ready to mix things up in a bunch sprint. I was especially interested to see how Allan would go as it’s been some time since he raced. I told the sprinters they needed to get over the first category climb and we would reassess then. They all made it over the climb, but by then, Michael was solid in the break.”

The intermediate sprint came around the 40 kilometre mark of the 138.9 kilometre stage. Albasini attacked for the points on offer and found himself with an unexpected gap. “There was a lot of attacking early on,” noted Stephens. “We obviously took part of these attacks, too. Michael went for the intermediate sprint and found himself in a group with five guys. The group worked really well together.”

Anthony Delaplace (Saur – Sojasun) , Nicolas Edet (Le Credit En Ligne), Timmy Duggan (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Ben Gastauer (Ag2r La Mondiale) had joined Albasini up the road. The quintet worked together to build up a maximum five minute advantage over the hilly parcours.

“The break maintained a nice gap heading into the final climb,” Stephens said. “Michael knew he was the strongest there. He was confident of his form. He went four or five kilometres from top of the climb and they never saw him again.”

“I realized if I could unload the other guys in the break, I had a good chance of making it to the finish,” added Albasini. “At that point, I wasn’t sure if I could hold off the bunch chasing behind. I had [Sports Director] Vittorio Algeri behind me giving me information and willing me onto the finish. I really appreciate the work of the team that put me in the position to win.”

With Albasini up the road, the break quickly splintered. Delaplace and Edet unsuccessfully attempted to reel back the the Swiss GreenEDGE rider, while Duggan and Gastauer were caught by the bunch before the finish. Delaplace would eventually come home in second with Edet just behind in third. The field contested the sprint for fourth with Allan Davis taking fourth in the sprint for seventh overall.

“A bunch sprint is not quite the same as a full-on sprint for the win, but it’s good training for those types of situations,” explained Stephens. Albasini walked away from stage one with the leader’s jersey, mountain’s jersey and points jersey.

“It’s a great win today – a great win for GreenEDGE and Michael,” said Stephens. “This is a really hard race with some big climbs on the third day of racing. There are riders here with general classification aspirations. Our guys aren’t amongst them. We’ll enjoy the leader’s jersey tomorrow, and we might hold onto for one more day after that. We’re not looking to defend the jersey all week. We came here for stage wins, and that goal hasn’t changed.”

Stage 1 138 km

1 Michael Albasini GreenEdge Cycling Team 03:20:04
2 Anthony Delaplace Saur – Sojasun 00:42
3 Nicolas Edet Cofidis – Le Credit En Ligne 01:14
4 Kenny Van Hummel Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team 01:32
5 Ben Gastauer Ag2R – La Mondiale @ same time
6 Roger Kluge 1t4i @ same time
7 Allan Davis GreenEdge Cycling Team @ same time
8 Fabio Sabatini Liquigas – Cannondale @ same time
9 Davide Appollonio Sky Procycling @ same time
10 Francesco Gavazzi Astana Pro Team @ same time
11 Luke Roberts Team Saxo Bank @ same time
12 Manuele Mori Lampre – ISD @ same time
13 St̩phane Poulhies Saur РSojasun @ same time
14 Jose Luis Cano Andalucia – Caja Granada @ same time
15 Aitor Galdos Alonso Caja Rural @ same time
16 Samuel Dumoulin Cofidis – Le Credit En Ligne @ same time
17 Nicolas Roche Ag2R – La Mondiale @ same time
18 Kenny Dehaes Lotto – Belisol Team @ same time
19 Marco Bandiera Omega Pharma – Quickstep @ same time
20 Michal Golas Omega Pharma – Quickstep @ same time
21 Steve Morabito BMC Racing Team @ same time
22 Mickael Cherel Ag2R – La Mondiale @ same time
23 Daryl Impey GreenEdge Cycling Team @ same time
24 Timofey Kritskiy Katusha Team @ same time
25 Andre Cardoso Caja Rural @ same time
26 Fumiyuki Beppu GreenEdge Cycling Team @ same time
27 S̩bastien Minard Ag2R РLa Mondiale @ same time
28 Timothy Duggan Liquigas – Cannondale @ same time
29 Gatis Smukulis Katusha Team @ same time
30 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil Rabobank Cycling Team @ same time
31 Jordi Simón Andalucia – Caja Granada @ same time
32 Kenny Elissonde Equipe Cycliste FDJ – BigMat @ same time
33 Romain Bardet Ag2R – La Mondiale @ same time
34 Christian Meier GreenEdge Cycling Team @ same time
35 Ryder Hesjedal Team Garmin – Barracuda @ same time
36 Martin Kohler BMC Racing Team @ same time
37 Ivan Velasco Murillo Euskaltel – Euskadi @ same time
38 Arnold Jeannesson Equipe Cycliste FDJ – BigMat @ same time
39 Daniel Martin Team Garmin – Barracuda @ same time
40 Mauro Santambrogio BMC Racing Team @ same time
41 Jesus Rosendo Prado Andalucia – Caja Granada @ same time
42 Tejay Van Garderen BMC Racing Team @ same time
43 Richie Porte Sky Procycling @ same time
44 Adrian Palomares Villaplana Andalucia – Caja Granada @ same time
45 Fabrice Jeandesboz Saur – Sojasun @ same time
46 Johannes Frohlinger 1t4i @ same time
47 Serge Pauwels Omega Pharma – Quickstep @ same time
48 Miguel Minguez Euskaltel – Euskadi @ same time
49 Jurgen Van Den Broeck Lotto – Belisol Team @ same time
50 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte Movistar Team @ same time
51 Romain Zingle Cofidis – Le Credit En Ligne @ same time
52 Amets Txurruka Euskaltel – Euskadi @ same time
53 Bruno Manuel Silva Pires Team Saxo Bank @ same time
54 Jakob Fuglsang RadioShack – Nissan @ same time
55 Thomas Rohregger RadioShack – Nissan @ same time
56 Luis Angel Mate Mardones Cofidis – Le Credit En Ligne @ same time
57 Yuri Trofimov Katusha Team @ same time
58 Thomas Danielson Team Garmin – Barracuda @ same time
59 Gustavo Cesar Veloso Andalucia – Caja Granada @ same time
60 Dennis Vanendert Lotto – Belisol Team @ same time
61 Oliver Zaugg RadioShack – Nissan @ same time
62 Mathias Frank BMC Racing Team @ same time
63 Maxim Belkov Katusha Team @ same time
64 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez Euskaltel – Euskadi @ same time
65 Tiago Machado RadioShack – Nissan @ same time
66 Kevin De Weert Omega Pharma – Quickstep @ same time
67 Daniel Teklehaymanot GreenEdge Cycling Team @ same time
68 Janez Brajkovic Astana Pro Team @ same time
69 Damiano Cunego Lampre – ISD @ same time
70 Jose Vicente Toribio Andalucia – Caja Granada @ same time
71 David Arroyo Duran Movistar Team @ same time
72 Alex Howes Team Garmin – Barracuda @ same time
73 Maciej Paterski Liquigas – Cannondale @ same time
74 Tom Jelte Slagter Rabobank Cycling Team @ same time
75 Rob Ruijgh Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team @ same time
76 Sergio Pardilla Bellon Movistar Team @ same time
77 R̩my Di Gregorio Cofidis РLe Credit En Ligne @ same time
78 Robert Gesink Rabobank Cycling Team @ same time
79 Wilco Kelderman Rabobank Cycling Team @ same time
80 Kanstantsin Siutsou Sky Procycling @ same time
81 Jorge Azanza Soto Euskaltel – Euskadi @ same time
82 C̩dric Pineau Equipe Cycliste FDJ РBigMat @ same time
83 Matteo Carrara Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team @ same time
84 Marcos Garcia Fernandez Caja Rural @ same time
85 Robert Kiserlovski Astana Pro Team @ same time
86 Matthew Busche RadioShack – Nissan @ same time
87 Paolo Tiralongo Astana Pro Team @ same time
88 Rigoberto Uran Sky Procycling @ same time
89 Petr Ignatenko Katusha Team @ same time
90 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas Movistar Team @ same time
91 Denis Menchov Katusha Team @ same time
92 Paolo Tiralongo Astana Pro Team @ same time
93 Francis De Greef Lotto – Belisol Team @ same time
94 Laurens Ten Dam Rabobank Cycling Team @ same time
95 Morris Possoni Lampre – ISD @ same time
96 Jurgen Van De Walle Lotto – Belisol Team @ same time
97 Christian Vande Velde Team Garmin – Barracuda @ same time
98 Frantisek Rabon Omega Pharma – Quickstep @ same time
99 Jean-marc Marino Saur – Sojasun @ same time
100 Levi Leipheimer Omega Pharma – Quickstep @ same time
101 Tomasz Marczynski Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team @ same time
102 Julien Simon Saur – Sojasun @ same time
103 Guillaume Bonnafond Ag2R – La Mondiale @ same time
104 Andy Schleck RadioShack – Nissan @ same time
105 Sylvester Szmyd Liquigas – Cannondale @ same time
106 Cristiano Salerno Liquigas – Cannondale @ same time
107 Dario Cataldo Omega Pharma – Quickstep @ same time
108 Yann Huguet 1t4i @ same time
109 Alexandr Dyachenko Astana Pro Team @ same time
110 Marzio Bruseghin Movistar Team @ same time
111 Steven Kruijswijk Rabobank Cycling Team @ same time
112 David De La Cruz Caja Rural @ same time
113 Gaetan Bille Lotto – Belisol Team @ same time
114 Brice Feillu Saur – Sojasun @ same time
115 Stefan Denifl Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team @ same time
116 Alberto Losada Alguacil Katusha Team @ same time
117 Sandy Casar Equipe Cycliste FDJ – BigMat @ same time
118 Ben Hermans RadioShack – Nissan @ same time
119 Johann Tschopp BMC Racing Team @ same time
120 Sergio Carrasco Garcia Andalucia – Caja Granada @ same time
121 Chris Anker Sorensen Team Saxo Bank @ same time
122 Maxime Mederel Saur – Sojasun @ same time
123 Leonardo Bertagnolli Lampre – ISD @ same time
124 Daniel Navarro Garcia Team Saxo Bank @ same time
125 Rafal Majka Team Saxo Bank @ same time
126 Martijn Keizer Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team @ same time
127 Peter Stetina Team Garmin – Barracuda @ same time
128 Antonio Piedra Perez Caja Rural @ same time
129 J̩r̩my Roy Equipe Cycliste FDJ РBigMat @ same time
130 Thierry Hupond 1t4i @ same time
131 Javier Francisco Aramendia Lorente Caja Rural @ same time
132 Laurent Didier RadioShack – Nissan @ same time
133 Ivan Santaromita BMC Racing Team @ same time
134 Benjamin Gonzalez Noval Team Saxo Bank @ same time
135 Xabier Zandio Echaide Sky Procycling @ same time
136 Mikel Nieve Ituralde Euskaltel – Euskadi @ same time
137 Javier Ramirez Abeja Andalucia – Caja Granada @ same time
138 Jussi Veikkanen Equipe Cycliste FDJ – BigMat @ same time
139 Stef Clement Rabobank Cycling Team @ same time
140 David De La Fuente Rasilla Caja Rural @ same time
141 Thomas De Gendt Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team @ same time
142 Vladimir Karpets Movistar Team @ same time
143 Marco Marzano Lampre – ISD @ same time
144 Thomas Peterson Team Garmin – Barracuda @ same time
145 Kristof Vandewalle Omega Pharma – Quickstep @ same time
146 Branislau Samoilau Movistar Team @ same time
147 Jesús Hernández Blazquez Team Saxo Bank @ same time
148 Julian Dean GreenEdge Cycling Team @ same time
149 Juan Jose Haedo Team Saxo Bank @ same time
150 Amir Zargari Ag2R – La Mondiale @ same time
151 Thibaut Pinot Equipe Cycliste FDJ – BigMat @ same time
152 Mehdi Sohrabi Lotto – Belisol Team @ same time
153 Egor Silin Astana Pro Team @ same time
154 Thomas Damuseau 1t4i @ same time
155 Pierre Cazaux Euskaltel – Euskadi @ same time
156 Jacek Morajko Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team @ same time
157 Javier Moreno Bazan Movistar Team @ same time
158 Yoann Bagot Cofidis – Le Credit En Ligne @ same time
159 Alessandro Vanotti Liquigas – Cannondale @ same time
160 Matthieu Sprick 1t4i @ same time
161 Yukihiro Doi 1t4i @ same time
162 Sergey Renev Astana Pro Team @ same time
163 Matteo Bono Lampre – ISD @ same time
164 Denys Kostyuk Lampre – ISD @ same time
165 Bradley Wiggins Sky Procycling @ same time
166 Ivan Basso Liquigas – Cannondale @ same time
167 David Moncouti̩ Cofidis РLe Credit En Ligne @ same time
168 Cyril Bessy Saur – Sojasun @ same time
169 Brett Lancaster GreenEdge Cycling Team @ same time
170 Francis Mourey Equipe Cycliste FDJ – BigMat @ same time
171 Joan Horrach Rippoll Katusha Team @ same time
172 Victor Cabedo Carda Euskaltel – Euskadi 02:10
173 Grischa Niermann Rabobank Cycling Team 05:22
174 Andrey Kashechkin Astana Pro Team @ same time
175 Sebastien Rosseler Team Garmin – Barracuda @ same time
176 Julian Sanchez Pimienta Caja Rural @ same time

 

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