COLLADO VILLALBA, 27 September 2003 — Italian Filippo Simeoni of the Domina Vacanze team outsprinted Dane Klaus Moller to win stage 19 of the Tour of Spain yesterday.

Simeoni, part of a group of 11 that shattered on the climb of Navacerrada near the finish, took the plaudits at the end of the 164 km stage from La Vega de Alcobendas to Collado Villalba.

An attack by favorite Roberto Heras on that same climb caused his Spanish compatriot and race leader Isidro Nozal to crack as he lost over a minute to Heras by the finish.

Nozal retained the overall lead but Heras moved up one place to second in the standings and is a serious threat in Saturday’s mountain time trial.

A delighted Heras said: “The stage worked out very well for me at a tactical level”.

Australian O’Grady

Signs for Cofidis

Australian Stuart O’Grady, former Tour de France leader and Commonwealth Games road race gold medalist in 2002, has signed for top French team Cofidis it was reported in Alcobendas, Spain.

O’Grady, 30, wore the yellow jersey of the Tour in 1998 and 2001, winning a Tour stage to Grenoble in 1998. This year he took third in the Tour of Flanders, the best finish for an Australian in the prestigious one-day event since Phil Anderson was second in 1988.

“We will be concentrating on the Belgian Classics with Stuart,” team manager Francis Van Londersele said. “Then after that, perhaps the green jersey or perhaps stages of the Tour de France.”

Jan Ullrich Being

Wooed by Majorca

Jan Ullrich might soon follow tens of thousands of Germans who have made Majorca their home-away-from- home, Spanish media reported yesterday. Ullrich, who sensationally finished second in this year’s Tour de France after a lengthy layoff due to injury and suspension, is considering leaving the Italian Bianchi team.

The 29-year-old is said to be on the wanted list of a new team that is to be formed by the provincial government of the Balearic Islands. The present manager of the ibanesto.com team, Jose Miguel Echavarri is said to have agreed to work with the new team, for which the provincial government is reportedly making between 6 million and 9 million euros available. A team, with Ullrich as captain, would not only be beneficial for sport, but also for tourism, a government official is quoted as having said. The team is to be called Balearic Islands and a three-year plan has been drawn up.