Stage for Gotti, overall to Gonzalez de Galdeano at Catalonia

• Results

By VeloNews Interactive wire services, Copyright 2001 AFP

Ivan Gotti (Alessio) took the win at stage 6 of the Tour of Catalonia while Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano (ONCE) took over the race leader’s jersey from teammate Marcos Serrano after the hot, mountainous 184km stage between Les Borges Blaques and Boi Taull in Spain.

Gotti was part of a dozen-rider break that escaped 42km into the race. The break would gain up to four minutes as it headed toward the final climb at Boi Taull, with grades of 12 percent. There, Gotti and Spaniard Aitor Kintana (Jazztel) would attack, while behind, the rest of the break began to get caught by the remnants of the chasing peloton. In the final kilometers on the 12 percent climb, Gotti launched his final attack for the stage win while Kintana would finish second and Aitor Gonzalez (Kelme) third.

Gonzalez de Galdeano finished the day sixth, 19 seconds behind, to take the leader’s jersey. ONCE has held the lead from day 1, when it won the opening team time trial. Since then, the leader’s jersey has bounced between Serrano, Santos Gonzalez and now Gonzalez de Galdeano.

Jonathan Vaughters (Credit Agricole) finished 12th on the stage, 1:32 behind, to move into 16th place overall, the best-placed American in the race.

Results

Tour of Catalonia, Stage 6. June 26.
1. Ivan Gotti (I), Alessio, 184km in 4:58:50
2. Aitor Kintana (Sp), Jazztel, at 0:05
3. Aitor Gonzalez (Sp), Kelme-Costa Blanca, at 0:06
4. Fernando Escartin (Sp), Coast, at 0:17
5. Eladio Jiménez (Sp), iBanesto.com, s.t.
6. Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano (Sp), ONCE, at 0:19
7. Luis Perez (Sp), Festina, at 0:48
8. Joseba Beloki (Sp), ONCE, at 1:25
9. Oscar Sevilla (Sp), Kelme-Costa Blanca
10. Santiago Blanco (Sp), iBanesto.com, both s.t.
12. Jonathan Vaughters (USA), Credit Agricole, at 1:32
29. Roberto Heras (Sp), U.S. Postal Service, at 4:17
36. Bobby Julich (USA), Credit Agricole, at 5:15
50. Levi Leipheimer (USA), U.S. Postal Service, at 12:22
57. Pavel Tonkov (Rus), Mercury-Viatel, at 13:02
58. Chann McRae (USA), Mercury-Viatel, s.t.
70. Julian Dean (NZ), U.S. Postal Service, at 16:21
80. Antonio Cruz (USA), U.S. Postal Service, at 17:45

General Classification
1. Gonzalez de Galdeano, 21:06:07
2. Aitor Gonzalez, at 0:34
3. Jiménez, at 1:00
4. Beloki, at 1:07
5. Pérez, at 1:20
6. Marcos Serrano (Sp), ONCE, at 1:32
7. Escartin, at 1:33
8. Sevilla, at 1:51
9. Félix Garcia Casas (Sp), Festina, at 2:19
10. Haimar Zubeldia (Sp), Euskaltel-Euakadi, at 2:28
16. Vaughters, at 2:47
27. Heras, at 6:06
30. Julich, at 7:27
47. Tonkov, at 15:38
59. Dean, at 20:36
63. Leipheimer, at 24:41
78. McRae, at 30:38
82. Cruz, at 34:02