Viviani sprints to win penultimate stage

Tour de San Luis 2012

Elia Viviani (Liquigas-Cannondale) prevailed in the field sprint finale to stage 6 of the Tour de San Luis with a burst of speed as scorching as the temperature. The Italian made up for a flat tire which ruined his chances in stage 2 as he outkicked Juan Jose Haedo (Saxo Bank), runner-up on stage 1, and Andrea Guardini (Farnese Vini) to claim Liquigas-Cannondale's first victory of 2012.

"This morning I was feeling good and I wanted another try at all costs: the first stage is a bitter pill to swallow," said Viviani. "Here in Argentina, even though we are in January, you deal with very good sprinters. The condition is not at the top but the competition level is high.

"Today it was necessary to be more acrobatic to find space in the end. I just thought to push and no one was able to come around. I am very happy because to get a victory after only six days of racing is a great confidence booster. All of my teammates were magnificent today."

Haedo, who finished second for the second time during the race in his native Argentina, was caught off guard by a sweeping right hand turn approaching the finish line.

"We were fighting a bit for position and the [race] book said there was a 90 degree corner with 700 metres to go and I was waiting for that corner, but was surprised here [at the turn] with 400 metres to go," Haedo told Cyclingnews. "I messed up a little bit there, but the winner was a fair winner. I have no complaints."

Despite there being a strenuous category 1 climb on the route between Lujan and Quines, it was the rolling terrain which followed that Haedo found taxing.

"That one (the cat. 1 El Amago) was all right, we climbed at a fairly easy pace, but after that the terrain was really up and down with no rest until the last 30k. After yesterday, and with the heat, it was actually harder than I expected."

Overnight leader Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) finished in the field and the top of the general classification remains unchanged with Leipheimer leading Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) by 46 seconds and Daniel Diaz (San Luis Sodos Tomos) by 1:31.

Stefan Schumacher contested the first intermediate sprint, earning third, to chip away one second of his deficit to Diaz and a final podium position tomorrow at the seven-day stage race's conclusion. The 30-year-old German now trails Diaz by four seconds overall.

"Even today the guys were super," said Leipheimer. "All I had to do was stay covered and let them carry me to the arrival. A stage as long as today's can always present some surprises. I'm happy that there were no problems. Tomorrow is going to be all about staying concentrated until the very last metres so we can crown a week that's been magical for our squad."

Hot hot hot on San Luis's longest stage

A nine-man break escaped soon after the first intermediate sprint in the 201km stage, the longest of the Tour de San Luis, and under searing heat of 41 degrees Celsius and a parcours that offered not one iota of shade, the escapees reached a maximum advantage of 11 minutes.

The break was comprised of Miguel Rubiano (Androni Giocattoli), Josue Moyano (Caja Rural), Weimar Roldan (Colombia), Karol Domagalski (Caja Rural), Jonathan Clarke (UnitedHealthcare), Camilio Gomez (Colombia-Comcel), Ricardo Mestre (Carmin-Prio), Filipo Salvini (Colnago-CSF Inox) and Jesus Rosendo (Andalucia).

Rubiano utilised his stint off the front to earn first place KOM points at the category 3 El Embalse at 40km and the brutal category 1 ascent of El Amago at 57km to move into the mountains classification lead.

The road to the top of El Amago, rising 729 metres in 10.5 kilometres to an elevation of 1,720 metres is a stunning switch-backed wonder carved into the side of the mountain. While the dizzying array of switchbacks on the narrow, concrete slab parcours packed a punch, its position early in the stage lessened its strategic importance.

Soon after the El Amago summit, with his mission accomplished, Rubiano sat up and waited to be absorbed by the peloton, while the remaining eight riders pushed on. One more category three climb remained late in today's stage, plus one more category three ascent is still to come on Sunday's finale, but Rubiano's points total is insurmountable. Barring a complete disaster involving not being able to finish the final stage, the Colombian will claim the mountains title.

Once the ascent of the El Amago was negotiated by the peloton, the field's chase coupled with the stiff winds over a roller coaster ride through the remote low sierras steadily ate into the escape's advantage. With less than 50km remaining, the deficit to the break was a manageable 3:35.

On the final KOM climb, the category 3 Cantana at 170km, the Pole Domagalski took top honours and moved clear in a solo bid for victory.

The finale of the stage was set up for sprinters, however, as a sweeping descent and dead flat roads into Quines were tailor-made for sprinters' teams to corral the escapees.

The break was ultimately neutralised with 15km remaining, and while Filippo Pozzato (Farnese Vini) launched a bold solo move inside of four kilometres to go, the sprinters would not be denied their stage at the conclusion of a a taxing 201km in the saddle.

The stage indeed took its toll on the peloton, with 18 riders not finishing, including Viviani's teammate Cayetano Sarmiento who crashed heavily and suffered facial wounds and a suspected fractured collarbone. Two more riders were later disqualified, reducing the peloton by 20 all-in-all.

The Tour de San Luis concludes on Sunday with a 167.1km stage which starts in the city of San Luis, heads northeast to El Traphiche, and returns to finish in San Luis.

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Elia Viviani (Liquigas-Cannondale) celebrates a win at the end of stage 6

Photo: © Roberto Bettini