2011 Tour of the Basque Country - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 2011 Tour of the Basque Country, was the 51st running of the Tour of the Basque Country cycling stage race. It started on 4 April in Zumarraga and ended on 9 April in Zalla

Zalla

Zalla is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, northern Spain.-External links:*...

and consisted of six stages, including a race-concluding individual time trial. It was the eighth race of the 2011 UCI World Tour

2011 UCI World Tour

The 2011 UCI World Tour was the third edition of the ranking system launched by the International Cycling Union in 2009. The series started with the Tour Down Under's opening stage on 18 January, and consisted of 14 stage races and 13 one-day races, culminating in the Giro di Lombardia on 15...

season.

The race was won by rider Andreas Klöden

Andreas Klöden

Andreas Klöden is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and second place in the 2004 Tour de France and 2006 Tour de France...

, who claimed the leader's yellow jersey for the second time – having previously won the race in 2000 – with a second place finish on the final time trial stage. Klöden had also led the race after stage two, having finished second on the stage; one of three second place stage finishes that Klöden achieved during the week. Klöden's winning margin over his team-mate and runner-up Chris Horner

Chris Horner

Christopher Horner is an American professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . A native and current resident of Bend, Oregon, Horner dominated the American road racing scene by winning the points standings in the 2002, 2003 and 2004 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar.-PAA-NutraFig...

was 47 seconds, and 's Robert Gesink

Robert Gesink

Robert Gesink is a Dutch professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam Rabobank.-Early years:At the Junior World Championships of 2004 UCI Road World Championships in Verona, Gesink finished eighth in the individual time trial and sixth in the road race, while riding for team De Peddelaars in...

completed the podium, also 47 seconds down on Klöden, but behind Horner on countback.

In the race's other classifications, Klöden's consistent high finishes earned him the white jersey for amassing the highest number of points at stage finishes, rider Michael Albasini

Michael Albasini

Michael Albasini is a Swiss professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . Albasini began his career in 2003 with , moved to at the beginning of 2005, and signed with for the 2009 season...

won the King of the Mountains classification, Bram Tankink

Bram Tankink

Bram Tankink is a Dutch professional road bicycle racer. He started his career as a mountainbiker, but in 1999 he became a road rider. In 2000 he became Dutch champion of the espoirs which resulted in a professional contract for 2001 at Domo-Farm Frites...

of won the blue jersey for the sprints classification, with finishing at the head of the teams classification.

Teams

As the Tour of the Basque Country was part of the 2011 UCI World Tour

2011 UCI World Tour

, all 18 UCI ProTeams were invited automatically and obligated to attend. Two UCI Professional Continental teams were awarded wildcards, and these were the and Caja Rural

Caja Rural

Caja Rural is a professional continental cycling team based in Spain that participates in UCI Europe Tour races and UCI World Tour events when given a wildcard invitation. The team was founded in 2010.- Major results :2010...

teams.

The full list of participating teams was:

Caja Rural
Caja Rural
Caja Rural is a professional continental cycling team based in Spain that participates in UCI Europe Tour races and UCI World Tour events when given a wildcard invitation. The team was founded in 2010.- Major results :2010...

Race previews and favourites

2010

2010 Tour of the Basque Country

The 2010 Tour of the Basque Country, was the 50th edition of the Tour of the Basque Country cycling stage race. It started on 5 April and ended on 10 April. Chris Horner won the race 7 seconds ahead of Alejandro Valverde after winning the sixth and final stage which was an individual time trial 8...

race winner Chris Horner

Chris Horner

was a favourite and had team mate, and 2000 winner Andreas Klöden

Andreas Klöden

to help him. Other heavy contenders included Ivan Basso

Ivan Basso

Ivan Basso is an Italian professional road bicycle racer who is currently racing with UCI ProTeam . Basso, nicknamed Ivan the Terrible, is among the best mountain riders in the professional field in the 21st century, and is considered one of the strongest stage race riders...

as he prepared for the 2011 Tour de France

2011 Tour de France

-Pre-race favourites:2010 winner Alberto Contador was suspended from cycling during a doping investigation from September 2010 to February 2011, during which time 2010 runner-up Andy Schleck was regarded as the favourite. When the suspension was lifted, Contador declared his desire to compete in...

, Damiano Cunego

Damiano Cunego

Damiano Cunego is an Italian professional road racing cyclist who rides for the Italian UCI ProTeam . His biggest wins are the 2004 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Amstel Gold Race, and the Giro di Lombardia in 2004, 2007, 2008. He finished second in the UCI Road World Championships in 2008 and in the...

and Robert Gesink

Robert Gesink

. Samuel Sánchez

Samuel Sánchez

Samuel Sánchez González is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He was the gold medal winner in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Men's Road Race. In recent years Sánchez has proven himself in hilly classics and stage races as one of the most important riders in the peloton...

had hopes in redeeming himself after a split in the peloton ruined his chance of victory in 2010, warming up for the race by taking the GP Miguel Indurain

GP Miguel Indurain

The Grand Prix Miguel Indurain is a Spanish one-day road bicycle race. The race was inaugurated in 1951, but was limited to local competition. It was rebranded after the Spanish cyclist in 1998. In 2005, the race was upgraded to a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. For 2007 and 2008 the race was...

one-day race two days before the start of the Tour. Fränk Schleck

Fränk Schleck

Fränk René Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . At the start of 2005, Schleck was joined by his younger brother Andy on , and they split the 2005 national championships between them, with Fränk winning the road race and Andy winning the time trial...

was also expected to do well after winning Critérium International

Critérium International

The Critérium International is a two-day bicycle stage race held in France every spring. It was formerly known as the Critérium National de la Route, first run in 1932....

and his brother Andy

Andy Schleck

Andy Raymond Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, who also rides for . Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974...

was also a part of the squad in the Basque Country.

Stage 1

4 April 2011 – Zumarraga to Zumarraga, 151.2 km (94 mi)

Stage 1 Result

	Rider	Team	Time
1
2			s.t.
3			s.t.
4			+ 1"
5			+ 6"
6			+ 6"
7			+ 6"
8			+ 6"
9			+ 6"
10			+ 6"

General Classification after Stage 1

	Rider	Team	Time
1
2			+ 0"
3			+ 0"
4			+ 1"
5			+ 6"
6			+ 6"
7			+ 6"
8			+ 6"
9			+ 6"
10			+ 6"

Stage 2

5 April 2011 – Zumarraga to Lekunberri

Lekunberri, Spain

Lekunberri is a municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre , northern Spain. It is situated in the northwestern portion of the province, some 30 km from the provincial capital, Pamplona...

, 163 km (101.3 mi)

Stage 2 Result

	Rider	Team	Time
1
2			+ 2"
3			+ 2"
4			+ 2"
5			+ 2"
6			+ 2"
7			+ 2"
8			+ 2"
9			+ 2"
10			+ 2"

General Classification after Stage 2

	Rider	Team	Time
1
2			+ 0"
3			+ 0"
4			+ 1"
5			+ 6"
6			+ 6"
7			+ 6"
8			+ 6"
9			+ 6"
10			+ 9"

Stage 3

6 April 2011 – Villatuerta

Villatuerta

Villatuerta is a town and municipality located in the province and the autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...

to Zuia, 180 km (111.8 mi)

Stage 3 Result

	Team	Time
1
2		+ 8"
3		+ 8"
4		+ 8"
5		+ 8"
6	Caja Rural Caja Rural Caja Rural is a professional continental cycling team based in Spain that participates in UCI Europe Tour races and UCI World Tour events when given a wildcard invitation. The team was founded in 2010.- Major results :2010...	+ 8"
7		+ 8"
8		+ 8"
9		+ 8"
10		+ 8"

General Classification after Stage 3

	Rider	Team	Time
1
2			+ 0"
3			+ 0"
4			+ 1"
5			+ 6"
6			+ 6"
7			+ 6"
8			+ 6"
9			+ 6"
10			+ 9"

Stage 4

7 April 2011 – Amurrio

Amurrio

Amurrio is a town and municipality located in the province of Álava, in the Basque Country, northern Spain.-External links:* Information available in Spanish...

to Eibar

Éibar

Eibar is a city and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country of Spain. The city was chartered by Alfonso XI of Castile in 1346...

, 179 km (111.2 mi)

Stage 4 Result

	Rider	Team	Time
1
2			s.t.
3			s.t.
4			s.t.
5			s.t.
6			s.t.
7			s.t.
8			s.t.
9			s.t.
10			s.t.

General Classification after Stage 4

	Rider	Team	Time
1
2			+ 0"
3			+ 0"
4			+ 1"
5			+ 6"
6			+ 6"
7			+ 6"
8			+ 6"
9			+ 9"
10			+ 10"

Stage 5

8 April 2011 – Eibar to Zalla

Zalla

Zalla is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, northern Spain.-External links:*...

, 177 km (110 mi)

Stage 5 Result

	Team	Time
1
2		s.t.
3		s.t.
4		s.t.
5	Caja Rural Caja Rural Caja Rural is a professional continental cycling team based in Spain that participates in UCI Europe Tour races and UCI World Tour events when given a wildcard invitation. The team was founded in 2010.- Major results :2010...	s.t.
6		s.t.
7		s.t.
8		s.t.
9		s.t.
10		s.t.

General Classification after Stage 5

	Rider	Team	Time
1
2			+ 0"
3			+ 0"
4			+ 1"
5			+ 6"
6			+ 6"
7			+ 6"
8			+ 6"
9			+ 9"
10			+ 10"

Stage 6

9 April 2011 – Zalla, 24 km (14.9 mi), individual time trial

Individual time trial

An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...

(ITT)

Stage 6 Result

	Rider	Team	Time
1			32' 16"
2			+ 9"
3			+ 24"
4			+ 29"
5			+ 42"
6			+ 48"
7			+ 50"
8			+ 53"
9			+ 55"
10			+ 1' 00"

Final General Classification

	Rider	Team	Time
1
2			+ 47"
3			+ 47"
4			+ 1' 03"
5			+ 1' 03"
6			+ 1' 08"
7			+ 1' 28"
8			+ 1' 31"
9			+ 1' 49"
10			+ 1' 54"

Classification leadership table

In the 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 Tour of the Basque Country, and the winner was considered the winner of the race itself.

Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a white jersey. In the points classification, cyclists received points for finishing in the top fifteen in a stage. The stage win awarded 25 points, second place awarded 20 points, third 16, fourth 14, fifth 12, sixth 10 and one point fewer per place down the line, to a single point for fifteenth.

There was also a mountains classification, which awarded a red jersey. In the mountains classification, points were won by reaching the top of a mountain before other cyclists. All climbs were categorised, first, second, or third-category, with more points available for the higher-categorised climbs.

The fourth jersey represented the sprints classification, which awarded a blue jersey. In the sprint classification, cyclists received points for being one of the first three in intermediate sprints, with three points awarded for first place, two for second, and one for third.

Stage	Winner	General Classification	Points Classification	Mountains Classification	Sprints Classification
1	Joaquim Rodríguez Joaquim Rodríguez Joaquim Rodríguez Oliver is a Spanish professional road racing cyclist. He has been competing since 2001, and currently rides for the UCI ProTour team .- Palmarès :2001...	Joaquim Rodríguez Joaquim Rodríguez Joaquim Rodríguez Oliver is a Spanish professional road racing cyclist. He has been competing since 2001, and currently rides for the UCI ProTour team .- Palmarès :2001...	Joaquim Rodríguez Joaquim Rodríguez Joaquim Rodríguez Oliver is a Spanish professional road racing cyclist. He has been competing since 2001, and currently rides for the UCI ProTour team .- Palmarès :2001...	Mathieu Perget Mathieu Perget Mathieu Perget is a French professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team .- Palmarès :2005...	Bram Tankink Bram Tankink Bram Tankink is a Dutch professional road bicycle racer. He started his career as a mountainbiker, but in 1999 he became a road rider. In 2000 he became Dutch champion of the espoirs which resulted in a professional contract for 2001 at Domo-Farm Frites...
2	Vasil Kiryienka Vasil Kiryienka Vasili Kiryienka is a Belarusian racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam . Kiryienka finished 2nd in the 10th stage of the 2010 Tour de France, he was outsprinted at the line by Sérgio Paulinho after basically leading him out to the finish...	Andreas Klöden Andreas Klöden Andreas Klöden is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and second place in the 2004 Tour de France and 2006 Tour de France...	Andreas Klöden Andreas Klöden Andreas Klöden is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and second place in the 2004 Tour de France and 2006 Tour de France...	Maxim Iglinsky Maxim Iglinsky Maxim Iglinsky is a Kazakh road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTour team , who he joined in 2007. Iglinsky turned professional in 2005 with Domina Vacanze and rode for in 2006. Iglinsky won stage 6 of the 2007 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré.He is the elder brother of Valentin Iglinsky.-...
3	Alexander Vinokourov Alexander Vinokourov Alexander Nikolaevich Vinokourov, also written Alexandre Vinokourov, is an ethnically Russian Kazakhstani professional road bicycle racer who currently competes with the UCI ProTeam Astana...	Joaquim Rodríguez Joaquim Rodríguez Joaquim Rodríguez Oliver is a Spanish professional road racing cyclist. He has been competing since 2001, and currently rides for the UCI ProTour team .- Palmarès :2001...	Joaquim Rodríguez Joaquim Rodríguez Joaquim Rodríguez Oliver is a Spanish professional road racing cyclist. He has been competing since 2001, and currently rides for the UCI ProTour team .- Palmarès :2001...	Amaël Moinard Amaël Moinard Amaël Moinard is a French professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .- Palmares :2006...
4	Samuel Sánchez Samuel Sánchez Samuel Sánchez González is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He was the gold medal winner in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Men's Road Race. In recent years Sánchez has proven himself in hilly classics and stage races as one of the most important riders in the peloton...		Andreas Klöden Andreas Klöden Andreas Klöden is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and second place in the 2004 Tour de France and 2006 Tour de France...	Michael Albasini Michael Albasini Michael Albasini is a Swiss professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . Albasini began his career in 2003 with , moved to at the beginning of 2005, and signed with for the 2009 season...
5	Francesco Gavazzi Francesco Gavazzi Francesco Gavazzi is an Italian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam Lampre-N.G.C..-Palmares:2011* 1st, Stage 18 2011 Vuelta a Espana* 1st, Stage 5, Tour of the Basque Country...
6	Tony Martin Tony Martin (cyclist) Tony Martin is a German professional road bicycle racer riding for the UCI ProTeam . Martin is known as a time trial specialist: in 2011, he won a time trial stage in the Tour de France and in the Vuelta a España, and became world champion...	Andreas Klöden Andreas Klöden Andreas Klöden is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and second place in the 2004 Tour de France and 2006 Tour de France...
Final		Andreas Klöden Andreas Klöden Andreas Klöden is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and second place in the 2004 Tour de France and 2006 Tour de France...	Andreas Klöden Andreas Klöden Andreas Klöden is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and second place in the 2004 Tour de France and 2006 Tour de France...	Michael Albasini Michael Albasini Michael Albasini is a Swiss professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . Albasini began his career in 2003 with , moved to at the beginning of 2005, and signed with for the 2009 season...	Bram Tankink Bram Tankink Bram Tankink is a Dutch professional road bicycle racer. He started his career as a mountainbiker, but in 1999 he became a road rider. In 2000 he became Dutch champion of the espoirs which resulted in a professional contract for 2001 at Domo-Farm Frites...

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