2012 Tour of the Basque Country

2012 Tour of the Basque Country Vuelta al pais vasco 2012.png 300px 2012 UCI World Tour 9 28 2–7 April 6 824.6 km 20h 58' 15" Samuel Sánchez Spain EUS 2012 yellow Joaquim Rodríguez Spain KAT 2012 Bauke Mollema Netherlands RAB 2012 Samuel Sánchez Spain EUS 2012 white Mads Christensen Denmark SAX 2012a blue Marco Pinotti Italy BMC 2012 green KAT 2012 2011 2013 The 2012 Tour of the Basque Country was the 52nd running of the Tour of the Basque Country cycling stage race. It started on 2 April in Güeñes and ended on 7 April in Oñati, and consisted of six stages, including a race-concluding individual time trial. It was the ninth race of the 2012 UCI World Tour season. The race was won by Spain's Samuel Sánchez of the EUS 2012 team,http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/07042012/58/sanchez-wins-tt-basque-title.html Sanchez wins TT to take Basque title Yahoo! Eurosport TF1 Group 7 April 2012 7 April 2012 after winning two stages including the final stage time trial, to take the general classification on the final day. Sánchez won the general classification by 12 seconds over runner-up Joaquim Rodríguez of KAT 2012, who had led into the final stage; Sánchez also beat Rodríguez to the points classification title. Third place was taken by RAB 2012's Bauke Mollema after he finished second to Sánchez in the time trial,https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/samuel-sanchez-wins-tour-of-basque-country-overtakes-joaquin-rodriguez-on-final-stage/2012/04/07/gIQAJoks1S_story.html Samuel Sanchez wins Tour of Basque Country, overtakes Joaquin Rodriguez on final stage 7 April 2012 7 April 2012 The Washington Post; The Washington Post Company Associated PressJune 2021 medicmedic and gained sufficient time to move up from eleventh overnight. In the race's other classifications, Marco Pinotti of the BMC 2012 won the green jersey for the most points gained in intermediate sprints,http://www.bmcracingteam.com/news/news/datum/2012/04/07/pinotti-fourth-in-final-time-trial-at-pais-vasco https://archive.today/20120724123303/http://www.bmcracingteam.com/news/news/datum/2012/04/07/pinotti-fourth-in-final-time-trial-at-pais-vasco usurped July 24, 2012 Pinotti Fourth In Final Time Trial At Pais Vasco BMC 2012 BMC Trading AG 7 April 2012 7 April 2012 while SAX 2012a rider Mads Christensen won the King of the Mountains classification,https://www.team-saxobank.com/ny_news.asp?n_id=3571 https://archive.today/20120913232545/https://www.team-saxobank.com/ny_news.asp?n_id=3571 dead 13 September 2012 Mads Christensen on the podium in Vuelta al Pais Vasco SAX 2012a Riis Cycling 7 April 2012 7 April 2012 and KAT 2012 yes finished at the head of the teams classification. Schedule After the race was bailed out by Spanish bank Banco Sabadell on 5 March,https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/basque-races-rescued-by-spanish-bank Basque races rescued by Spanish bank Peter Cossins 5 March 2012 2 April 2012 Cycling Newshttp://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/news/basque-country-tour-and-clasica-saved-by-final-hour-sponsor_208242 Basque Country tour and Clásica saved by final-hour sponsor Andrew Hood 6 March 2012 2 April 2012 VeloNews 14 April 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120414212550/http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/news/basque-country-tour-and-clasica-saved-by-final-hour-sponsor_208242 dead race organisers announced the itinerary ten days later.http://www.deia.com/2012/03/15/deportes/ciclismo/la-vuelta-al-pais-vasco-retira-de-su-trazado-la-subida-a-goikouria La Vuelta al País Vasco retira de su trazado la subida a Goikouria es The Tour of Basque Country remove the climb to Goikouria from its route 15 March 2012 2 April 2012 Deia – Noticias de Bizkaia Editorial Iparraguirre, S.A. 30 July 2012 https://archive.today/20120730192515/http://www.deia.com/2012/03/15/deportes/ciclismo/la-vuelta-al-pais-vasco-retira-de-su-trazado-la-subida-a-goikouria dead StageRouteDistanceDateWinner1Güeñes to Güeñes152 km 1 on2 AprilJosé Joaquín Rojas ESP2Güeñes to Vitoria-Gasteiz165.7 km 1 on3 AprilDaryl Impey RSA3Vitoria-Gasteiz to Eibar154 km 1 on4 AprilSamuel Sánchez ESP4Eibar to Bera-Ibardin151 km 1 on5 AprilJoaquim Rodríguez ESP5Bera-Ibardin to Oñati183 km 1 on6 AprilJoaquim Rodríguez ESP6 (ITT)Oñati to Oñati18.9 km 1 on7 AprilSamuel Sánchez ESP Participating teams As the Tour of the Basque Country was a UCI World Tour event, all 18 UCI ProTeams were invited automatically and obligated to send a squad. Two other squads were given wildcard places into the race,https://www.radsport-news.com/sport/sportnews_74227.htm de Wildcards für Caja Rural und Utensilnord–Named Wildcards for Caja Rural and Utensilnord-Named Radsport News Sport Aktiv Media GmbH 24 March 2012 2 April 2012 and as such, formed the event's 20-team peloton. The 20 teams that competed in the race were:https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vuelta-ciclista-al-pais-vasco-2012/start-list Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco 2012 start list Cycling News 2 April 2012 2 April 2012 ALM 2012 AST 2012 BMC 2012 CJR 2012 EUS 2012 FDJ 2012 GRM 2012a GEC 2012a KAT 2012 LAM 2012 LIQ 2012 LTB 2012 MOV 2012 OPQ 2012 RAB 2012 RNT 2012 SAX 2012a SKY 2012 UNA 2012 VCD 2012 Stages Stage 1 2 April 2012 — Güeñes to Güeñes, 152 km 1 onhttp://vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco.com/2012/clasificaciones/etapa1-guenes-guenes/clasificacion-etapa.php Clasificación de la etapa 1: Güeñes – Güeñes (152 Km) es Classification of Stage 1: Güeñes – Güeñes (152 km) 2 April 2012 2 April 2012 Tour of the Basque Country El Diario Vasco https://web.archive.org/web/20120407080146/http://vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco.com/2012/clasificaciones/etapa1-guenes-guenes/clasificacion-etapa.php 7 April 2012 dead Two riders – UNA 2012's Davide Mucelli and David de la Fuente of CJR 2012https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vuelta-ciclista-al-pais-vasco-2012/stage-1/results Rojas wins stage 1 at Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Cycling News 2 April 2012 2 April 2012 – advanced clear of the main field at the 20 km 1 on mark of the stage, as they reached the race's first categorised climb, the third-category Alto Humaran; they managed to extend their advantage to a maximum of over five minutes at one point during the early running of the stage.http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11519/Vuelta-al-Pais-Vasco-Spanish-champion-Rojas-wins-opening-stage.aspx Shane Stokes 2 April 2012 2 April 2012 VeloNation Spanish champion Rojas wins opening stage EUS 2012 and AST 2012 came to the front of the peloton towards the midpoint of the stage; making their move on the Alto del Suceso, another categorised climb with de la Fuente taking the maximum points on offer. Mucelli and de la Fuente's advantage had dropped to around two-and-a-half minutes, before spanning back out to the four-minute mark with 50 km 1 on remaining. RAB 2012 then established themselves on the front of the pack; protecting their main sprinter for the race, Michael Matthews.http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/04/race-report/rojas-wins-basque-country-opener_211936 Rojas wins Basque Country opener VeloNews 2 April 2012 2 April 2012 Andrew Hood As such, by the time the race had advanced another 20 km 1 on of the parcours, the duo out front only held a lead of around a minute over the advancing peloton. The catch was inevitable, and just shy of 15 km 1 on remaining,https://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/532324/rojas-wins-pais-vasco-stage-one-sprint.html Rojas wins Pais Vasco stage one sprint Nigel Wynn Cycling Weekly Limited 2 April 2012 2 April 2012 Mucelli and de la Fuente were brought back by the field with LTB 2012 on the front. On the final climb of the day, the Alto de San Comse, a crash in the pack delayed several riders, with the peloton momentarily stalling the pace in the mayhem. This delay allowed Wesley Sulzberger (GEC 2012a) to sneak off the front; the first of several mini-attacks that were ultimately unsuccessful on the run in to Güeñes. LIQ 2012 looked to set up the sprint finish for their rider Daniele Ratto, but he faded in the closing stages; VCD 2012's Wout Poels launched his attack for the line, but he was usurped by the Spanish national champion, MOV 2012's José Joaquín Rojas,http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/02042012/58/rojas-wins-basque-opener.html Rojas wins Basque opener Lee Walker Yahoo! Eurosport TF1 Group 2 April 2012 2 April 2012 who earned his first victory of 2012 at the finish. Stage 1 Result RiderTeamTime 1 José Joaquín Rojas ESP MOV 2012 3h 57' 44" 2 Wout Poels NED VAC 2012 s.t. 3 Fabian Wegmann GER GRM 2012a s.t. 4 Daniele Ratto ITA LIQ 2012 s.t. 5 Arthur Vichot FRA FDJ 2012 s.t. 6 Ryder Hesjedal CAN GRM 2012a s.t. 7 Gianni Meersman BEL LTB 2012 s.t. 8 Gorka Izagirre ESP EUS 2012 s.t. 9 Francesco Gavazzi ITA AST 2012 s.t. 10 Paolo Bailetti ITA UNA 2012 s.t.General Classification after Stage 1 RiderTeamTime 1 José Joaquín Rojas ESP 20px20px MOV 2012 3h 57' 44" 2 Wout Poels NED VAC 2012 + 0" 3 Fabian Wegmann GER GRM 2012a + 0" 4 Daniele Ratto ITA LIQ 2012 + 0" 5 Arthur Vichot FRA FDJ 2012 + 0" 6 Ryder Hesjedal CAN GRM 2012a + 0" 7 Gianni Meersman BEL LTB 2012 + 0" 8 Gorka Izagirre ESP EUS 2012 + 0" 9 Francesco Gavazzi ITA AST 2012 + 0" 10 Paolo Bailetti ITA UNA 2012 + 0" Stage 2 3 April 2012 — Güeñes to Vitoria-Gasteiz, 165.7 km 1 onhttp://vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco.com/2012/etapas/etapa2-guenes-vitoria-gasteiz.htm Perfil etapa 2: Güeñes – Vitoria-Gasteiz es Profile Stage 2: Güeñes – Vitoria-Gasteiz 2 April 2012 Tour of the Basque Country El Diario Vasco 1 April 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120401011155/http://vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco.com/2012/etapas/etapa2-guenes-vitoria-gasteiz.htm dead Heavy rain greeted the riders at the start of the stage, with an early climb of the third-category Alto de San Cosme coming after just 4 km 1 on of the parcours.http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11528/Daryl-Impey-takes-Vuelta-a-Pais-Vasco-stage-two-with-final-kilometre-attack.aspx Ben Atkins 3 April 2012 3 April 2012 VeloNation Daryl Impey takes Vuelta a Pais Vasco stage two with final kilometre attack It was on the descent from the climb that the primary breakaway of the stage began to form; Jérôme Pineau of OPQ 2012 went clear with FDJ 2012's Thibaut Pinot and SAX 2012a rider Mads Christensen.https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vuelta-ciclista-al-pais-vasco-2012/stage-2/results Impey holds off peloton for stage 2 win with late flier Cycling News 3 April 2012 3 April 2012 The trio were later joined by another pair of riders – representing the wildcard teams in the race, UNA 2012 and CJR 2012 – as Gabriele Bosisio and Julián Sánchez both ventured off the front of the peloton, eventually catching up with the breakaway after 32 km 1 on. Of the five members of the breakaway, only two – Pinot and Pineau – had finished in the same time as stage one winner, MOV 2012's José Joaquín Rojas. As such, MOV 2012 yes were driving the pace on the front of the main pack, in order to keep within a suitable distance of the five leaders; the gap at that point was around the seven-minute mark. Pinot continued to close in on David de la Fuente (CJR 2012 yes) and the mountains classification lead, as he claimed maximum points on offer at the Alto de La Barrerilla and the Alto de Zaldiaran. EUS 2012, GEC 2012a and RAB 2012 all placed riders towards the front of the peloton, to help close the gap between the leaders and themselves. The gap had been cut to just over five minutes by the time the race reached the next categorised climb, the Alto de Vitoria, with Pinot again leading the breakaway across the summit. More teams sent riders forward to help with the work to bring back the leaders, taking back four minutes from the next 30 km 1 on; the lead quintet held an advantage of just 1' 22" at the summit of the Alto de San Martin. Alas, the breakaway was not to succeed; with 13 km 1 on remaining of the stage, and on the second climb of the Alto de Zaldiaran – the final climb of the stage – the peloton brought back the lead quintet, allowing more riders to try an attacking move in the closing stages, on the run-in to Vitoria-Gasteiz. With GEC 2012a yes leading the main pack, another five-man move tried to get clear on the climb itself, including one of the team's riders, Wesley Sulzberger. Also part of the move were Pinot's team-mate Anthony Roux, AST 2012's Alexsandr Dyachenko, KAT 2012 rider Eduard Vorganov and Dominik Nerz of LIQ 2012. Nerz then attacked his companions, but all five were caught before the summit of the climb. LAM 2012, AST 2012 yes and GEC 2012a yes all had riders towards the front of the pack, many expecting a bunch sprint for the stage honours. As it transpired, an opportune move by Daryl Impey at the flamme rouge proved fruitful, and he managed to stay clear of the ever-closing pack to take his first victory for GEC 2012a yes, and the team's seventh of the year.http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/04/race-report/impey-wins-stage-2-at-pais-vasco-rojas-defends-overall-lead_212012 Impey continues GreenEdge streak at País Vasco; Rojas defends overall VeloNews 3 April 2012 3 April 2012 Andrew Hood Team-mate Allan Davis, like Impey,https://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/532344/impey-attacks-to-take-pais-vasco-stage-two.html Impey attacks to take Pais Vasco stage two Cycling Weekly Limited 3 April 2012 3 April 2012 Nigel Wynn crossed the line arms aloft in second place ahead of SKY 2012's Davide Appollonio and Rojas, who maintained his overall lead.http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/03042012/58/impey-claims-basque-stage.html Impey claims Basque stage Yahoo! Eurosport TF1 Group Lee Walker 3 April 2012 3 April 2012 Stage 2 Result RiderTeamTime 1 Daryl Impey RSA GEC 2012a 4h 10' 07" 2 Allan Davis AUS GEC 2012a s.t. 3 Davide Appollonio ITA SKY 2012 s.t. 4 José Joaquín Rojas ESP 20px MOV 2012 s.t. 5 Michael Matthews AUS RAB 2012 s.t. 6 Daniele Ratto ITA LIQ 2012 s.t. 7 Francesco Gavazzi ITA AST 2012 s.t. 8 Fabian Wegmann GER GRM 2012a s.t. 9 Gianni Meersman BEL LTB 2012 s.t. 10 Daniele Pietropolli ITA LAM 2012 s.t.General Classification after Stage 2 RiderTeamTime 1 José Joaquín Rojas ESP 20px20px MOV 2012 8h 07' 51" 2 Daniele Ratto ITA LIQ 2012 + 0" 3 Fabian Wegmann GER GRM 2012a + 0" 4 Daryl Impey RSA GEC 2012a + 0" 5 Francesco Gavazzi ITA AST 2012 + 0" 6 Gianni Meersman BEL LTB 2012 + 0" 7 Ryder Hesjedal CAN GRM 2012a + 0" 8 Michael Matthews AUS RAB 2012 + 0" 9 Davide Appollonio ITA SKY 2012 + 0" 10 Mauro Santambrogio ITA BMC 2012 + 0" Stage 3 4 April 2012 — Vitoria-Gasteiz to Eibar, 154 km 1 onhttp://vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco.com/2012/clasificaciones/etapa3-vitoria-gasteiz-eibar-arrate/clasificacion-etapa.php Clasificación de la etapa 3: Vitoria-Gasteiz – Eibar (Arrate) (154 Km) es Classification of Stage 3: Vitoria-Gasteiz – Eibar (Arrate) (154 km) 4 April 2012 4 April 2012 Tour of the Basque Country El Diario Vasco https://web.archive.org/web/20120408093430/http://vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco.com/2012/clasificaciones/etapa3-vitoria-gasteiz-eibar-arrate/clasificacion-etapa.php 8 April 2012 dead The race's queen stagehttps://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vuelta-ciclista-al-pais-vasco-2012/stage-3/results Peter Hymas 4 April 2012 5 April 2012 Cycling News Sanchez wins queen stage from three-man break consisted of seven categorised climbs over the 154 km 1 on parcours, including two first-category climbs; the Alto de Ixua and also the climb of the Alto de Usartza, a climb with gradient in places at over 11%, cresting out with 1.4 km 1 on remaining of the stage. The Usartza featured for the third successive year; Samuel Sánchez (EUS 2012) was the rider in which most observers deemed to be the favourite for the stage, as he had won each of the previous two finishes to be held in Eibar.http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/news/vuelta-al-pais-vasco-is-sacred-to-cycling-fans-in-spains-basque-country_211609 Vuelta al País Vasco is sacred to cycling fans in Spain's Basque Country Andrew Hood VeloNews 31 March 2012 4 April 2012 The seven-climb third stage ends atop the Cat. 1 Eibar climb, won two years in a row by Sánchez while the five-climb fourth stage ends up the Cat. 1 Inbardin summit. Mini-attacks set the course for the stage as the field remained as one, for much of the first half-hour of racing; it was not until after 24 km 1 on that the stage's primary breakaway had been formed.http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11540/Vuelta-al-Pais-Vasco-Sanchez-sprints-to-victory-on-mountainous-third-stage.aspx Sanchez sprints to victory on mountainous third stage Shane Stokes VeloNation 4 April 2012 5 April 2012 Five riders went clear; two of whom had previously been in the breakaway in the race, Davide Mucelli of UNA 2012 and SAX 2012a's Mads Christensen. The pair were joined by FDJ 2012's Jussi Veikkanen, MOV 2012 rider José Herrada and Antonio Piedra of CJR 2012, eventually gaining an overall advantage of five-and-a-half minutes over the peloton. By this time, the lead quintet had split into two; Herrada and Christensen had accelerated away from their companions and were later joined by Veikkanen, who had been dropped in the initial move along with Piedra and Mucelli. Christensen led over the next two categorised climbs, before Herrada accelerated his pace and attacked off the front on the first of the first-category climb of Alto de Ixua. KAT 2012 were prominent in attempting to break away from the main field, utilising Alberto Losada, Giampaolo Caruso and Ángel Vicioso in a bid to get clear ahead of the finish. Caruso and Vicioso closed in on the leaders out front, passing Christensen on the road before eventually catching Herrada with 20 km 1 on remaining of the parcours; however their advantage over the main pack had dwindled considerably as the trio were less than a minute clear of the peloton, led by EUS 2012 yes for their captain, Sánchez. The gap was eighteen seconds at the final intermediate sprint point in Eibar, with LIQ 2012 helping out with the chase, and the trio were caught at the base of the Alto de Usartza. Chris Horner (RNT 2012) then attacked with AST 2012's Robert Kišerlovski, and were joined by another KAT 2012 yes rider, Joaquim Rodríguez and LAM 2012's Michele Scarponi. Sánchez bridged up to the leaders, and as Kišerlovski and Scarponi struggled,http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/04/news/sanchez-scores-hat-trick-at-arrate-horner-in-contention-at-basque-country_212184 Sánchez scores hat trick at Arrate; Horner in contention at Basque Country VeloNews 4 April 2012 5 April 2012 Andrew Hood 19 June 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160619165604/http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/04/news/sanchez-scores-hat-trick-at-arrate-horner-in-contention-at-basque-country_212184 dead it was left to Sánchez, Rodríguez and Horner to contest for the stage honours. Sánchez attacked in the closing stages and did enough to beat Rodríguez and Horner – to win for the third successive yearhttps://www1.skysports.com/cycling/news/15264/7650229/S-225-nchez-bags-Vasco-hat-trick Sánchez bags Vasco hat-trick Sky Sports BSkyB 4 April 2012 5 April 2012 – with Bauke Mollema (RAB 2012) leading the chasers over the line, 12 seconds in arrears of Sánchez,http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/04042012/58/sanchez-wins-basque-queen-stage.html Sanchez wins Basque queen stage Yahoo! Eurosport TF1 Group 4 April 2012 5 April 2012 who took the race lead from MOV 2012 yes's José Joaquín Rojas as Rojas lost over 16 minutes on the stage.http://www.sacbee.com/2012/04/04/4391008/sanchez-wins-3rd-stage-takes-overall.html Sanchez wins 3rd stage, takes overall Basque lead The Sacramento Bee; The McClatchy Company 4 April 2012 5 April 2012October 2025 medicmedic Stage 3 Result RiderTeamTime 1 Samuel Sánchez ESP EUS 2012 3h 58' 15" 2 Joaquim Rodríguez ESP KAT 2012 s.t. 3 Chris Horner USA RNT 2012 s.t. 4 Bauke Mollema NED RAB 2012 + 12" 5 Damiano Cunego ITA LAM 2012 + 12" 6 Tony Martin GER OPQ 2012 + 12" 7 Michele Scarponi ITA LAM 2012 + 12" 8 Sergio Henao COL SKY 2012 + 12" 9 Robert Kišerlovski CRO AST 2012 + 12" 10 Lars Petter Nordhaug NOR SKY 2012 + 12"General Classification after Stage 3 RiderTeamTime 1 Samuel Sánchez ESP 20px EUS 2012 12h 06' 06" 2 Chris Horner USA RNT 2012 + 0" 3 Joaquim Rodríguez ESP KAT 2012 + 0" 4 Ryder Hesjedal CAN GRM 2012a + 12" 5 Wout Poels NED VAC 2012 + 12" 6 Damiano Cunego ITA LAM 2012 + 12" 7 Vasil Kiryienka BLR MOV 2012 + 12" 8 Jurgen Van den Broeck BEL LTB 2012 + 12" 9 Robert Kišerlovski CRO AST 2012 + 12" 10 Tony Martin GER OPQ 2012 + 12" Stage 4 5 April 2012 — Eibar to Bera-Ibardin, 151 km 1 onhttp://vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco.com/2012/etapas/etapa4-eibar-bera-ibardin.htm Perfil etapa 4: Eibar – Bera-Ibardin es Profile Stage 4: Eibar – Bera-Ibardin 2 April 2012 Tour of the Basque Country El Diario Vasco 30 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120330225026/http://vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco.com/2012/etapas/etapa4-eibar-bera-ibardin.htm dead Mini-attacks were again key to the first hour of racing on the fourth stage; with cool and damp conditions again for the riders, it was almost a carbon-copy to what had occurred on the previous stage.https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vuelta-ciclista-al-pais-vasco-2012/stage-4/results Peter Hymas 5 April 2012 6 April 2012 Cycling News Rodriguez wins steep uphill battle to take stage 4 victory Evgeni Petrov was the most active rider in that first hour; after an earlier unsuccessful attempt to get clear on the first of the stage's five categorised climbs – the Alto de Itziar – at the 23.5 km 1 on mark, Petrov did manage to clip clear of the peloton almost 20 km 1 on later to initiate the breakaway move. Over the next few kilometres, Petrov was joined by four other riders; Maciej Paterski (LIQ 2012) moved forward first at 45 km 1 on, with MOV 2012's Ángel Madrazo, Diego Ulissi of LAM 2012, and CJR 2012 rider Marcos García joining Petrov and Paterski 3 km 1 on later.December 2020 EUS 2012 were keeping their riders towards the front of the field in support of their team captain, and the overall race leader Samuel Sánchez; in effect, stopping the breakaway from getting too far clear on the stage, and were less than two minutes behind at the second climb of the day, the Alto de Aritxulegi.http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11549/Joaquim-Rodriguez-solos-to-Pais-Vasco-stage-win-and-race-lead.aspx Shane Stokes 5 April 2012 6 April 2012 VeloNation Joaquim Rodriguez solos to Pais Vasco stage win and race lead Wesley Sulzberger made his third attack of the race from the break for GEC 2012a, and was joined by team-mate Simon Clarke as they looked to bridge up to the breakaway; the pair caught García on the descent,http://www.greenedgecycling.com/node/449 GreenEDGE Showcases Fighting Spirit on Pais Vasco - Stage Four 6 April 2012 6 April 2012 GEC 2012a GreenEDGE CyclingApril 2019 InternetArchiveBot yes after he had been dropped by his four companions. With the climb of the Alto de Agiña coming several kilometres later on the parcours, fresher legs for Sulzberger and Clarke told as they brought themselves, and Garciá, up to the breakaway and reforming the move as a seven-man group. Four riders attacked on the descent, although only one – Patxi Vila (UNA 2012)https://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/eventos_online-ficha.asp?id=179 4ª etapa Vuelta País Vasco: ¡Purito doma Ibardin! es Tour of the Basque Country Stage 4: Purito tames Ibardin! 5 April 2012 6 April 2012 Biciciclismo Gurenet Teknologia S.L. – was there for a move to catch the breakaway as KAT 2012's Giampaolo Caruso and EUS 2012 yes pair Igor Antón and Gorka Verdugo were there to protect their respective team leaders Joaquim Rodríguez and Sánchez. Vila caught the breakaway on the first ascent of the finishing climb, sans the steep finish reserved for the second and finishing ascent, while two other riders attacked on the Alto de Ibardin; Volta a Catalunya winner Michael Albasini (GEC 2012a yes) and SAX 2012a's Nicki Sørensen had crossed the summit marginally ahead of the peloton, before catching the lead octet with 25 km 1 on to go. With several fresher riders in the breakaway, the move started to fracture in the terrain and by the time the move reached the Alto de Ibardin for the second and final time with 6 km 1 on to go, only five riders remained in the move: Albasini, Clarke, Paterski, Petrov and Sørensen. Clarke and Paterski were dropped on the climb itself as OPQ 2012 looked to establish themselves on the front of the pack along with KAT 2012, looking to position Tony Martin in a prime position to attack late on.http://www.omegapharma-quickstep.com/en/news/show/martin-13th-in-tough-pais-vasco-finish/405 Martin 13th in Tough Pais Vasco Finish OPQ 2012 Decolef 5 April 2012 6 April 2012 https://archive.today/20120907173814/http://www.omegapharma-quickstep.com/en/news/show/martin-13th-in-tough-pais-vasco-finish/405 7 September 2012 dead dmy-all Albasini was caught with 2.6 km 1 on to go, and a lead group of some 25 riders was established for the closing stages. Maxime Monfort and Fränk Schleck looked to set the pace for their RNT 2012 team-mate Chris Horner,http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/04/race-report/rodriquez-wins-in-basque-country-sanchez-defends-overall-lead_212330 Rodríguez wins, takes over lead at Basque Country VeloNews 5 April 2012 5 April 2012 Andrew Hood while Simon Špilak looked to do so for Rodríguez. VCD 2012's Wout Poels and SKY 2012's Sergio Henao both looked to go clear in the final kilometre,http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290,25036_7652321,00.html Henao a fine third in Bera SKY 2012 BSkyB 5 April 2012 6 April 2012 Richard Simpson but Rodríguez prevailed comfortably in the closing stages – an 18% gradient in some places – to win by nine seconds, taking the overall lead from Sánchez,http://vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco.com/2012/noticias/purito-rodriguez-ibardin-201204051833.htm 'Purito' Rodríguez prende la mecha en Ibardin es 'Purito' Rodríguez snuffs out Ibardin 6 April 2012 Tour of the Basque Country El Diario Vasco 5 April 2012 who was second ahead of Henao and AST 2012's Robert Kišerlovski. Stage 4 Result RiderTeamTime 1 Joaquim Rodríguez ESP KAT 2012 3h 55' 56" 2 Samuel Sánchez ESP 20px EUS 2012 + 9" 3 Sergio Henao COL SKY 2012 + 12" 4 Robert Kišerlovski CRO AST 2012 + 12" 5 Lars Petter Nordhaug NOR SKY 2012 + 16" 6 Michele Scarponi ITA LAM 2012 + 16" 7 Jurgen Van den Broeck BEL LTB 2012 + 16" 8 Wout Poels NED VAC 2012 + 16" 9 Simon Špilak SLO KAT 2012 + 16" 10 Ryder Hesjedal CAN GRM 2012a + 16"General Classification after Stage 4 RiderTeamTime 1 Joaquim Rodríguez ESP 20px KAT 2012 16h 02' 02" 2 Samuel Sánchez ESP 20px EUS 2012 + 9" 3 Chris Horner USA RNT 2012 + 21" 4 Robert Kišerlovski CRO AST 2012 + 24" 5 Sergio Henao COL SKY 2012 + 24" 6 Ryder Hesjedal CAN GRM 2012a + 28" 7 Wout Poels NED VAC 2012 + 28" 8 Jurgen Van den Broeck BEL LTB 2012 + 28" 9 Lars Petter Nordhaug NOR SKY 2012 + 28" 10 Michele Scarponi ITA LAM 2012 + 28" Stage 5 6 April 2012 — Bera-Ibardin to Oñati, 183 km 1 onhttp://vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco.com/2012/etapas/etapa5-bera-onati.htm Perfil etapa 5: Bera – Oñati es Profile Stage 5: Bera – Oñati 2 April 2012 Tour of the Basque Country El Diario Vasco 31 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120331035115/http://vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco.com/2012/etapas/etapa5-bera-onati.htm dead Again, rain made conditions slightly treacherous on the stage itself, and may have contributed to the fact that there were no successful attacks by the breakaway until near the midpoint of the day's running, after almost two hours of racing. At around 80 km 1 on, an initial four-rider move went clear, consisting of FDJ 2012 rider Benoît Vaugrenard, LAM 2012's Diego Ulissi, Kevin De Weert of OPQ 2012 and CJR 2012 got a rider into the break once again – as they had done on every stage to that point – with Hernâni Brôco representing the team this time around.http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11559/Vuelta-al-Pais-Vasco-Second-win-for-Rodriguez-who-holds-lead.aspx Second win for Rodriguez, who holds lead VeloNation Shane Stokes 6 April 2012 7 April 2012 Not long later, twelve other riders from nine more teams brought reinforcement to the lead quartet and soon accelerated their pace to get a gap over the main field. The sixteen had been over five minutes clear at one point, but the bunch closed the gap quickly after that; it was 3' 15" at the summit of the stage's third climb, the Alto de Elosua.https://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/eventos_online-ficha.asp?id=180 5ª etapa Vuelta País Vasco: Bis de Purito es Tour of the Basque Country Stage 5: Purito encore 6 April 2012 7 April 2012 Biciciclismo Gurenet Teknologia S.L. The breakaway's advantage continued to diminish and not long after the next categorised climb, the Alto de Descarga where Ulissi had led them across the summit, the move was thwarted as the peloton caught them. A counter-attack of nine riders immediately acted,http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290,25036_7654324,00.html Nordhaug climbs up to fourth SKY 2012 BSkyB 6 April 2012 7 April 2012 including Robert Kišerlovski (AST 2012) who commenced the stage in fourth place in the general classification, trailing overnight leader Joaquim Rodríguez of KAT 2012 by just 24 seconds. This move could not gain sufficient ground off the front of the field; 20 km 1 on after the move had begun, their gap over the main field was just 25 seconds, with the pace being set by Rodríguez's team-mates. With Kišerlovski being in a prime position overall, he then attacked off the front of the breakaway in order to preserve his position in the rankings.https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vuelta-ciclista-al-pais-vasco-2012/stage-5/results Rodriguez powers to stage 5 win Cycling News 6 April 2012 7 April 2012 The pace split the remaining breakaway riders apart; BMC 2012 rider Marco Pinotti, LAM 2012 yes's Adriano Malori and Jesús Hernández of SAX 2012a chased after Kišerlovski, while the remaining five leaders surrendered back to the peloton. Kišerlovski held a 35-second lead over the main field with 5 km 1 on to go but was struggling on the uncategorised Garagaltza climb – a 900 m on climb with an average gradient of 11% – when Rodríguez and Samuel Sánchez (EUS 2012) attacked from the bunch. The top two overall caught Kišerlovski, and tried to distance themselves from him in the closing metres. Rodríguez launched his sprint first and just held off Sánchez at the line to keep his lead at nine seconds going into the time trial.http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/04/news/purito-wins-wild-ride-in-basque-country-horner-martin-cede-more-time_212566 'Purito' wins wild ride in Basque Country; Horner, Martin cede more time Andrew Hood 6 April 2012 7 April 2012 VeloNews 15 April 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120415042008/http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/04/news/purito-wins-wild-ride-in-basque-country-horner-martin-cede-more-time_212566 dead Kišerlovski finished two seconds behind in third, but moved into third place overall.http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/06042012/58/rodriguez-wins-lead-finale.html Rodriguez wins again to lead into finale Yahoo! Eurosport TF1 Group 6 April 2012 7 April 2012 Chris Horner (RNT 2012) gave up 21 seconds to Kišerlovski, and 23 to Rodríguez and Sánchez, dropping to tenth overall. Stage 5 Result RiderTeamTime 1 Joaquim Rodríguez ESP 20px KAT 2012 4h 27' 16" 2 Samuel Sánchez ESP 20px EUS 2012 s.t. 3 Robert Kišerlovski CRO AST 2012 + 2" 4 Vasil Kiryienka BLR MOV 2012 + 5" 5 Lars Petter Nordhaug NOR SKY 2012 + 5" 6 Daniele Ratto ITA LIQ 2012 + 5" 7 Michele Scarponi ITA LAM 2012 + 5" 8 Damiano Cunego ITA LAM 2012 + 7" 9 Rui Costa POR MOV 2012 + 7" 10 Jean-Christophe Péraud FRA ALM 2012 + 7"General Classification after Stage 5 RiderTeamTime 1 Joaquim Rodríguez ESP 20px20px KAT 2012 20h 29' 18" 2 Samuel Sánchez ESP EUS 2012 + 9" 3 Robert Kišerlovski CRO AST 2012 + 26" 4 Lars Petter Nordhaug NOR SKY 2012 + 33" 5 Michele Scarponi ITA LAM 2012 + 33" 6 Sergio Henao COL SKY 2012 + 34" 7 Jurgen Van den Broeck BEL LTB 2012 + 35" 8 Ryder Hesjedal CAN GRM 2012a + 40" 9 Damiano Cunego ITA LAM 2012 + 40" 10 Chris Horner USA RNT 2012 + 44" Stage 6 7 April 2012 — Oñati, 18.9 km 1 on individual time trial (ITT)http://vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco.com/2012/etapas/etapa6-onati-onati.htm Perfil etapa 6 (C.R.I.): Oñati – Oñati es Profile Stage 6 (I.T.T.): Oñati – Oñati 2 April 2012 Tour of the Basque Country El Diario Vasco 31 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120331222140/http://vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco.com/2012/etapas/etapa6-onati-onati.htm dead As was expected,http://www.eitb.com/en/sports/detail/861493/cycling--tour-the-basque-country-kicks-guenes/ Tour of the Basque Country kicks off in Gueñes EITB EiTB Group 2 April 2012 7 April 2012 It is very likely that the race will be decided in the 6th and final stage.https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vuelta-ciclista-al-pais-vasco-2012/preview High-level climbers gearing up in Basque Country Cycling News 2 April 2012 7 April 2012 The final individual time trial of 18.9 kilometres on Saturday in Oñati will settle the overall winner. the battle for the race victory came down to the final stage of the race; a technical 18.9 km 1 on individual time trial around Oñati. On the parcours were three steep climbs, made tougher due to the continued unsettled weather conditions in the Basque country; damp roads greeted the riders, and the stage favourite Tony Martin – the world time trial champion – riding for the OPQ 2012 team crashed during a reconnaissance overview of the course.https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vuelta-ciclista-al-pais-vasco-2012/stage-6/results Sanchez wins Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco Peter Hymas 7 April 2012 7 April 2012 Cycling News As was customary of time trial stages, cyclists set off in reverse order from where they were ranked in the general classification at the end of the previous stage. Thus, Travis Meyer of GEC 2012a, who, in 122nd place, trailed overall leader Joaquim Rodríguez (KAT 2012) by one hour, three minutes and forty-four seconds, was the first rider to set off on the final stage. Meyer recorded a time of 29' 12" for the course; a time that was ultimately good enough for him to place inside the top ten of the stage classification.http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11566/Sanchez-scoops-Vuelta-al-Pais-Vasco-win-with-blazing-time-trial.aspx Sanchez scoops Vuelta al Pais Vasco win with blazing time trial VeloNation 7 April 2012 8 April 2012 Shane Stokes Meyer held the lead for around twenty minutes until Stef Clement assumed the lead for RAB 2012; the Dutch national champion had trailed his rival by three seconds at the midway intermediate point – at 9.8 km 1 on – but put in a stronger second half of the course to overhaul the time of Meyer, recording a time of 29' 10". Clement, who had been 102nd overnight, managed to hold his stage lead well into the top 40 riders; Moreno Moser got closest to his time to that point, coming within six seconds, but eventually settled for a ninth-place finish on the stage for LIQ 2012. Clement's time was eventually beaten by BMC 2012's Marco Pinotti, wearing the green jersey as the sprints classification leader. Pinotti, a five-time Italian champion in the discipline, recorded a similar time to Clement at the intermediate point but went quicker in the second half to end up seven seconds ahead at the finish, in a time of 29' 03". Martin then beat that time later, becoming the first rider to break 29 minutes for the course; in a time of 28' 55", later stating that the time trial was "dangerous" in places.http://www.omegapharma-quickstep.com/en/news/show/martin-3rd-in-pais-vasco-tt-finishes-5th-overall/418 Martin 3rd in Pais Vasco TT, finishes 5th overall 7 April 2012 8 April 2012 OPQ 2012 Decolef https://archive.today/20120906110928/http://www.omegapharma-quickstep.com/en/news/show/martin-3rd-in-pais-vasco-tt-finishes-5th-overall/418 6 September 2012 dead dmy-all Bauke Mollema, a team-mate of Clement, then put in one of the strongest time trials of his career to beat Martin's time by a solitary second, having received extra guidance in his time-trialling abilities over the off-season.http://www.rabosport.com/news/item/15679 'Not a moment of fear' RAB 2012 Rabosport 7 April 2012 8 April 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120509001205/http://www.rabosport.com/news/item/15679 9 May 2012 dead dmy-all Mollema's performance eventually lifted him onto the podium in the general classification, after gaining sufficient time over eight riders that had been ahead of him prior to the stage. It came down to the top two overall for the race honours: Samuel Sánchez (EUS 2012) and Rodríguez. Sánchez's greater proficiency in the disciplinehttps://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/532400/sanchez-wins-vuelta-al-pais-vasco-overall.html Sanchez wins Vuelta al Pais Vasco overall Cycling Weekly Limited Nigel Wynn 7 April 2012 8 April 2012 compared to Rodríguez proved vital; although he trailed Mollema at the intermediate sprint, Sánchez repeated the feat of many other riders as a strong second half of the course gave him the stage victory, six seconds quicker than Mollema. Rodríguez also put in a strong performance, finishing 21 seconds slower than Sánchez, giving the latter victory by nine seconds overall; despite this, Rodríguez was pleased with his stage effort.http://www.katushateam.com/2012/eng/main.php?mod=news&n=1496 Rodriguez 2nd in GC after an excellent ITT KAT 2012 Katusha Management SA 7 April 2012 8 April 2012 Stage 6 Result RiderTeamTime 1 Samuel Sánchez ESP EUS 2012 28' 48" 2 Bauke Mollema NED RAB 2012 + 6" 3 Tony Martin GER OPQ 2012 + 7" 4 Marco Pinotti ITA 20px BMC 2012 + 15" 5 Damiano Cunego ITA LAM 2012 + 16" 6 Joaquim Rodríguez ESP 20px KAT 2012 + 21" 7 Stef Clement NED RAB 2012 + 22" 8 Travis Meyer AUS GEC 2012a + 24" 9 Moreno Moser ITA LIQ 2012 + 28" 10 Jean-Christophe Péraud FRA ALM 2012 + 31"Final General Classification RiderTeamTime 1 Samuel Sánchez ESP 20px20px EUS 2012 20h 58' 15" 2 Joaquim Rodríguez ESP KAT 2012 + 12" 3 Bauke Mollema NED RAB 2012 + 42" 4 Damiano Cunego ITA LAM 2012 + 47" 5 Tony Martin GER OPQ 2012 + 54" 6 Lars Petter Nordhaug NOR SKY 2012 + 1' 03" 7 Jean-Christophe Péraud FRA ALM 2012 + 1' 07" 8 Michele Scarponi ITA LAM 2012 + 1' 19" 9 Chris Horner USA RNT 2012 + 1' 27" 10 Simon Špilak SLO KAT 2012 + 1' 29" Classification leadership table In the 2012 Tour of the Basque Country, four different jerseys were awarded. For the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, the leader received a yellow jersey. This classification was considered the most important of the 2012 Tour of the Basque Country, and the winner of the classification was considered the winner of the race. Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a white jersey. In the points classification, cyclists received points for finishing in the top 15 in a stage. For winning a stage, a rider earned 25 points, second place earned 20 points, third 16, fourth 14, fifth 12, sixth 10, and one point fewer per place down to a single point for 15th. There was also a mountains classification, the leadership of which was marked by a blue jersey. In the mountains classification, points were won by reaching the top of a climb before other cyclists, with more points available for the higher-categorised climbs. The fourth jersey represented the sprints classification, marked by a green jersey. In the sprints classification, cyclists received points for finishing in the top 3 at intermediate sprint points during each stage, with the exception of the final individual time trial stage. There was also a classification for teams, in which the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added together; the leading team at the end of the race was the team with the lowest total time. Stage WinnerGeneral Classification25pxPoints Classification25pxMountains Classification25pxSprints Classification25pxTeam Classification 1 José Joaquín Rojas José Joaquín Rojas José Joaquín Rojas David de la Fuente Davide Mucelli VCD 2012 2 Daryl Impey Julián Sánchez GEC 2012a 3 Samuel Sánchez Samuel Sánchez Mads Christensen Mads Christensen KAT 2012 4 Joaquim Rodríguez Joaquim Rodríguez Samuel Sánchez 5 Joaquim Rodríguez Joaquim Rodríguez Marco Pinotti SKY 2012 6 Samuel Sánchez Samuel Sánchez Samuel Sánchez KAT 2012 Final Samuel Sánchez Samuel Sánchez Mads Christensen Marco Pinotti KAT 2012 References 30em External links http://vueltapaisvasco.diariovasco.com/2012/ Category:Tour of the Basque Country by year Basque Country Basque Country Category:2012 in the Basque Country (autonomous community) Category:April 2012 sports events in Spain