Ruta Ciclista del Sol

Vuelta a Andalucía
Stage 5:  Córdoba to Antequera 162.7km/101mi
By Cathy Mehl

Team RadioShack rode a perfect race all week, taking the race lead on stage 2 and never looking back.  After an opening prologue that put Team rider Markel Irizar less than one second off the pace, that situation was put to rights the next day and the Basque rider slipped on the red leader’s jersey for the remainder of the race.  It was close at the top with Jurgen Van Den Broeck trailing by only one second, but just behind him was another Team rider Levi Leipheimer, and a few seconds later was Haimar Zubeldia….and a few more seconds back was Ivan Rovny, putting four riders from The Shack in the Top Ten.   Besides Irizar earning the win in the General Classification, Levi was third overall, Team RadioShack took the victory in the Teams classification, and Markel earned the designation of the Best Spanish rider as well.

Team RadioShack’s Markel Irizar is the overall winner of the Vuelta a Andalucía (Ruta Ciclista del Sol). In the fifth and last stage to Antequera, the Basque rider kept his one second advantage over Belgian rider Jurgen Van den Broeck. Levi Leipheimer finished 3rd, 2 seconds behind. Team RadioShack finished with four riders in the Top ten and is winner of the Teams Classification in the Spanish stage race.

“This is unbelievable,” said an emotional Markel Irizar after the finish. “I am so happy with this victory, but even more with the way my teammates worked for me.  Jani Brajkovic, Levi Leipheimer, Robbie Hunter, Haimar Zubeldia, Dmitriy Muravyev and Ivan Rovny, they all worked for me four long days. It is a huge pleasure to be part of this team.  It is hard to describe the feelings that I have now.”

Vuelta a Andalucía
Stage 3:  Otura to  Jaén, 175.3km/109mi
By Cathy Mehl
A group sprint to the line in Jaén chalked up a win for Francisco Ventoso (Movistar Team) and kept Team RadioShack’s Markel Irizar in the red leader’s jersey for another day.  Teammate Levi Leipheimer sits just behind Markel in third place just two-seconds back, with Jurgen Van den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto)  sandwiched in between at one second off the pace.  Teammates Ivan Rovny and Haimar Zubeldia are in the Top Ten also, putting plenty of options on the board for Team RadioShack.

Team RadioShack’s Markel Irizar will start in the red leader’s jersey in Stage 3 of the Tour of Andalucía (Ruta Ciclista del Sol) on Tuesday. The Basque rider, second yesterday in the opening time trial of the Spanish stage race,  finished in the first group in the hard second stage. The previous leader, Jimmy Engoulvent (Saur-Sojasun) lost more than 20 minutes.

“It’s nice to be in the lead,” said Irizar after the stage.  “Especially after such a hard stage, with three climbs and 3300m (10824ft) of climbing.  I suffered a lot but it was worth suffering for it. The Team worked so hard for me. Muravyev, Rovny and Zubeldia stayed with me the whole day. They motivated me constantly and helped me to come back after that terrible climb.”

Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol Stage 1:  Benahavis, 6.8km/4.2mi
By Cathy Mehl
The opening Prologue on Sunday at the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol gave Team RadioShack a solid start for the five-day stage race taking place in the southern region of Spain through Thursday.  Basque rider Markel Irizar just missed the win behind Jimmy Engoulvent, clocking in the same time of 9:28.   Teammate Levi Leipheimer slotted into fourth place for his season opener and not to be overlooked was The Shack’s Russian rider Ivan Rovny rounding out the top ten. 

The Team line-up for the next race:

Vuelta a Andalucía - Ruta Ciclista del Sol (Spain), Feb. 20-24, 2011

Riders: Jani Brajkovic, Robbie Hunter, Markel Irizar, Levi Leipheimer, Dmitriy Muravyev, Ivan Rovny & Haimar Zubeldia
Directors: Viatcheslav Ekimov & Luc Meersman