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'I rode myself to death ' Casero gives spectacular final-day effort to win Tour
MADRID, Spain (AP) -- Spain's Angel Casero snatched the 56th edition of the Tour of Spain cycling race on a dramatic final day Sunday, while American rider Levi Leipheimer put on a fine performance in the 38-kilometer (24-mile) time trial to become the first U.S. cyclist ever to make the podium in the Spanish race. Casero, who rides for the Festina team, finished fourth in the 21st and final stage, a circuit around the center of the Spanish capital, in 46 minutes, 18 seconds, enough to overtake compatriot Oscar Sevilla and win the tour by 47 seconds. Sevilla started the day with a 25-second lead after 2,951 kilometers (1,844 miles) of riding and had worn the overall race leader's gold jersey for the past 10 stages. However, the Kelme rider could not hold off Casero and finished ninth on the day in 47:30, placing him second overall. "Last year, when I finished second, was a learning experience for me," Casero said. "I'd abandoned the tour the previous three years but I began to believe that I could win this race. I made a lot of sacrifices over the last 12 months, and so have my family, so this is the compensation for everything, all my hard work." With spectators and officials eagerly comparing the times of the two riders, who went off two minutes apart -- Casero going first -- Sevilla held his own for the first 10 kilometers (6 miles) and was only two seconds down on Casero. The next 10 kilometers (6 miles) saw Sevilla lose only another 10 seconds to Casero and there were still high hopes that he could hang on, but he visibly tired from the 25-kilometer (15-mile) mark, and shortly afterward lost his race lead. The final kilometers (miles) must have seemed like an eternity for both men as the news on their relative split times were relayed to them by their team managers. Casero, 29 on Thursday, was clearly heartened by the news that he was going to win the tour, barring accidents, and began to turn the pedals like crazy while Sevilla, aware that he had lost, strove to get to the line in a respectable time. "I had the confidence that I could beat Oscar in a final time trial and I was pretty sure that I could gain the 25 seconds on him so I didn't have any nerves at the start," Casero said. "But he rode a good first part of the race and so I rode myself to death in the final 10 kilometers (6 miles), just to make sure." Sevilla, however, did not appear too put out. "Of course I'm disappointed to lose the race on the last day, but then I've got many reasons to be happy for everything that has happened on the tour," said Sevilla, who turned 25 Saturday. Casero, who finished runner-up last year, had some consoling words for him. "He was a great rival this year and he's going to be even stronger next year. I'm sure he's going to lift many titles in the future," he said. Colombia's Santiago Botero, who held the race lead for two days during the first week, won the stage in 45:33 but Leipheimer -- a member of the US Postal squad along with three-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong -- only conceded 14 seconds to the Kelme rider, finishing second on the stage and moving up two places to third overall. Armstrong finished fourth on his one and only Tour of Spain appearance in 1998. "After not folding up going up the mountains on Saturday, I knew I had a chance of making the podium," Leipheimer said. "But this has been a great tour for me so I was determined just to have some fun in the time trial, and that's the way it turned out." One of the men he overtook on the final day was teammate and last year's winner Roberto Heras, who was relegated to fourth place overall. The race, the fastest in its 66-year history with Casero producing an average speed of 42 kph (26 mph), was also notable in that none of the top three won a single stage.
Casero finally tastes glory after seven barren yearsMADRID,(Reuters) -- Until his triumph in the 2001 Tour of Spain on Sunday Angel Casero seemed destined to become another of the might-have-been riders in the recent history of Spanish cycling. In 1994 Casero won the Tour d L'Avenir and was instantly labelled a future Miguel Indurain. But in subsequent years the tag weighed heavily on the shoulders of the time trial specialist from Valencia. Riding for the same Banesto team and being skilful against the clock were reasons enough in those heady days of Spanish cycling for Casero to be compared with the five-times Tour winner. Three years on, it was clear the Spanish media had made a mistake. Casero had won only a handful of small races, like the Tour of Castilla and Leon, while his form in both the Tour de France and Vuelta earned him top-30 placings. Despite winning his national road championships in 1998 Casero looked destined to become one of Spain's forgotten cycling stars, rarely making it into the sports pages. But fifth place in the 1999 Tour de France and two national titles in the same year, put Casero back in the public eye. Yet a dismal Vuelta, when he withdrew on the road to Guadalajara, seemed to confirm the popular view that he was an inconsistent rider. MISSED OPPORTUNITYIn last year's Tour of Spain Casero looked to have missed yet another opportunity for glory when he lost out to the explosive climbing skills of compatriot Roberto Heras. He eventually settled for second place on the podium. While Heras-mania shook the country, Casero's career-best finish in a major tour was largely overlooked by the press. After retiring from the Tour de France with tendinitis and having no victories to his name this year, only last season's second place saw him labelled as a favorite for the Vuelta. It may have taken seven years, but Sunday's victory finally allowed Casero to throw off his reputation as a "nearly man" when he claimed his first major victory in the 56th edition of his home tour. His win is all the more memorable because it came in one the most closely-fought and exciting races in recent history. Going into the final stage, a 38-km time trial around Madrid, Casero trailed the baby-faced Oscar Sevilla by just 25 seconds. But this time he was not going to miss his opportunity. OOZING CONFIDENCEOozing confidence and determination as he rolled down the starting ramp, the Festina rider drew on all his experience to secure his first major title since turning professional in 1994. The Valencia rider has turned himself into more than just a specialist against the clock, and it was his form in the mountains that was the key to his win. Weighing six kilos lighter than when he won L'Avenir and two lighter than in last year's Vuelta, Casero was confident enough to launch an aggressive attack on the climb to Alto de Aitana in stage 15, which saw him knock 16 seconds off Sevilla's 41-second lead. Despite his success in the mountains Casero retains his natural power against the clock. Ultimately it was this speed that enabled him to overhaul Sevilla in one of the most spectacular climaxes to a major tour in recent years.
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