Roux takes solo win on Vuelta stage 17

Vuelta a Espana stage17 photo gallery by Graham Watson>>

Second-year pro Anthony Roux squeezed across the finish line in stage 17 of the Vuelta just a few seconds ahead of the peloton to claim an unexpected but well-deserved lone win.

The only survivor of a break of five, Roux (Francaise des Jeux) spent no less than 187 kilometres of the 193 kilometre run from Ciudad Real to Puertollano off the front.

The move had seemed condemned to failure, particularly when some of the five - Roux was one of the exceptions - started attacking close to the finish. This was not the most intelligent of ideas given the bunch was at less than 30 seconds!

Roux was one of the riders who protested the most at the others attacking, saying later "I understand that some riders don't want to end up trying to win from a sprint. But when the bunch is that close it seems a bit stupid to me. We should have waited."

Holland's Martijn Maaskaant (Garmin-Slipstream) succeeded in going clear, and Roux finally followed him up the road, catching the Classics specialist with two kilometres to go.

A final short uphill put paid to the burly Dutchman, but Roux somehow found the strength to accelerate away and take Francaise des Jeux's first stage win of a major Tour this season.

B-Box's William Bonnet finished second, making it a French one-two, whilst Andre Greipel (Columbia-HTC) took third, strengthening his lead in the points competition.

Overall there was no change, but a big pile up in the first half of the stage saw second-placed Robert Gesink (Rabobank) and sixth-placed Ezequiel Mosquera (Xacobeo-Galicia) both hit the deck.

Gesink suffered cuts and bruises down all of his left side, whilst Mosquera had a head injury and scraped his hip.

Both riders could continue, but as Mosquera's sports director Alvaro Pino pointed out, the injuries could hardly have come at a worse time.

On Thursday the Vuelta heads back into the hills and the race favourites will have one of their last chances to dislodge Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) from the lead. If two of his key rivals are not feeling at 100 percent, that will make the Spaniard's mission of holding onto the maillot amarillo a lot easier.

Results

Vuelta a Espana 2009: Stage 17, Ciudad Real-Talavera de la Reina, 193.6km

1. Anthony Roux (Fra) Francaise des Jeux in 4-28-14

2. William Bonnet (Fra) Bbox Bouygues Telecom

3. Andre Greipel (Ger) Columbia-HTC

4. Daniele Bennati (Ita) Liquigas

5. Francisco Jose Pacheco Torres (Spa) Contentpolis-Ampo

6. Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Silence-Lotto

7. Sebastien Hinault (Fra) Ag2r

8. Javier Benitez (Spa) Contentpolis-Ampo

9. Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Lampre

10. Borut Bozic (Slo) Vacansoleil all same time.

Overall classification after stage 17

1. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne in 74-27-48

2. Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank at 31sec

3. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi at 1-10

4. Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas at 1-28

5. Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence-Lotto at 1-51

6. Ezequiel Mosquera (Spa) Xacobeo Galicia at 1-54

7. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne at 5-53

8. Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Lampre at 6-34

9. Tom Danielson (USA) Garmin-Slipstream at 8-28

10. Juan Jose Cobo (Spa) Fuji-Servetto at 10-45

Roux survives the clutches of the bunch to take the win

Robert Gesink suffered some nasty injuries in a crash during stage 17

Race leader Alejandro Valverde gets a shove

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Vuelta a Espana 2009: Stage reports

Stage 16: Greipel storms to third win

Stage 15: Boom solos to win

Stage 14: Valverde suffers but strengthens lead

Stage 13: Unlucky Evans loses time on rivals

Stage 12: Hesjedal wins second stage for Garmin

Stage 11: Farrar takes first grand tour victory

Stage 10: Gerrans takes breakaway victory

Stage nine: Cesar wins as Valverde leads in la Vuelta

Stage eight: Cunego takes first mountain stage of 2009 Vuelta

Stage seven: Cancellara outpaces Millar in TT

Stage six: Bozic surprises sprint rivals to take win

Stage five: Greipel wins again and takes race lead

Stage four: Greipel wins after big crash wipes out bunch

Stage three: Henderson wins stage

Stage two: Ciolek takes first road stage, Hammond third

Stage one: Cancellara wins Vuelta opener

Vuelta a Espana 2009: Photos

Stage 16 photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage 15 photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage 14 photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage 13 photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage 12 photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage 11 photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage 10 photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage nine photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage eight photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage six photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage five photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage four photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage three photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage two photo gallery by Graham WatsonStage one photo gallery by Graham Watson