2010 Volta ao Algarve
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Volta ao Algarve was the 36th edition of the Volta ao Algarve
cycling stage race. It was held from 17–21 February 2010, and was rated as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour
. It started at the Algarve Stadium in Faro
and ended with an individual time trial
in Portimão
.
This edition of the race was noted as a race which was targeted by many notable riders as their first of the season. Among these riders beginning 2010 in Portugal was reigning Tour de France
champion (and defending Volta ao Algarve champion) Alberto Contador
.
teams, five UCI Professional Continental teams, and six Continental teams. Each team was allowed eight riders on their squad, but sent only seven, giving the event a peloton
of 183 cyclists at its outset.
The 23 teams in the race were:
UCI ProTour
Teams
UCI Professional Continental Teams
UCI Continental Teams
Many notable riders contested the event as their first or one of their first of the season. This was the first race since the 2009 Tour de France
for Astana's Alberto Contador
. Thor Hushovd
from intended to make his debut earlier in the season, at the Étoile de Bessèges
, but illness forced him to delay his season debut. Euskaltel-Euskadi's Samuel Sánchez
and the Garmin-Transitions pair of Christian Vandevelde
and David Zabriskie
also made their first appearances of 2010 in this event, while for Caisse d'Epargne's Luis León Sánchez
it was his second, after the Tour Down Under
. The RadioShack squad did not include Lance Armstrong
, but the new American team did send Levi Leipheimer
and Andreas Klöden
, with both making their European debuts for 2010 in this race.
, 157.5 km (97.9 mi)
The Volta kicked off with an undulating stage, including two categorized climbs between the 60 km (37.3 mi) and 100 km (62.1 mi) marks but mostly flat thereafter.
Though the stage seemed set to end with a mass sprint finish, ' Benoît Vaugrenard
put in a winning attack 700 m (2,296.6 ft) from the finish line, foiling the hopes of, among others, sprint ace André Greipel
. Vaugrenard's attack came moments after Joan Horrach
of tried a similar move, but was unable to maintain first position all the way to the line as Vaugrenard was.
to Lagos
, 207.5 km (128.9 mi)
The second stage was similar in profile to the first, jagged with several short climbs. Four of the hills awarded points toward the mountains classification.
This stage was marked by heavy rainfall that made for tough riding for the peloton. Despite a profile that did not seem that it would break the field up so much, 78 riders finished more than ten minutes behind the stage winner, and 28 of them more than twenty minutes back. Thirteen did not finish the stage at all.
With four others, 's David Vitoria
broke away 12 km (7.5 mi) into the stage. The rain and the hilly terrain took its toll on them as it did the peloton, and by 30 km (18.6 mi) to go only Vitoria remained out front. His advantage at that point was 3' 30", which meant there was a chance he could win the stage. In a finish reminiscent of the first stage, when Vaugrenard denied the sprinters, Vitoria stayed away into the stage's final kilometer. He was, however, caught by Greipel 200 m (656.2 ft) from the finish line. The German from Team HTC-Columbia took the stage win and, by virtue of the time bonuses it afforded, the overall leadership.
to Malhão, 173.7 km (107.9 mi)
The third stage was difficult, with four categorized climbs coming in the final 40 km (24.9 mi), including a summit stage finish.
Repeated early crashes in this stage sent Gert Steegmans
, Manuel Cardoso, and Sandy Casar
out of the race and to hospitals, though all escaped serious injury. The team, in particular David de la Fuente
, did strong pacemaking, trying to thin the field and set up their leader Alberto Contador
for victory. 's Nelson Oliviera was the last rider brought back in from the morning escape, just as the ascent to the stage-ending Alto do Malhão began. On this climb, Contador put in the attack that separated him from the field and gave him the stage victory, with the duo of Tiago Machado
and Contador's former teammate Levi Leipheimer
the next two behind him on the road. Contador also became the third straight stage winner to pull on the yellow jersey as race leader.
to Tavira
, 169 km (105 mi)
Stage 4 had a sloping profile, with a high climb coming at the 106.7 km (66.3 mi) mark. Many kilometers of descending followed to the finish line.
After 20 km (12.4 mi) of racing, a six-man breakaway formed. Its complexion changed after the first climb of the day, when three riders were dropped and three bridged from the peloton up to the leading group. The best-placed man in the breakaway was 's Imanol Erviti
, who began the stage 5' 11" behind race leader Contador. The Astana team never let the break get more than five minutes' advantage, content to otherwise let the stage be decided among those riders. The six finished scattered as they crossed the finish line, with Team RadioShack's Sébastien Rosseler
securing their first-ever victory, exactly three minutes ahead of the peloton, and 's Iljo Keisse
in sixth just ten seconds ahead of the main field. There was no significant change to the race's general classification after the stage.
, 17.2 km (10.7 mi) (individual time trial
)
The race's individual time trial is straightforward, with only three curves in the road and several long straightaways, along with a negligible change in elevation. One wrinkle was thrown into the race, however, two days before the time trial was run. The UCI disallowed the Specialized
Shiv time trial bike. This affected both the Astana and Saxo Bank teams, who both ride Specialized bikes, but most notably race leader Contador. Specialized delivered the teams a different model of team trial bike to the teams for use in the stage.
rider Luis León Sánchez
won this time trial, with a time of 21'32". Contador, atop a Specialized Transitions bike instead of the Shiv he had expected to use, was second, 13 seconds slower than Sánchez. He still had more than enough time in hand to win the race overall. Caisse d'Epargne and Team RadioShack both showed well in the time trial, with three riders each in the top ten.
, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers on each stage and in intermediate sprints, the leader received a yellow jersey. This classification was considered the most important of the Volta ao Algarve, and the winner is considered the winner of the Volta.
Additionally, there was a sprints classification, which awarded a blue jersey. In the sprints classification, cyclists got points for finishing in the top three in an intermediate sprint. The first across the sprint points got 3 points, the second got 2, and the third got a single point.
There was also a mountains classification, which awarded a green jersey. In the mountains classification, points were won by reaching the top of a mountain before other cyclists. Each climb was categorized, with the more difficult climbs awarding more points.
The points classification
awarded a white jersey. In the points classification, cyclists got points based on the order at the finish line of each stage. The stage win afforded 25 points, second on the stage was worth 20, third 16, fourth 13, fifth 10, sixth 8, seventh 6, eighth 4, ninth 2, and tenth was worth a single point. The points awarded in the sprints classification counted equivalently for this classification.
The fifth jersey was distinct to this race – it was for the best Portuguese rider. There were eleven Portuguese riders in the race, who competed amongst themselves for a pink jersey.
The race also awarded a teams classification, which was not represented by a jersey. The teams classification was calculated by adding the times of each team's best three riders per stage per day.
Volta ao Algarve
The Volta ao Algarve is a road bicycle racing stage race held annually in the Algarve, Portugal. Since 2005, it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. Due to its early February position in the European calendar, it is used by many riders to prepare for the Spring...
cycling stage race. It was held from 17–21 February 2010, and was rated as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour
2009–2010 UCI Europe Tour
The 2009–2010 UCI Europe Tour is the sixth season of the UCI Europe Tour. The 2009–2010 season began 18 October 2009 with the Chrono des Nations in France and is scheduled to end 17 October 2010 with the next edition of the same race.- Events :...
. It started at the Algarve Stadium in Faro
Faro, Portugal
Faro is the southernmost city in Portugal. It is located in the Faro Municipality in southern Portugal. The city proper has 41,934 inhabitants and the entire municipality has 58,305. It is the seat of the Faro District and capital of the Algarve region...
and ended with an individual time trial
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...
in Portimão
Portimão
Portimão is a Portuguese town located in the District of Faro in the Region of Algarve, the southern coast of Portugal. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão . In 1924, it was incorporated as a cidade and became known merely as Portimão. The town has 41,000 inhabitants and the Portimão...
.
This edition of the race was noted as a race which was targeted by many notable riders as their first of the season. Among these riders beginning 2010 in Portugal was reigning Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
champion (and defending Volta ao Algarve champion) Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
.
Teams and cyclists
There were 23 teams in the 2010 Volta ao Algarve. Among them were 12 UCI ProTourUCI 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...
teams, five UCI Professional Continental teams, and six Continental teams. Each team was allowed eight riders on their squad, but sent only seven, giving the event a peloton
Peloton
The peloton , field, bunch or pack is the large main group of riders in a road bicycle race. Riders in a group save energy by riding close near other riders...
of 183 cyclists at its outset.
The 23 teams in the race were:
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...
Teams
UCI Professional Continental Teams
UCI Continental Teams
- An Post–Sean Kelly
- Barbot-Siper
- C C Loulé-Louletano
- La-Rota Dos Moveis
- Madeinvox-Boavista
- Palmeiras Resort-Tavira
Many notable riders contested the event as their first or one of their first of the season. This was the first race since the 2009 Tour de France
2009 Tour de France
The 2009 Tour de France was the 96th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on 4 July in the principality of Monaco with a individual time trial which included a section of the Circuit de Monaco...
for Astana's Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
. 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...
from intended to make his debut earlier in the season, at the Étoile de Bessèges
Étoile de Bessèges
The Étoile de Bessèges is an early-season five-day road bicycle racing stage race held annually in Southern France, around Bessèges. Since 2005, it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour and features as one of the first stage races of the European season.-Palmarès:...
, but illness forced him to delay his season debut. Euskaltel-Euskadi's Samuel Sánchez
Samuel Sánchez
Samuel Sánchez González is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He was the gold medal winner in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Men's Road Race. In recent years Sánchez has proven himself in hilly classics and stage races as one of the most important riders in the peloton...
and the Garmin-Transitions pair of Christian Vandevelde
Christian Vandevelde
Christian Vande Velde is an American professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for . The son of United States Bicycling Hall of Fame inductee John Vande Velde, Christian became professional in 1998 for US Postal.He twice rode on the Tour de France team that brought Lance Armstrong to...
and David Zabriskie
David Zabriskie
David Zabriskie is a professional road bicycle racer from the United States who rides for . His main strength is individual time trials and his career highlights include stage wins in all three Grand Tour stage races and winning the US National Time Trial Championship six times...
also made their first appearances of 2010 in this event, while for Caisse d'Epargne's Luis León Sánchez
Luis León Sánchez
Luis León Sánchez Gil is a Spanish road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He is also known as Lulu Sanchez. He rode for team Liberty Seguros-Würth from 2004 until 2006, when he moved to the Caisse d'Epargne team following the collapse of the Liberty Seguros-Würth team in the wake of the Operación...
it was his second, after the Tour Down Under
2010 Tour Down Under
The 2010 Tour Down Under was the 12th edition of the Tour Down Under cycling stage race. It was held from 19 January to 24 January 2010, traveling from Clare to Adelaide in South Australia. It was the first event in the 2010 UCI World Calendar...
. The RadioShack squad did not include Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
, but the new American team did send Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer is an American professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major results are winning the 2007–2009 editions of the Tour of California, the 2006 Dauphiné Libéré and the 2005 Deutschland Tour, coming in second in the 2008 Vuelta a España, third in the 2001 Vuelta a...
and Andreas Klöden
Andreas Klöden
Andreas Klöden is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and second place in the 2004 Tour de France and 2006 Tour de France...
, with both making their European debuts for 2010 in this race.
Stage 1
17 February 2010 – Algarve Stadium to AlbufeiraAlbufeira
Albufeira is a Portuguese municipality in the Faro District, Algarve region. Its name came from the Arabic: البحيرة . The city has a population of 13,646. The municipality has a population of 35,281 inhabitants and a total area of 140.6 km²...
, 157.5 km (97.9 mi)
The Volta kicked off with an undulating stage, including two categorized climbs between the 60 km (37.3 mi) and 100 km (62.1 mi) marks but mostly flat thereafter.
Though the stage seemed set to end with a mass sprint finish, ' Benoît Vaugrenard
Benoît Vaugrenard
Benoît Vaugrenard is a French road racing cyclist who rides for UCI Professional Continental team .- Palmares:2005...
put in a winning attack 700 m (2,296.6 ft) from the finish line, foiling the hopes of, among others, sprint ace André Greipel
Andre Greipel
André Greipel is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .He currently lives in Hürth, close to Cologne in Germany...
. Vaugrenard's attack came moments after Joan Horrach
Joan Horrach
Joan Horrach Ripoll is a Spanish professional road racing cyclist. He rides on the UCI ProTour for .- Results and Teams :2000 – Maia-MSS2001 – Milaneza-MSS...
of tried a similar move, but was unable to maintain first position all the way to the line as Vaugrenard was.
Stage 1 results
|
General Classification after Stage 1
|
Stage 2
18 February 2010 – SagresSagres, Portugal
Sagres is a town located in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, Algarve, Portugal. It has a surface of 34,28 km² and a population of 1 939 . Sagres Point, historically connected to the Portuguese Age of Discovery, is located there....
to Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, 207.5 km (128.9 mi)
The second stage was similar in profile to the first, jagged with several short climbs. Four of the hills awarded points toward the mountains classification.
This stage was marked by heavy rainfall that made for tough riding for the peloton. Despite a profile that did not seem that it would break the field up so much, 78 riders finished more than ten minutes behind the stage winner, and 28 of them more than twenty minutes back. Thirteen did not finish the stage at all.
With four others, 's David Vitoria
David Vitoria
David Vitoria is a former professional cyclist who resides in the town Albacete by Ossa de Montiel and was a training partner of fellow professional Oscar Sevilla...
broke away 12 km (7.5 mi) into the stage. The rain and the hilly terrain took its toll on them as it did the peloton, and by 30 km (18.6 mi) to go only Vitoria remained out front. His advantage at that point was 3' 30", which meant there was a chance he could win the stage. In a finish reminiscent of the first stage, when Vaugrenard denied the sprinters, Vitoria stayed away into the stage's final kilometer. He was, however, caught by Greipel 200 m (656.2 ft) from the finish line. The German from Team HTC-Columbia took the stage win and, by virtue of the time bonuses it afforded, the overall leadership.
Stage 2 results
|
General Classification after Stage 2
|
Stage 3
19 February 2010 – Castro MarimCastro Marim
Castro Marim is a town and a municipality in the southern region of Algarve, in Portugal. The municipality is composed of 4 parishes.The present Mayor is José Fernandes Estevens, elected by the Social Democratic Party.The municipal holiday is June 24....
to Malhão, 173.7 km (107.9 mi)
The third stage was difficult, with four categorized climbs coming in the final 40 km (24.9 mi), including a summit stage finish.
Repeated early crashes in this stage sent Gert Steegmans
Gert Steegmans
Gert Steegmans is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who rides for UCI ProTeam . He has a strong finishing sprint and can compete in the sprint with fellow Belgian cyclist Tom Boonen.-Career overview:...
, Manuel Cardoso, and Sandy Casar
Sandy Casar
Sandy Casar is a French professional racing cyclist.Casar turned professional in 2000 after riding for Jean Floch-Mantes as an amateur. As a professional he has always ridden for FDJ.Severo...
out of the race and to hospitals, though all escaped serious injury. The team, in particular David de la Fuente
David De La Fuente
David de la Fuente Rasilla is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He rides for the cycling team. De la Fuente led the mountains classification of the 2006 Tour de France for a number of stages, donning the Polka Dot jersey after stage 2, and then again after stage 11 until Michael...
, did strong pacemaking, trying to thin the field and set up their leader Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...
for victory. 's Nelson Oliviera was the last rider brought back in from the morning escape, just as the ascent to the stage-ending Alto do Malhão began. On this climb, Contador put in the attack that separated him from the field and gave him the stage victory, with the duo of Tiago Machado
Tiago Machado
Tiago Machado is a Portuguese professional cyclist. He rides for the UCI ProTour team .-Notable Results:2008...
and Contador's former teammate Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer is an American professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major results are winning the 2007–2009 editions of the Tour of California, the 2006 Dauphiné Libéré and the 2005 Deutschland Tour, coming in second in the 2008 Vuelta a España, third in the 2001 Vuelta a...
the next two behind him on the road. Contador also became the third straight stage winner to pull on the yellow jersey as race leader.
Stage 3 results
|
General Classification after Stage 3
|
Stage 4
20 February 2010 – CacelaVila Nova de Cacela
Vila Nova de Cacela, or simply Cacela, is a town and civil parish in the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António, the southeasternmost of the Algarve, Portugal. Cacela is an exclave of the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António, one of only three in Portugal to have exclaves. A lagoon and...
to Tavira
Tavira
Tavira is a Portuguese city, situated at 37°07' north, 7°39' west in the east of the Algarve on the south coast of Portugal. It is 30 km east of Faro and 160 km west of Seville in Spain. The Gilão River meets the Atlantic Ocean in Tavira....
, 169 km (105 mi)
Stage 4 had a sloping profile, with a high climb coming at the 106.7 km (66.3 mi) mark. Many kilometers of descending followed to the finish line.
After 20 km (12.4 mi) of racing, a six-man breakaway formed. Its complexion changed after the first climb of the day, when three riders were dropped and three bridged from the peloton up to the leading group. The best-placed man in the breakaway was 's Imanol Erviti
Imanol Erviti
Imanol Erviti Ollo is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .- Palmares :20042007- External links :...
, who began the stage 5' 11" behind race leader Contador. The Astana team never let the break get more than five minutes' advantage, content to otherwise let the stage be decided among those riders. The six finished scattered as they crossed the finish line, with Team RadioShack's Sébastien Rosseler
Sébastien Rosseler
Sébastien Rosseler is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team whose forte is time trials. As part of Quick Step, he usually rode in support of the team's stars, such as Tom Boonen.-Main Victories:20012003...
securing their first-ever victory, exactly three minutes ahead of the peloton, and 's Iljo Keisse
Iljo Keisse
Iljo Keisse is a Belgian racing cyclist, who has had his status altered many times as a result of a doping investigation. He rode part of the 2010 season for UCI ProTour team ....
in sixth just ten seconds ahead of the main field. There was no significant change to the race's general classification after the stage.
Stage 4 results
|
General Classification after Stage 4
|
Stage 5
21 February 2010 – Laguna to PortimãoPortimão
Portimão is a Portuguese town located in the District of Faro in the Region of Algarve, the southern coast of Portugal. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão . In 1924, it was incorporated as a cidade and became known merely as Portimão. The town has 41,000 inhabitants and the Portimão...
, 17.2 km (10.7 mi) (individual time trial
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 race's individual time trial is straightforward, with only three curves in the road and several long straightaways, along with a negligible change in elevation. One wrinkle was thrown into the race, however, two days before the time trial was run. The UCI disallowed the Specialized
Specialized Bicycle Components
Specialized Bicycle Components, more commonly known simply as Specialized, is a major American brand of bicycles and related products. It was founded in 1974 by Mike Sinyard and is based in Morgan Hill, California-History:...
Shiv time trial bike. This affected both the Astana and Saxo Bank teams, who both ride Specialized bikes, but most notably race leader Contador. Specialized delivered the teams a different model of team trial bike to the teams for use in the stage.
rider Luis León Sánchez
Luis León Sánchez
Luis León Sánchez Gil is a Spanish road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He is also known as Lulu Sanchez. He rode for team Liberty Seguros-Würth from 2004 until 2006, when he moved to the Caisse d'Epargne team following the collapse of the Liberty Seguros-Würth team in the wake of the Operación...
won this time trial, with a time of 21'32". Contador, atop a Specialized Transitions bike instead of the Shiv he had expected to use, was second, 13 seconds slower than Sánchez. He still had more than enough time in hand to win the race overall. Caisse d'Epargne and Team RadioShack both showed well in the time trial, with three riders each in the top ten.
Stage 5 results
|
Final General Classification
|
Classification leadership
In the 2010 Volta ao Algarve, five different jerseys were awarded. For the general classificationGeneral Classification
The general classification in bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for bicycle riders in multi-stage bicycle races...
, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers on each stage and in intermediate sprints, the leader received a yellow jersey. This classification was considered the most important of the Volta ao Algarve, and the winner is considered the winner of the Volta.
Additionally, there was a sprints classification, which awarded a blue jersey. In the sprints classification, cyclists got points for finishing in the top three in an intermediate sprint. The first across the sprint points got 3 points, the second got 2, and the third got a single point.
There was also a mountains classification, which awarded a green jersey. In the mountains classification, points were won by reaching the top of a mountain before other cyclists. Each climb was categorized, with the more difficult climbs awarding more points.
The points classification
Points classification
The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning intermediate sprints. The points classification is the top prize for many cycling sprinters and therefore is often known as the Sprint Classification;...
awarded a white jersey. In the points classification, cyclists got points based on the order at the finish line of each stage. The stage win afforded 25 points, second on the stage was worth 20, third 16, fourth 13, fifth 10, sixth 8, seventh 6, eighth 4, ninth 2, and tenth was worth a single point. The points awarded in the sprints classification counted equivalently for this classification.
The fifth jersey was distinct to this race – it was for the best Portuguese rider. There were eleven Portuguese riders in the race, who competed amongst themselves for a pink jersey.
The race also awarded a teams classification, which was not represented by a jersey. The teams classification was calculated by adding the times of each team's best three riders per stage per day.
| Stage | Winner | General Classification |
Mountains Classification |
Sprints Classification |
Points Classification |
Portuguese Rider Classification |
Teams Classification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benoît Vaugrenard Benoît Vaugrenard Benoît Vaugrenard is a French road racing cyclist who rides for UCI Professional Continental team .- Palmares:2005... |
Benoît Vaugrenard Benoît Vaugrenard Benoît Vaugrenard is a French road racing cyclist who rides for UCI Professional Continental team .- Palmares:2005... |
Jerome Baugnies | Hugo Sabido | Benoît Vaugrenard Benoît Vaugrenard Benoît Vaugrenard is a French road racing cyclist who rides for UCI Professional Continental team .- Palmares:2005... |
Rui Costa Rui Costa (cyclist) Rui Alberto Faria da Costa is a Portuguese professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .... |
|
| 2 | André Greipel Andre Greipel André Greipel is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .He currently lives in Hürth, close to Cologne in Germany... |
André Greipel Andre Greipel André Greipel is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .He currently lives in Hürth, close to Cologne in Germany... |
André Greipel Andre Greipel André Greipel is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .He currently lives in Hürth, close to Cologne in Germany... |
||||
| 3 | Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro... |
Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro... |
Thomas De Gendt Thomas De Gendt Thomas De Gendt is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who rides for UCI ProTeam Vacansoleil-DCM. He previously rode for .-Palmares:20072008... |
Tiago Machado Tiago Machado Tiago Machado is a Portuguese professional cyclist. He rides for the UCI ProTour team .-Notable Results:2008... |
|||
| 4 | Sébastien Rosseler Sébastien Rosseler Sébastien Rosseler is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team whose forte is time trials. As part of Quick Step, he usually rode in support of the team's stars, such as Tom Boonen.-Main Victories:20012003... |
||||||
| 5 | Luis León Sánchez Luis León Sánchez Luis León Sánchez Gil is a Spanish road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He is also known as Lulu Sanchez. He rode for team Liberty Seguros-Würth from 2004 until 2006, when he moved to the Caisse d'Epargne team following the collapse of the Liberty Seguros-Würth team in the wake of the Operación... |
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| Final | Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro... |
Jerome Baugnies | Thomas De Gendt | André Greipel Andre Greipel André Greipel is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .He currently lives in Hürth, close to Cologne in Germany... |
Tiago Machado Tiago Machado Tiago Machado is a Portuguese professional cyclist. He rides for the UCI ProTour team .-Notable Results:2008... |
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