2009 Volta a Catalunya
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Volta a Catalunya was the 89th edition of the Volta. It took place between 18 May and 24 May, and was part of both the ProTour
and the inaugural World Calendar
. It began with a short individual time trial in Lloret de Mar
and ended in Montmeló
at the Circuit de Catalunya
.
event, all 18 ProTour teams were invited automatically. They were joined by three Professional Continental teams.
, 3.6 km (ITT
)
The course for the brief individual time trial is perfectly flat.
Despite clocking in ten seconds slower than he had on the identical course in the 2008 Volta, Thor Hushovd
was the winner of the short individual time trial for the second year in a row, narrowly edging out Alejandro Valverde
to don the first white jersey.
{|
|Stage 1 Results and General Classification after Stage 1
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 4' 47"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| + 1"
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| + 2"
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| + 3"
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| + 3"
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| + 3"
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| + 3"
|-
| 8
|
|
| align="right"| + 4"
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| + 4"
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| + 4"
|}
to Roses, 163.1 km
This course was hilly, with three categorized climbs, including one about 15 kilometers from the finish.
A four-man breakaway was away for much of the stage. They claimed the intermediate sprints and the first two climbs, putting Samuel Dumoulin
and Lloyd Mondory
, respectively, in the leading jerseys for those classifications. They were caught on the last climb of the day, the Alt de San Pere De Rodes, during which race leader Thor Hushovd
was dropped and his Cervélo team decided to work for Xavier Florencio
. A group of 54 riders was together at the finish for a final sprint, won by Matti Breschel
. The race lead transferred to Alejandro Valverde
, who was surprised to get it, since he did not contest the sprint and did not get any time bonuses.
{|
|Stage 2 Results
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 4h 11' 34"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 8
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|}
||
|General Classification after Stage 2
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 4h 16' 22"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| + 0"
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| + 1"
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| + 2"
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| + 2"
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| + 3"
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| + 4"
|-
| 8
|
|
| align="right"| + 4"
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| + 4"
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| + 5"
|}
|}
, 182.8 km
This was a mountainous stage, and it was thought to see a definitive split between those riders who aimed for the final podium and those who didn't. The stage started at sea level, but climbed to 1,031 meters after about 80 kilometers on the road. There were two other categorized climbs on the course, including a steep climb to 1,200 meters right before the end of the stage, which came on the descent from that climb.
This stage saw race leader Alejandro Valverde
extend his lead with a stage win. After the peloton, paced by his team Caisse d'Epargne, caught the morning's breakaway, Valverde himself attacked at the foot of the day's last climb, and the group of nine GC contenders who were able to hold his wheel contested the finish together.
{|
|Stage 3 Results
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 4h 46' 53"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 5
|
| Andalucía-Cajasur
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 8
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|}
||
|General Classification after Stage 3
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 9h 03' 05"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| + 14"
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| + 15"
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| + 17"
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| + 18"
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| + 19"
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| + 21"
|-
| 8
|
| Andalucía-Cajasur
| align="right"| + 23"
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| + 25"
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| + 28"
|}
|}
to Vallnord Sector Pal
(Andorra
), 175.7 km
This stage was undulating at first, and then became mountainous. The Coll del Port (a pass in Catalonia, not to be confused with the pass in France with a very similar name
) was visited, and the finish into Andorra was an outside categorization climb, which began 10 kilometers from the finish line. It has been called the 2009 Volta's queen stage.
This stage was conquered by a member of the morning's breakaway, Julián Sánchez
. Sánchez and seven others who came clear of the peloton early on in the stage. While the others were absorbed before the Vallnord climb, Sánchez still had a 90 second lead at its foot and managed to stay away just long enough, giving victory in the queen stage of this UCI ProTour
event to a non-ProTour team. The GC favorites who had otherwise dominated on the climb were within a kilometer of Sánchez at the finish, with Daniel Martin
coming the closest to catching him, for second on the stage and a slight time again against race leader Alejandro Valverde
. Martin moved from sixth to second in the GC after the stage. As the stages that follow this one are all seen as potentially sprinters' stages, Valverde's team made it clear after this stage that they would work with the teams of the sprinters to ensure mass finishes the rest of the way and protect his 15 second lead over Martin.
{|
|valign=top|Stage 4 Results
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
| Contentpolis-Ampo
| align="right"| 4h 46' 29"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| + 6"
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| + 8"
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| + 12"
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| + 21"
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| + 21"
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| + 25"
|-
| 8
|
|
| align="right"| + 31"
|-
| 9
|
| Andalucía-Cajasur
| align="right"| + 37"
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 06"
|}
||
|General Classification after Stage 4
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 13h 49' 38"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| + 15"
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| + 22"
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| + 34"
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| + 38"
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| + 45"
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| + 49"
|-
| 8
|
| Andalucía-Cajasur
| align="right"| + 56"
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 42"
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 52"
|}
|}
to Torredembarra
, 201.3 km
A fair amount of descending faced the riders in this stage, being that it began at 670 meters in elevation and ended near sea level. Most of the descending took place right before the finish line.
A four-man breakaway came clear of the peloton within the first 10 km of the stage. Their maximum advantage was 4' 30", with Steven Cozza
attacking and staying out front for a short while as the peloton absorbed his three breakaway mates. Cozza was also eventually caught, and the finish was contested in a mass sprint, won by Katusha's Nikolay Trusov
. Team Katusha came to the Volta thinking that Alexei Markov
would be their primary sprinter, but Markov was not with the peloton at the finish. They therefore worked for Trusov in the sprint, as he narrowly edged out accomplished sprinter Thor Hushovd
at the line. The top ten in the GC were unchanged by the day's results.
{|
|valign=top|Stage 5 Results
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 4h 28' 58"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 8
|
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| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|}
||
|General Classification after Stage 5
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 18h 18' 36"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| + 15"
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| + 22"
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| + 34"
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| + 38"
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| + 45"
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| + 49"
|-
| 8
|
| Andalucía-Cajasur
| align="right"| + 56"
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 42"
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 52"
|}
|}
to Barcelona
, 150.5 km
This stage was expected to end in a mass sprint, in spite of the three categorized climbs the course featured. In the last 40 kilometers, there was only a very short climb and a lengthy flat stretch to the finish.
The sprint indeed took place, with the man who was pipped at the line the day before, Thor Hushovd
, coming across the line first to claim his second stage win of the Volta. The lead in the mountains classification transferred to Julián Sánchez
, who was tied with Xavier Tondó
by points, but got the jersey because of his victory on the outside categorization climb in Stage 4. The top ten in the GC were again unchanged, and with only a very short, very flat stage remaining, it was believed that they would be unchanged again for the end of the race.
{|
|valign=top|Stage 6 Results
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 3h 26' 43"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 8
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|}
||
|General Classification after Stage 6
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 21h 45' 19"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| + 15"
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| + 22"
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| + 34"
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| + 38"
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| + 45"
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| + 49"
|-
| 8
|
| Andalucía-Cajasur
| align="right"| + 56"
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 42"
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 52"
|}
|}
to Circuit de Catalunya Montmeló
, 110.8 km
This course climbed to just over 600 meters. The climb was originally uncategorized, but with Xavier Tondó
and Julián Sánchez
tied by points for the King of the Mountains jersey, race officials decided to offer points for the climb to have a definitive winner in that classification. The descent from that height took about 50 kilometers, with 10 flat kilometers to race before the finish at the race track in Montmeló.
The short distance and relatively flat profile of the stage kept any breakaways from staying clear. Sánchez managed to outsprint Tondó to the summit of the climb to clinch the red jersey victory for the Contentpolis rider. The majority of the peloton was together for the finish, a sprint which was won by Columbia-High Road's Greg Henderson
.
{|
|valign=top|Stage 7 Results
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 2h 26' 51"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 8
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|}
||
|Final General Classification
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 24h 12' 10"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| + 15"
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| + 22"
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| + 34"
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| + 38"
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| + 45"
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| + 49"
|-
| 8
|
| Andalucía-Cajasur
| align="right"| + 56"
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 42"
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 52"
|}
|}
Additionally, there was also a sprint classification, indicated with a blue jersey. In the sprint classification, cyclists got points for being one of the first three in intermediate sprints, with six points awarded for first place, four for second, and two for third.
There was also a mountains classification, indicated with a red jersey. In the mountains classifications, points are won by reaching the top of a mountain before other cyclists. All climbs were categorized, with most either first, second, third, or fourth-category, with more points available for the higher-categorized climbs. There was also an outside categorization climb at the end of Stage 4, which awarded even more points than the first-category climbs.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; font-size:smaller;"
|- style="background-color: #efefef;"
! width="2%" | Stage
! width="12%" | Winner
! style="background:#efefef; border:3px solid green;" width="13%"| General Classification
! style="background:red;" width="13%"| Mountains Classification
! style="background:#87CEEB;" width="13%"| Sprint Classification
! style="background:#FF8C00;" width="13%"| Team Classification
|-
| 1
| Thor Hushovd
| style="background:white; border:3px solid green;" rowspan="1"| Thor Hushovd
| style="background:offwhite;" rowspan="1"| no award
| style="background:offwhite;" rowspan="1"| no award
| style="background:orange;" rowspan="2"|
|-
| 2
| Matti Breschel
| style="background:white; border:3px solid green;" rowspan="6"| Alejandro Valverde
| style="background:salmon;" rowspan="1"| Lloyd Mondory
| style="background:lightblue;" rowspan="6"| Samuel Dumoulin
|-
| 3
| Alejandro Valverde
| style="background:salmon;" rowspan="3"| Xavier Tondó
| style="background:orange;" rowspan="1"|
|-
| 4
| Julián Sánchez
| style="background:orange;" rowspan="4"|
|-
| 5
| Nikolay Trusov
|-
| 6
| Thor Hushovd
| style="background:salmon;" rowspan="2"| Julián Sánchez
|-
| 7
| Greg Henderson
|-
! colspan=2| Final
! style="background:#efefef; border:3px solid green;" rowspan="1"|Alejandro Valverde
! style="background:red;" rowspan="1"|Julián Sánchez
! style="background:#87CEEB;" rowspan="1"|Samuel Dumoulin
! style="background:#FF8C00;" rowspan="1"|
|}
2009 UCI ProTour
The 2009 UCI ProTour was the fifth series of the UCI ProTour. Two new teams, the American and the Russian , joined the ProTour, effectively taking over the licenses of and . Two existing teams changed title sponsors: from Denmark became , and changed name to . As in 2008, the races organized by...
and the inaugural World Calendar
2009 UCI World Ranking
The 2009 UCI World Ranking is the first edition of the ranking system launched by the International Cycling Union , replacing the rankings previously part of the UCI ProTour. The series started with the Tour Down Under's opening stage on 20 January, and consists of 13 stage races and 11 one-day...
. It began with a short individual time trial in Lloret de Mar
Lloret de Mar
Lloret de Mar is a Mediterranean coastal town in Catalonia and one of the most popular holiday resorts on the Costa Brava. It is 40 kilometres from Girona and 75 kilometres from Barcelona and therefore easily accessible...
and ended in Montmeló
Montmeló
Montmeló is a municipality in the comarca of Vallès Oriental in Catalonia, Spain. It contains the Circuit de Catalunya, which is the home of the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix and the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix.- Demography :-References:...
at the Circuit de Catalunya
Circuit de Catalunya
The Circuit de Catalunya is a racetrack in Montmeló, to the north of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. With long straights and a variety of corners, the Circuit de Catalunya is seen as an all-rounder circuit.-History:...
.
Teams
As the Volta a Catalunya is a UCI ProTour2009 UCI ProTour
The 2009 UCI ProTour was the fifth series of the UCI ProTour. Two new teams, the American and the Russian , joined the ProTour, effectively taking over the licenses of and . Two existing teams changed title sponsors: from Denmark became , and changed name to . As in 2008, the races organized by...
event, all 18 ProTour teams were invited automatically. They were joined by three Professional Continental teams.
- Andalucía-Cajasur
- Contentpolis-Ampo
Stage 1
18 May 2009 – Lloret de MarLloret de Mar
Lloret de Mar is a Mediterranean coastal town in Catalonia and one of the most popular holiday resorts on the Costa Brava. It is 40 kilometres from Girona and 75 kilometres from Barcelona and therefore easily accessible...
, 3.6 km (ITT
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
)
The course for the brief individual time trial is perfectly flat.
Despite clocking in ten seconds slower than he had on the identical course in the 2008 Volta, Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
was the winner of the short individual time trial for the second year in a row, narrowly edging out Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde Belmonte is a Spanish road racing cyclist currently under suspension. He last rode for UCI ProTour team . Valverde's biggest wins have been the 2009 Vuelta a España, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2006, 2008 and 2006 UCI ProTour series championship...
to don the first white jersey.
{|
|Stage 1 Results and General Classification after Stage 1
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 4' 47"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| + 1"
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| + 2"
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| + 3"
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| + 3"
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| + 3"
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| + 3"
|-
| 8
|
|
| align="right"| + 4"
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| + 4"
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| + 4"
|}
Stage 2
19 May 2009 – GironaGirona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
to Roses, 163.1 km
This course was hilly, with three categorized climbs, including one about 15 kilometers from the finish.
A four-man breakaway was away for much of the stage. They claimed the intermediate sprints and the first two climbs, putting Samuel Dumoulin
Samuel Dumoulin
Samuel Dumoulin is a French professional road bicycle racer who rides for Cofidis.-Amateur career:Dumoulin rode as an amateur for the TCCT . He won the national youth championship in 1996, then the éspoir Paris–Tours and Paris-Auxerre in 2001. He turned professional in 2002 for Jean Delatour...
and Lloyd Mondory
Lloyd Mondory
Lloyd Mondory is a French professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team .- Major results :2005...
, respectively, in the leading jerseys for those classifications. They were caught on the last climb of the day, the Alt de San Pere De Rodes, during which race leader Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
was dropped and his Cervélo team decided to work for Xavier Florencio
Xavier Florencio
Xavier Florencio Cabré is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team...
. A group of 54 riders was together at the finish for a final sprint, won by Matti Breschel
Matti Breschel
Matti Breschel is a Danish professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam .-Career:He got his breakthrough with small Danish Team PH, finishing 6th at the U/23 Cycling World Championship in Verona in 2004 where he helped fellow Dane Mads Christensen finish 3rd...
. The race lead transferred to Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde Belmonte is a Spanish road racing cyclist currently under suspension. He last rode for UCI ProTour team . Valverde's biggest wins have been the 2009 Vuelta a España, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2006, 2008 and 2006 UCI ProTour series championship...
, who was surprised to get it, since he did not contest the sprint and did not get any time bonuses.
{|
|Stage 2 Results
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 4h 11' 34"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 8
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|}
||
|General Classification after Stage 2
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 4h 16' 22"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| + 0"
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| + 1"
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| + 2"
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| + 2"
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| + 3"
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| + 4"
|-
| 8
|
|
| align="right"| + 4"
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| + 4"
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| + 5"
|}
|}
Stage 3
20 May 2009 – Roses to La Pobla de LilletLa Pobla de Lillet
La Pobla de Lillet is a municipality in the comarca of the Berguedà inCatalonia. It is located in the upper valley of the Llobregat river and is linked to Guardiola de Berguedà by Road B-402....
, 182.8 km
This was a mountainous stage, and it was thought to see a definitive split between those riders who aimed for the final podium and those who didn't. The stage started at sea level, but climbed to 1,031 meters after about 80 kilometers on the road. There were two other categorized climbs on the course, including a steep climb to 1,200 meters right before the end of the stage, which came on the descent from that climb.
This stage saw race leader Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde Belmonte is a Spanish road racing cyclist currently under suspension. He last rode for UCI ProTour team . Valverde's biggest wins have been the 2009 Vuelta a España, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2006, 2008 and 2006 UCI ProTour series championship...
extend his lead with a stage win. After the peloton, paced by his team Caisse d'Epargne, caught the morning's breakaway, Valverde himself attacked at the foot of the day's last climb, and the group of nine GC contenders who were able to hold his wheel contested the finish together.
{|
|Stage 3 Results
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 4h 46' 53"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 5
|
| Andalucía-Cajasur
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 8
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|}
||
|General Classification after Stage 3
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 9h 03' 05"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| + 14"
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| + 15"
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| + 17"
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| + 18"
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| + 19"
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| + 21"
|-
| 8
|
| align="right"| + 23"
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| + 25"
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| + 28"
|}
|}
Stage 4
21 May 2009 – La Pobla de LilletLa Pobla de Lillet
La Pobla de Lillet is a municipality in the comarca of the Berguedà inCatalonia. It is located in the upper valley of the Llobregat river and is linked to Guardiola de Berguedà by Road B-402....
to Vallnord Sector Pal
Vallnord
Vallnord is a ski/snowboard resort in the Pyrenees mountains in the country of Andorra, close to the border with Spain at Tor, Pallars.It encompasses the linked sectors of Pal and Arinsal and the Ordino-Arcalis sector some kilometres away.All the separate sectors within Vallnord contain...
(Andorra
Andorra
Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
), 175.7 km
This stage was undulating at first, and then became mountainous. The Coll del Port (a pass in Catalonia, not to be confused with the pass in France with a very similar name
Col de Port
Col de Port is a mountain pass in the French Pyrenees between Massat and Tarascon-sur-Ariège in the “massif de l'Arize”. It links the Couserans and Ariège valleys....
) was visited, and the finish into Andorra was an outside categorization climb, which began 10 kilometers from the finish line. It has been called the 2009 Volta's queen stage.
This stage was conquered by a member of the morning's breakaway, Julián Sánchez
Julián Sánchez
Julián Sánchez Pimienta is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He competes for the UCI Professional Continental team Contentpolis-Ampo.- Palmarès :2006...
. Sánchez and seven others who came clear of the peloton early on in the stage. While the others were absorbed before the Vallnord climb, Sánchez still had a 90 second lead at its foot and managed to stay away just long enough, giving victory in the queen stage of this UCI ProTour
UCI ProTour
The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the UCI . Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, each of whom are required to compete in every round of the series...
event to a non-ProTour team. The GC favorites who had otherwise dominated on the climb were within a kilometer of Sánchez at the finish, with Daniel Martin
Daniel Martin (cyclist)
Daniel Martin is an Irish racing cyclist who currently rides for .-Early Life:Born in Birmingham, Martin became British National Junior Road Race Champion in 2004, before deciding to ride for Ireland. His brother Tom will ride for the UC Aubenas squad in 2009...
coming the closest to catching him, for second on the stage and a slight time again against race leader Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde Belmonte is a Spanish road racing cyclist currently under suspension. He last rode for UCI ProTour team . Valverde's biggest wins have been the 2009 Vuelta a España, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2006, 2008 and 2006 UCI ProTour series championship...
. Martin moved from sixth to second in the GC after the stage. As the stages that follow this one are all seen as potentially sprinters' stages, Valverde's team made it clear after this stage that they would work with the teams of the sprinters to ensure mass finishes the rest of the way and protect his 15 second lead over Martin.
{|
|valign=top|Stage 4 Results
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
| Contentpolis-Ampo
| align="right"| 4h 46' 29"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| + 6"
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| + 8"
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| + 12"
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| + 21"
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| + 21"
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| + 25"
|-
| 8
|
|
| align="right"| + 31"
|-
| 9
|
| align="right"| + 37"
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 06"
|}
||
|General Classification after Stage 4
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 13h 49' 38"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| + 15"
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| + 22"
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| + 34"
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| + 38"
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| + 45"
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| + 49"
|-
| 8
|
| align="right"| + 56"
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 42"
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 52"
|}
|}
Stage 5
22 May 2009 – La Seu d'UrgellLa Seu d'Urgell
La Seu d'Urgell is a town located in the Catalan Pyrenees in Spain. La Seu d'Urgell is also the capital of the comarca Alt Urgell, head of the judicial district of la Seu d'Urgell and the seat of Bishop of Urgell, one of the Andorra co-princes...
to Torredembarra
Torredembarra
Torredembarra is a small town in the comarca of the Tarragonès, in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.- External links :***...
, 201.3 km
A fair amount of descending faced the riders in this stage, being that it began at 670 meters in elevation and ended near sea level. Most of the descending took place right before the finish line.
A four-man breakaway came clear of the peloton within the first 10 km of the stage. Their maximum advantage was 4' 30", with Steven Cozza
Steven Cozza
Steven Cozza is a professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for Team NetApp.Cozza helped his father co-found the Boy Scouts equality advocacy group Scouting for All when he was 12 years old....
attacking and staying out front for a short while as the peloton absorbed his three breakaway mates. Cozza was also eventually caught, and the finish was contested in a mass sprint, won by Katusha's Nikolay Trusov
Nikolay Trusov
Nikolay Vasilievich Trusov is a Russian professional racing cyclist for UCI ProTour team Katusha. Trusov has been a professional since 2004.- Palmarès :2005...
. Team Katusha came to the Volta thinking that Alexei Markov
Alexei Markov
Alexei Mikhailovich Markov is a Russian professional road bicycle racer.- Palmares :19961997...
would be their primary sprinter, but Markov was not with the peloton at the finish. They therefore worked for Trusov in the sprint, as he narrowly edged out accomplished sprinter Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
at the line. The top ten in the GC were unchanged by the day's results.
{|
|valign=top|Stage 5 Results
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 4h 28' 58"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 8
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|}
||
|General Classification after Stage 5
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 18h 18' 36"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| + 15"
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| + 22"
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| + 34"
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| + 38"
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| + 45"
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| + 49"
|-
| 8
|
| align="right"| + 56"
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 42"
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 52"
|}
|}
Stage 6
23 May 2009 – TorredembarraTorredembarra
Torredembarra is a small town in the comarca of the Tarragonès, in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.- External links :***...
to Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, 150.5 km
This stage was expected to end in a mass sprint, in spite of the three categorized climbs the course featured. In the last 40 kilometers, there was only a very short climb and a lengthy flat stretch to the finish.
The sprint indeed took place, with the man who was pipped at the line the day before, Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
, coming across the line first to claim his second stage win of the Volta. The lead in the mountains classification transferred to Julián Sánchez
Julián Sánchez
Julián Sánchez Pimienta is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He competes for the UCI Professional Continental team Contentpolis-Ampo.- Palmarès :2006...
, who was tied with Xavier Tondó
Xavier Tondó
Xavier Tondo Volpini was a Spanish professional road racing cyclist who specialized in mountain stages of bicycle races- Death :...
by points, but got the jersey because of his victory on the outside categorization climb in Stage 4. The top ten in the GC were again unchanged, and with only a very short, very flat stage remaining, it was believed that they would be unchanged again for the end of the race.
{|
|valign=top|Stage 6 Results
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 3h 26' 43"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 8
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|}
||
|General Classification after Stage 6
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 21h 45' 19"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| + 15"
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| + 22"
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| + 34"
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| + 38"
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| + 45"
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| + 49"
|-
| 8
|
| Andalucía-Cajasur
| align="right"| + 56"
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 42"
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 52"
|}
|}
Stage 7
24 May 2009 – Centre d'Alt RendimentSant Cugat del Vallès
Sant Cugat del Vallès is a town and municipality north of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. In antiquity known as Castrum Octavianum, it is named after Saint Cucuphas, who is said to have been martyred on the spot now occupied by its medieval monastery.Sant Cugat has seen its population increase in...
to Circuit de Catalunya Montmeló
Circuit de Catalunya
The Circuit de Catalunya is a racetrack in Montmeló, to the north of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. With long straights and a variety of corners, the Circuit de Catalunya is seen as an all-rounder circuit.-History:...
, 110.8 km
This course climbed to just over 600 meters. The climb was originally uncategorized, but with Xavier Tondó
Xavier Tondó
Xavier Tondo Volpini was a Spanish professional road racing cyclist who specialized in mountain stages of bicycle races- Death :...
and Julián Sánchez
Julián Sánchez
Julián Sánchez Pimienta is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He competes for the UCI Professional Continental team Contentpolis-Ampo.- Palmarès :2006...
tied by points for the King of the Mountains jersey, race officials decided to offer points for the climb to have a definitive winner in that classification. The descent from that height took about 50 kilometers, with 10 flat kilometers to race before the finish at the race track in Montmeló.
The short distance and relatively flat profile of the stage kept any breakaways from staying clear. Sánchez managed to outsprint Tondó to the summit of the climb to clinch the red jersey victory for the Contentpolis rider. The majority of the peloton was together for the finish, a sprint which was won by Columbia-High Road's Greg Henderson
Greg Henderson
Gregory Henderson is a professional track and road racing cyclist who rides for , but who will ride for Lotto in 2012. His career includes winning the 15 km scratch race at the 2004 world championships and, in road cycling, winning the points competition at the 2005 Tour de Georgia. He...
.
{|
|valign=top|Stage 7 Results
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 2h 26' 51"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 8
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| s.t.
|}
||
|Final General Classification
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
!Cyclist
!Team
!Time
|-
| 1
|
|
| align="right"| 24h 12' 10"
|-
| 2
|
|
| align="right"| + 15"
|-
| 3
|
|
| align="right"| + 22"
|-
| 4
|
|
| align="right"| + 34"
|-
| 5
|
|
| align="right"| + 38"
|-
| 6
|
|
| align="right"| + 45"
|-
| 7
|
|
| align="right"| + 49"
|-
| 8
|
| Andalucía-Cajasur
| align="right"| + 56"
|-
| 9
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 42"
|-
| 10
|
|
| align="right"| + 1' 52"
|}
|}
Riders' jersey progress table
In the 2009 Volta a Catalunya, three different jerseys were awarded. For the general classification, calculated by adding the finishing times of the stages per cyclist, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers on mass start stages, the leader received a white jersey with green stripes on the sleeves. This classification is considered the most important of the Volta a Catalunya, and the winner of the general classification is considered the winner of the Volta a Catalunya.Additionally, there was also a sprint classification, indicated with a blue jersey. In the sprint classification, cyclists got points for being one of the first three in intermediate sprints, with six points awarded for first place, four for second, and two for third.
There was also a mountains classification, indicated with a red jersey. In the mountains classifications, points are won by reaching the top of a mountain before other cyclists. All climbs were categorized, with most either first, second, third, or fourth-category, with more points available for the higher-categorized climbs. There was also an outside categorization climb at the end of Stage 4, which awarded even more points than the first-category climbs.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; font-size:smaller;"
|- style="background-color: #efefef;"
! width="2%" | Stage
! width="12%" | Winner
! style="background:#efefef; border:3px solid green;" width="13%"| General Classification
! style="background:red;" width="13%"| Mountains Classification
! style="background:#87CEEB;" width="13%"| Sprint Classification
! style="background:#FF8C00;" width="13%"| Team Classification
|-
| 1
| Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
| style="background:white; border:3px solid green;" rowspan="1"| Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
| style="background:offwhite;" rowspan="1"| no award
| style="background:offwhite;" rowspan="1"| no award
| style="background:orange;" rowspan="2"|
|-
| 2
| Matti Breschel
Matti Breschel
Matti Breschel is a Danish professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam .-Career:He got his breakthrough with small Danish Team PH, finishing 6th at the U/23 Cycling World Championship in Verona in 2004 where he helped fellow Dane Mads Christensen finish 3rd...
| style="background:white; border:3px solid green;" rowspan="6"| Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde Belmonte is a Spanish road racing cyclist currently under suspension. He last rode for UCI ProTour team . Valverde's biggest wins have been the 2009 Vuelta a España, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2006, 2008 and 2006 UCI ProTour series championship...
| style="background:salmon;" rowspan="1"| Lloyd Mondory
Lloyd Mondory
Lloyd Mondory is a French professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team .- Major results :2005...
| style="background:lightblue;" rowspan="6"| Samuel Dumoulin
Samuel Dumoulin
Samuel Dumoulin is a French professional road bicycle racer who rides for Cofidis.-Amateur career:Dumoulin rode as an amateur for the TCCT . He won the national youth championship in 1996, then the éspoir Paris–Tours and Paris-Auxerre in 2001. He turned professional in 2002 for Jean Delatour...
|-
| 3
| Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde Belmonte is a Spanish road racing cyclist currently under suspension. He last rode for UCI ProTour team . Valverde's biggest wins have been the 2009 Vuelta a España, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2006, 2008 and 2006 UCI ProTour series championship...
| style="background:salmon;" rowspan="3"| Xavier Tondó
Xavier Tondó
Xavier Tondo Volpini was a Spanish professional road racing cyclist who specialized in mountain stages of bicycle races- Death :...
| style="background:orange;" rowspan="1"|
|-
| 4
| Julián Sánchez
Julián Sánchez
Julián Sánchez Pimienta is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He competes for the UCI Professional Continental team Contentpolis-Ampo.- Palmarès :2006...
| style="background:orange;" rowspan="4"|
|-
| 5
| Nikolay Trusov
Nikolay Trusov
Nikolay Vasilievich Trusov is a Russian professional racing cyclist for UCI ProTour team Katusha. Trusov has been a professional since 2004.- Palmarès :2005...
|-
| 6
| Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
| style="background:salmon;" rowspan="2"| Julián Sánchez
Julián Sánchez
Julián Sánchez Pimienta is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He competes for the UCI Professional Continental team Contentpolis-Ampo.- Palmarès :2006...
|-
| 7
| Greg Henderson
Greg Henderson
Gregory Henderson is a professional track and road racing cyclist who rides for , but who will ride for Lotto in 2012. His career includes winning the 15 km scratch race at the 2004 world championships and, in road cycling, winning the points competition at the 2005 Tour de Georgia. He...
|-
! colspan=2| Final
! style="background:#efefef; border:3px solid green;" rowspan="1"|Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde Belmonte is a Spanish road racing cyclist currently under suspension. He last rode for UCI ProTour team . Valverde's biggest wins have been the 2009 Vuelta a España, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2006, 2008 and 2006 UCI ProTour series championship...
! style="background:red;" rowspan="1"|Julián Sánchez
Julián Sánchez
Julián Sánchez Pimienta is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He competes for the UCI Professional Continental team Contentpolis-Ampo.- Palmarès :2006...
! style="background:#87CEEB;" rowspan="1"|Samuel Dumoulin
Samuel Dumoulin
Samuel Dumoulin is a French professional road bicycle racer who rides for Cofidis.-Amateur career:Dumoulin rode as an amateur for the TCCT . He won the national youth championship in 1996, then the éspoir Paris–Tours and Paris-Auxerre in 2001. He turned professional in 2002 for Jean Delatour...
! style="background:#FF8C00;" rowspan="1"|
|}