Cipo again

Third stage win for veteran Italian on Tour of Spain

MALAGA, Spain (Reuters) -- Italian veteran Mario Cipollini won stage seven of the Tour of Spain from Jaen to Malaga on Friday in a bunch sprint to continue his impressive form in the Vuelta.

Cipollini covered the 196.8 kilometre stage in a time of four hours 33 minutes and 47 seconds, ahead of Germans Erik Zabel and Sven Teutenberg.

Having never taken a stage of the Tour of Spain since turning professional in 1989, the Acqua & Sapone rider's victory was his third of the 2002 Vuelta and the 180th of his career.

"I have the perfect team to take stage wins, and today the long descent into Malaga was favorable for me," Cipollini said.

The Italian rider appears untroubled by his three-month period out of the sport during the European summer during which he briefly announced he would retire.

Cipollini plans to abandon the event after stage nine in Cordoba to prepare at home for the world championships road-race in Belgium in October.

This season he has won the Milan-San Remo and Ghent-Wevelgem races and established a personal record of six stage wins in the Giro before briefly announcing his retirement.

"My squad has never been as strong as this season, and for the first time ever I have an entire team working just for me." he said.

Cipollini's third victory was as convincing as his previous Tour of Spain win at Roquetas de Mar on stage four. The Italian received a faultless lead out by compatriot Giovanni Lombardi which put him a bike length ahead of Zabel.

Lombardi was so sure his leader would take the stage that he raised his arms in celebration even before Cipollini had reached the line.

 

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