Rate it!

4 votes

Spain's Francisco Mancebo won the 53rd edition of the Tour of Asturias after the fifth and final stage.

The Rock Racing rider finished with an overall time of 19 hours, 19 minutes and six seconds, with Portugal's Tiago Machado in second place - 24 seconds behind - and Javier Moreno of Spain third.

Another Spaniard, Angel Vicioso, of the Andalucia outfit, won the final stage held over 178 km between Cangas Narcea and Oviedo.

Vicioso pipped Grega Bole of Slovakia and Machado in a sprint finish.

Stage five result

1. Angel Vicioso (ESP) Andalucia 4hr 21min 50sec

2. Grega Bole (SLO) same time

3. Tiago Machado (POR) same time

STAGE 4

Francisco Mancebo won the queen stage at the Vuelta a Asturias, taking the overall lead in the process.

The Rock Racing rider, winner of the maillot blanc for the best young rider at the Tour de France in 2000, finished seven seconds ahead of Nuno Ribeiro with Javier Moreno Bazan a further three seconds back in third.

A group of 24 including Mancebo escaped after 45km and he eventually escaped the wheel of Ribeiro with 600m remaining.

Mancebo now holds a 25 second lead on GC over overnight leader Tiago Machado who was three minutes and 28 seconds ahead of the Spaniard but dropped time on the three first category climbs including the summit finish to the Alto del Acebo.

Mancebo should complete victory with Saturday's concluding stage into Oviedo relatively flat.

STAGES 3A & 3B

Tiago Machado extended his overall lead at the Vuelta a Asturias after Thursday's double stage.

The Madeinox-Boavista rider was safely in the main pack as Slovenia's Grega Bole won the morning 89km road stage in a sprint finish.

A third category climb close to the finish did not cause any problems and the Amica Chips-Knauf man beat Mikel Gaztanaga (Contentpolis-Ampo) and Davide Vigano (Fuji-Servetto) to the line.

Hector Guerra (pictured) won the afternoon's 14.2km time trial around Piedras Blancas, finishing seven seconds ahead of Olympic gold medallist Samuel Sanchez.

Machado was 12 seconds back in fourth and now leads stage one winner Glen Chadwick by 58 seconds on GC with Guerra third at 2:34.

STAGE 2

Rock Racing recorded their second successive stage win at the Vuelta a Asturias as Oscar Sevilla claimed stage two.

Sevilla, winner of the white jersey at the Tour de France back in 2001, was part of a four-man break that formed on the final climb of the day and he beat Olympic gold medallist Samuel Sanchez to the line in the sprint.

Hector Guerra (Liberty Seguros) and Colombia's Freddy Montana (Boyaca es para Vivirla) completed the top four places, gaining 25 seconds over the last dozen kilometres on a group of eight riders that included Tuesday's stage runner-up Tiago Machado (Madeinox-Boavista) who took the overall lead.

The 182km leg between Llanes and Gijon had four climbs and an early seven-man escape featuring Irishman David O'Loughlin (An Post-Sean Kelly Team) were ahead for 130km before being reeled in by the bunch.

Montana was then part of a five-man counter attack that was reeled in at the foot of the day's last climb, the Alto de San Martin de Huerces, where the key activity took place and saw stage one winner Glen Chadwick lose 45 seconds to the winner and relinquish the race lead to Portguese Machado with Sevilla now third overall.

STAGE 1

New Zealand's Rock Racing rider Glen Chadwick took stage one of the 53rd La Vuelta Asturias, between Oviedo and Llanes.

Chadwick pipped Portugal's Tiago Machado (Madeinox Boavista) after a two-man battle over 156 kilometres in the tour's windy opener.

Both men went over the line in a time of three hours, 23 minutes and 36 seconds.

Englishman Matthew Brammier and Portugal's Luis Mas helped the leading pair break away after 41km but both dropped off later in the stage.

Machado's team-mate and compatriot Bruno Lima took third, heading the chasing pack just over three minutes behind.

Eurosport