US rider Levi Leipheimer of Astana took the lead of the Tour of Spain on Wednesday after winning the fifth stage, an individual time trial on a 42.5km course in Ciudad Real.
Leipheimer, who was third in the Vuelta in 2005, finished 12 seconds ahead of France’s Syvain Chavanel of Cofidis and 33 seconds ahead of Italy’s Manuel Quinziato of Liquigas after he blasted the final 14km of the course.
Spain’s Alberto Contador, the winner of last year’s Tour de France and the Tour of Italy this year, finished fourth in the time trial, 49 seconds behind his Astana teammate.
PHOTO: AFP
“I was very strong today. But Contador is the leader of the team,” said Leipheimer who along with Germany’s Stefan Schumacher of Team Gerolsteiner had been one of the favorites to win the race’s first individual time trial.
“Will I work for him? Yes, yes. I am going to work for him,” he said.
The first American to finish on the podium of the Tour of Spain when he took third overall in 2001, the 34-year-old Leipheimer is now leading a major stage race for the first time in his career.
“I knew I was in good shape when I won the [one-day] Vuelta a los Puertos [near Madrid] the week before the Tour of Spain, so I came here feeling confident,” he said.
“It was a tough time trial course, flat and exposed, with a strong headwind at first. But I’m always stronger in the second half of time trials, and that’s where I gained a lot of time on all my rivals today,” he said.
Contador is one of the favorites to win the race this year along with compatriots Carlos Sastre of CSC Saxo Bank, the winner of this year’s Tour de France, and Alejandro Valverde of Caisse d’Epargne.
Valverde appeared to run out of steam towards the end of time trial and finished in fifth at 59 seconds adrift of Leipheimer while Sastre finished a distant 15th, one minute and 30 seconds behind the leader.
But Valverde said he was nonetheless pleased to come in just 10 seconds behind Contador.
“We salvaged one of the most dangerous days of the Vuelta so we are pleased with that we have achieved,” he said.
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