David de la Cruz ends the Vuelta a Burgos in 20th place overall
As expected, the climbers dominated the fifth and final stage of the Vuelta a Burgos. Nairo Quintana (Team Movistar) won the pinnacle stage as well as the tour’s general classification. David Arroyo (Caja Rural) and Ivan Basso (Cannondale) took the remaining two spots on the podium. David de la Cruz and Jose Mendes pf Team NetApp-Endura crossed the finish line in 25th and 26th place.
“It’s a pity that we will be going home empty-handed. We certainly expected more from ourselves on today’s difficult mountain stage. Although we were able to keep up with all of the favorites on the first climb, unfortunately that was no longer the case on the second climb. At the same time, it’s good that the riders who came to the Vuelta got some more tough racing experience at the highest level,” said Alex Sans Vega, commenting on the final stage of the Vuelta a Burgos.
After four unsuccessful attacks, 15 riders tried their luck at a breakaway after 30 kilometers. Jan Barta of Team NetApp-Endura was also part of launching this attack. Even still, this group was too big for the favorites and it was unable to build up a decisive lead. It took nearly two hours of racing before the group of the day finally became clear. Five riders were able to pull away on the climb for the first mountain classification. The peloton was always able to maintain control on the hilly terrain, which only allowed the quintet to build up a 2-minute lead. The breakaway riders were caught just in time for the final climb and a new 17-man group of climbers formed. Over the course of the climb, constant attacks chipped away at this lead group. On the final kilometer, Quintana was able to pull away from his fellow breakaway riders and ride to stage and tour victory as a solo rider.
1 Stage Burgos – Mirador del Castillo - 139km
2 Stage Roa de Duero – Ciudad Romana de Clunia - 157km
3 Stage Villadiego – Complejo Karstico de Ojo Guarena - 175km
4 Stage Dona Santos – Santo Domingo de Silos - 162km
5 Stage Comunerode Revenga – Lagunas de Neila - 170km
