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Team effort No rivalry with Gonzalez, says Tour leader SevillaPosted: Tuesday September 17, 2002 11:42 AMUpdated: Tuesday September 17, 2002 11:43 AM ALCOBENDAS, Spain (Reuters) -- Tour of Spain leader Oscar Sevilla says he will not let his rivalry with Kelme-Costa Blanca teammate Aitor Gonzalez impede his team's chances of claiming its second victory in three years. At the halfway point, Sevilla currently tops the overall standings by one second from fellow Spaniard Gonzalez following Monday's rain-drenched time trial in Cordoba. Gonzalez, as widely predicted, won the 36-kilometer race against the clock, his second stage victory in the Vuelta, while Sevilla finished a surprising second, just 40 seconds off the pace. The result meant that the Kelme duo's nearest rival, Roberto Heras, now trails Sevilla by one minute and 42 seconds overall. The 25-year-old Sevilla, forced to abandon the 2002 Tour de France with stomach problems, insists that there is no internal dispute for power in Kelme-Costa Blanca. "For Kelme-Costa Blanca it's better to have two contenders overall," he told reporters. "Yesterday Aitor won the time trial and I stayed in the lead, so everybody was happy. Our obligation is to win the Vuelta for Kelme-Costa Blanca," added Sevilla, who finished second in last year's race. Sevilla denied that the green and white team could be troubled by the problems that plagued he Banesto team in 1998, the last occasion when the race was disputed between two riders from the same team. The situation four years ago grew so tense that Banesto teammates Abraham Olano, who won overall, and Jose Maria Jimenez, who finished third, refused to talk to each other during the final week. Team ethic Gonzalez, whose best result in a major Tour to date is sixth in this year's Giro, is also promoting the team ethic. "I still want to win the Tour of Spain, and of course I dreamed of leading the race yesterday, but Sevilla already showed last year that he could do an excellent first time trial," he said. "Now we can work together to defend the lead for Kelme-Costa Blanca." After climber Gilberto Simoni lost over three minutes Monday, sliding to 16th overall, Spaniard Roberto Heras, who won the Tour of Spain for Kelme two years ago, is now the most potent threat to the top two. Heras has improved considerably in time-trials in the past year after testing in wind tunnels at the University of Texas with US Postal teammate and Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. Heras' seventh place Monday lifted the climber back onto the provisional podium. "My time trialling is getting better and my victory on the Pandera shows I'm in good condition for the mountains," he said. After Tuesday's rest day, the race resumes on Wednesday with a 166.1 kilometer stage between Alcobendas and Collado Villalba.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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