Vuelta Ciclista Murcia

Tour of Murcia
Stage 5: Redyser to Murcia, 121km/75mi
By Cathy Mehl

All in all it was a successful week in Spain for Team RadioShack, placing two riders in the top ten and 4 in the top 20, plus securing second place for the Teams classification.  Andreas Klöden was the best-placed Team rider in 4th place at 57-seconds behind race winner Frantisek Rabon of HTC-Columbia while teammate Lance Armstrong held 7th in his first European race of the season.  Sunday’s concluding flat stage was won by Theo Bos (Cervelo Test Team), holding off Graeme Brown (Rabobank) and Daniel Schorn (Team Net App) for the group sprint win.  Joining Rabon on the podium were Denis Menchov (Rabobank) and Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) for second and 3rd.  

 
Tour of Murcia
Stage 4:  Alhama de Murcia to Alhama de Murcia, ITT, 22km/13.6mi
By Cathy Mehl
 
Saturday’s Stage 4 in the Tour of Murcia put every rider against the clock in the individual time trial.  It was cold and windy but the rain held off during the stage making for a dry out-and-back course in Alhama de Murcia.  Team RadioShack’s Andreas Klöden started 5th from the end and challenged for the win but it was Frantisek Rabon’s time of 25:10 that held firm for the victory.  The Czech time trial specialist blazed the course and took the stage win by 23 seconds over Denis Menchov (Rabobank) with Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) another 15 seconds behind for third, earning the race leader’s jersey in the effort.  Klodi took 4th for the best performance by a Team RadioShack rider. A solid margin of 38-seconds over Menchov on GC should seal the win for Rabon on Sunday’s final stage.


“I can’t complain,” said Klöden after the race.  “I hoped for top three and I got 4th so that’s ok.  Nobody thought that Rabon would be so strong.  And don’t forget that I was sick last week with a stomach problem, so I’m happy.”

More great photos from Graham Watson at the Tour of Murcia Stage 3.

Tour of Murcia
Stage 3: Las Torres de Cotillas to Alhama de Murcia, 166.5km/103mi
By Cathy Mehl
Staying together on the descent of the climb, four of Team RadioShack’s riders controlled the front group and remain in the hunt for the overall in the Tour of Murcia.  Andreas Klöden, Lance Armstrong, Haimar Zubeldia and Chechu Rubiera all crossed the line at five seconds behind Australian Luke Roberts (Milram) who took the victory in Stage 3, followed by Sergeuy Lagutin (Vacansoleil) and Josep Jufre of Astana in third.   The new race leader is Spaniard Jufre of Astana with Roberts and Frantisek Rabon (THC-Columbia) just behind for 2nd and 3rd on the general classification. After back-to-back wins and leading the race for two days, Robbie Hunter (Garmin) dropped out of the race today as he received word that his wife had gone into labor with their second child.

Take a look at Graham Watson's photos from Stage 2 of Murcia.

Tour of Murcia
Stage 2: Calasparra to Caravaca de la Cruz, 169.8km/105mi
By Cathy Mehl
Robbie Hunter (Garmin) took a second sprint win in as many days and retained the leader’s jersey for another day.  Second went to Graeme Brown (Rabobank) and Vicente Reynes of HTC-Columbia.   The Shack’s Daryl Impey was again in the thick of the action, taking 10th on the stage and keeping his 5th spot on the GC. A protest filed by Brown against Hunter’s sprint-line was thrown out and the South African rider was awarded the victory.

Check out Graham Watson's photos from Day 1 at Murcia.

Tour of Murcia
 
Stage 1: San Pedro del Pintar to San Pedro del Pintar, 166.5km/103mi
 
By Cathy Mehl
 
It was a return to racing for Lance Armstrong as he took part in Stage 1 of the 30th Tour of Murcia on Wednesday. With a peloton of 111 riders from 16 teams, Lance and his team rode smart in the opener which ended in a mass sprint with South African Robbie Hunter (Garmin) taking the victory over Graeme Brown (Rabobank) and Vicente Reynes (HTC-Columbia). The Shack’s Daryl Impey showed good legs and slotted in to 5th place on the line.  Hunter holds the first leader’s jersey with four stages to go.

Preview: Tour of Murcia – March 3-7, 2010
By: Chris Brewer
 
It’s time for some of Team RadioShack’s stage racers to take to the main stage in southeast Spain at the 30th edition of the Tour of Murcia (or more formally, the Vuelta Ciclista a la Regiona de Murcia!).  Lining up for The Shack will be a very strong 7-man contingent: Lance Armstrong, Daryl Impey, Andreas Klöden, Jason McCartney, Gregory Rast, Jose Luis “Chechu” Rubiera, and Haimar Zubeldia – with “Eki” Ekimov as Director.
 
While all eyes will be looking towards July and thus focusing on an Armstrong vs Brad Wiggins battle (Sky, and 4th at the Tour), that’s probably a bit premature in March.  Certainly it’s a good gauge of fitness and time to show some of what you’ve got.  On paper it looks like a race between whoever looks strongest for RadioShack, then Wiggins and most likely 2009 winner Denis Menchov (Rabobank) and Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Transitions).  Expect someone to probably steal a stage win, especially someone like Inigo Cuesta (Cervelo Test Team) as he looks to improve his reputation as a stage racer.  And don’t forget there are eight Continental team looking to make a mark against their eight bigger brothers…