Lucero wins San Luis

Eurosport - Mon, 26 Jan 09:10:00 2009

Local favourite Alfredo Lucero completed victory in the Tour de San Luis in Argentina as compatriot Juan Jose Haedo won the final stage.

CYCLING 2008 Clasica Almeria CSC Juan Jose Haedo - 0

Saxo Bank speedster Haedo (pictured) reached the line ahead of Mattia Gavazzi (Diquigiovanni) and Luis Mansilla (Team Chile) in a downhill sprint at the end of the 167km stage.

Lucero, known as 'El Flaco', finished safely in the peloton to complete the biggest win of his career.

He finished 52 seconds ahead of his team-mate Jorge Giacinti with Colombian Jose Serpa of Diquigiovanni completing the podium.

2006 Giro winner Ivan Basso was fifth overall while Sebastian Haedo (Colavita-Sutter Home) and Xavier Tondo (Andalucía-Cajasur) won the sprinter and climber categories respectively.

STAGE SIX

Cuban Luis Amaran took a solo victory in blistering heat in Potrero De Los Funes.

The Colavita-Sutter Home rider finished 39 seconds ahead of Matti Breschel (Saxo Bank) with the rest of the field finishing rapidly behind.

The 120km stage featured six laps of a 6km track followed by one 60km loop and then another six laps on the track.

13 riders included Amaran attacked at the midway point of the stage but the peloton reeled them back in with three laps to go with the exception of the 29-year-old Cuban who held out for victory.

Alfredo Lucero of Team Argentina maintained his overall lead of 1:05 on team-mate Jorge Giacinti and Jose Serpa.

STAGE FIVE

Xavier Tondo of Andalucia-Cajasur won stage five in Oro-Merlo.

The Spanish climber crossed the line first, only two seconds ahead of home rider Jorge Giacinti with stage four winner Jose Serpa third another three seconds behind.

Jackson Rodriguez and Carlos Ochoa, also both of Diquigiovanni, completed the top five.

Alfredo Lucero kept the overall lead after the 204km stage despite Tondo making up 27 seconds on him.

STAGE FOUR

Colombia's Jose Serpa won the queen stage of the Tour de San Luis in Argentina.

The Diquigiovanni rider crossed the line at the summit finish in La Carolina six seconds ahead after attacking in the final stages of the 30 minute ascent.

Jorge Giacinti cut 20 seconds into Alfredo Lucero's overall lead but the Argentine national team man still holds a lead of one minute and 36 seconds with Friday's stage again a hilltop finish before two concluding stages suited to the sprinters.

STAGE THREE

Local favourite Jorge Giacinti won the time trial stage.

Giacinti posted a time of 23:44, nine seconds faster than Tom Zirbel (Bissell) over the 20km course around San Luis.

Alfredo Lucero, who was part of the stage two breakaway, finished 13th to take the overall lead. He is 1:54 ahead of compatriot Lucas Sebastian Haedo with Giacinti moving up to third on GC.

2006 Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso was ninth, 38 seconds behind the stage winner.

STAGE TWO

Sebastian Haedo upstaged his more illustrious elder brother Juan Jose to win stage two.

The Colavita-Sutter Home rider took the stage, and the overall race lead in the process, after a 175km ride from San Luis/La Toma to a summit finish at Mirador Del Potrero.

Haedo, Nazaret Prado (Team Brazil) and Alfredo Lucero (Team Argentina) escaped after 40km and built up a 16 minute lead on the peloton but that advantage dwindled to just over two minutes on the final climb.

Ivan Basso finished 18th, two minutes and 41 seconds behind local favourite Haedo.

STAGE ONE:

Ivan Basso finished safely in the pack as his Italian compatriot Mattia Gavazzi won the opening stage.

The Liquigas rider, who made his return to professional competition at the Japan Cup in October just a few days after his suspension for his involvement in Operacion Puerto ended, was in a 75-man lead group that finished in the same time as Diquigiovanni's Gavazzi after a flat 170km stage from San Luis to Villa Mercedes.

Gavazzi edged out home sprinter Juan Jose Haedo, a double stage winner in this race last year, after Haedo's Saxo Bank team-mates had reeled back a 130km breakaway featuring Argentinean Josue Moyano, Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell) and Jesus Rosendo (Andalucía-Cajasur).

The seven day race is in its second year with UCI status and has three summit finishes plus a 20km time trial and features a third ProTour team in Fuji-Servetto.

Eurosport

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  1. I hope he wins nothing and is found out for the cheat he is!

    From Graeme S, on Wed 21 Jan 10:51AM
  2. Lets hope that they keep on top of this cheat now that he's been allowed to continue with his lucrative career.

    From Holty, on Tue 20 Jan 7:49PM
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