ARAMON VALDELINARES, Spain, 2 September 2005 — Roberto Heras moved closer to a record fourth Tour of Spain title when he seized the overall lead with victory in yesterday’s sixth stage.
The Spanish Liberty Seguros rider shook off the entire field on the day’s final nine kilometer climb to secure his ninth career stage win in the Tour of Spain.
Russian Denis Menchov was the last rider to buckle under the strain of Heras’s acceleration, finishing 13 seconds behind on the 217-kms run from Cuenca. Spaniard David Blanco was third, 28 seconds back.
Heras now leads Menchov in the overall standings by six seconds with Spaniard Carlos Sastre third overall, one minute further adrift. “I never expected to move into first place so soon,” the 31-year-old Heras said. “But there was barely a meter of flat today, and it was over 200 kilometers long, so a lot of riders were exhausted even before the final climb.” Heras thanked his Liberty Seguros team mates for keeping such a high pace on the last climb, meaning the leading group was down to eight with four kilometers to go.
“Then a kilometer later, when I attacked, I just had to finish off their hard work,” Heras said.
Only Menchov and Spaniard Carlos Garcia Quesada followed Heras when he soared away but after shedding Garcia Quesada, Heras and Menchov quickly passed Dane Jakob Piil, the last survivor of an earlier breakaway.
“It’s too early to say if I’ll hold the jersey now all the way to Madrid,” said Heras, the winner in 2000, 2003 and 2004.
“Menchov is a dangerous rider, and I can’t forget Sastre and (Spaniard Francisco) Mancebo either. Today I was the strongest, but there’s over two weeks left.” Heras was at a loss to explain his return to form after such a poor Tour de France.
“My body’s in great condition here, and it wasn’t in the Tour, full stop,” Heras, whose previous win had been in the Tour of Spain last year, said. The Tour of Spain ends in Madrid on Sept. 18.
