SABADELL, Spain, 16 September 2003 — Germany’s Erik Zabel did what few others have been able to do this year and outsprinted Italy’s Alessandro Petacchi to win the 194-km 10th stage of the Tour of Spain yesterday. Zabel, wearing the German national champion’s jersey, pipped Petacchi, the winner of four stages in the Tour de France and six in the Giro d’Italia, by a bike length in the mass finish with Italy’s Fabrizio Guidi third. Spain’s Isidro Nozal, 21st on the stage, held on to the leader’s gold jersey for a seventh successive day, 1:48 ahead of ONCE team mate and compatriot Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano, while US Postal’s Manuel Berry remained third. “It is always good for my ego to be able to beat a guy as successful as Petacchi,” the 33-year-old Zabel said of his fourth career stage win in the Vuelta.
“This race is very important for me for three reasons. It’s prestigious, there is a huge German community in Mallorca, who follow the event, and finally it’s the ideal preparation for the world championships in Hamilton.” Petacchi can take some consolation that his second place behind Zabel allowed him to regain the points jersey lead from Nozal. The first part of the hilly stage from Andorra to Sabadell in Spain witnessed one of Nozal’s most important teammates for the mountains, Portuguese rider Jose Azevedo, withdraw with a strained muscle in his right leg. Six men, including two pre-race favorites, Spaniards Oscar Sevilla and Juan Miguel Mercado, and Guidi, then established a small break over the peloton.
