AVILA, Spain, 24 September 2004 — Spaniard Javier Pascual Rodriguez outsprinted Colombian Ivan Parra to win the 196.6km 18th stage of the Tour of Spain from Bejar to Avila yesterday.

Pascual Rodriguez’s victory in five hours two minutes and 59 seconds gave his Kelme team its fourth stage win of the event, while compatriot Roberto Heras retained the overall race lead.

“I knew I was stronger than Ivan in the sprint and... today was an opportunity we couldn’t miss.” Kelme rider Pascual Rodriguez said. “The more stage wins we take the better.”

Heras crossed the line 1:24 behind Pascual Rodriguez to finish in 11th place. Heras reacted well to attacks by fellow Spaniards Santiago Perez and Francisco Mancebo on the Navalmoral.

“I wasn’t worried about Mancebo and Perez’s attacks,” said Heras. “We had them under control.” Liberty Seguros rider Heras, who won the race in 2000 and 2003, holds a 1:13 lead over Perez with just three stages remaining.

Alejandro Valverde is third, trailing by 2:15. “I’m defending the lead day by day, not looking any further ahead,” Heras said.

Hamilton Cleared to Keep Olympic Gold

Meanwhile, Olympic time trial champion Tyler Hamilton has been cleared of any doping offence at the Athens Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said yesterday.

American Hamilton had been told that he gave a positive test for a blood transfusion in Athens on Aug.t 18 but the IOC said in a statement that the result of the B, or second, test was “non-conclusive” because the sample had been destroyed by being deep-frozen. “The disciplinary procedure has had to be stopped because of the non-conclusive result,” the statement said.

“The IOC will not be pursuing sanctions regarding this matter.”

Hamilton still faces possible sanctions from cycling’s ruling body, the UCI, after he was told he gave a positive test for a blood transfusion following his time trial victory during this month’s Tour of Spain. The UCI is yet to officially comment.

Arnie Ljungqvist, head of the IOC’s medical commission, told reporters that it had been a mistake to deep-freeze Hamilton’s B sample from Athens. “The blood sample was unfortunately destroyed. It should not have been deep frozen (in the laboratory),” he said in a teleconference.

The rider had faced losing his gold medal if his B test at the Olympics had been positive. Hamilton, 33, withdrew from the Tour of Spain on Friday citing a stomach upset. He was suspended on Wednesday by his Phonak team, who said in a statement yesterday that Hamilton’s Tour of Spain B test was positive.

The American has maintained he is “100 percent innocent”, while Phonak said he would remain with the team until “clarity” was achieved. Phonak also plan to set up a “scientific board” to check the reliability of the test method.