17 March 2008
Barredo makes 3 wins for Quickstep at Paris Nice
Three times is a charm for QuickStep at this year’s Paris-Nice.
Following two stage victories by Gert Steegmans, cycling’s most versatile handy man, Carlos Barredo, attacked and attacked again across the heart of France’s Provence region until he finally drove home a well-deserved solo victory.
Barredo helped forged the day’s winning 17-man breakaway in the bumpy, four-climb stage from Althen-des-Palauds to Sisteron. The Spanish climber then attacked a five-man group to give himself a four-second winning margin.
His Paris-Nice stage victory is the most prestigious of his career.
“I realized I was the strongest climber in the group. I know it would have been more difficult in the sprint for me, so I attacked to go alone,” he said. “I opened up a gap and just poured it on. I heard the gap was opening. Maybe they waited too long. I kept looking back in the final kilometer to make sure I wasn’t going to get caught.”
Barredo, 26, hails from Asturias in northern Spain, a region that’s becoming one of Europe’s new cycling hotbeds with such pros as José Luís Rubiera, Benjamin Naval, Dani Navarro and Samuel Sánchez living and training together in the area.
He turned pro in 2004 and quickly won a stage in his native Vuelta a Asturias. Another victory came at the 2006 Tour Down Under before switching to QuickStep in 2007.
Although winless in 2007, Barredo revealed his depth by staying competitive from the spring classics all the way through the fall.
He was fifth at the Clásica San Sebástian in August, 21st at Amstel Gold Race in April, 42nd at the Tour de France in July and 10th overall at the Vuelta a España in September. Not many riders can manage to stay at that level for that long.
“He is a rider capable of winning some big races,” said QuickStep team manager Patrick Lefevere earlier this year. “We have to see how he progresses. He’s already been impressive with his dedication to his teammates. He can continue to grow as a rider in the coming years.”
Barredo boasts a solid time trial, yet despite his 10th overall at last year’s Vuelta, he discounts his chances of evolving into a Tour contender in the coming years.
“I’m not sure if I’m a rider for the big stage races. It seems I can’t climb with the best or time trial like the specialists. My strength is my consistency, so that helps me in smaller stage races,” he said. “My real passion is the classics. I dream of winning a race like Liège someday.”
Barredo is one of those riders who’s everywhere, working into breakaways, helping his leaders and taking advantage when the odds turn in his favor.
He’s been particularly active in this year’s Paris-Nice. Wednesday’s long climbing stage into St-Étienne revealed his versatility.
He snuck into the day’s breakaway before dropping back to help set the pace for GC riders Juan Manuel Garate and Alexandre Efimkin. When the pair struggled, Barredo helped drive the chase to keep them in contention ahead of Thursday’s climbing stage at Mont Ventoux.
He climbed to 12th up Mont Ventoux on Thursday before winning Friday’s breakaway and nudging up from 12th to sixth overall at 1:42 back.
“We have three guys now in the top 10, so it’s just great for the team,” Barredo said. “We’ve had a good Paris-Nice. Winning three stages is a big boost ahead of the classics. We still have chances for the overall, but I had to admit it looks complicated. I’ve been doing a lot during this race, so I think I will start feeling it in my legs and there are two hard stages left to go.”
Barredo’s big win helps solidify QuickStep’s hold of the team classification heading into the final weekend of racing.
Gerolsteiner’s Davide Rebellin, meanwhile, still hasn’t given up on his hopes of stepping onto the highest spot on the podium. Three times a Paris-Nice podium man, Rebellin is poised in second place at 32 seconds back.
“Mont Ventoux is not my kind of mountain. This year’s course is very hard compared to other years. My fitness is good and we will attack this weekend,” Rebellin said. “Gesink looks strong, but maybe we can isolate him on the final climb Saturday. He’s a young rider, so you never know. The most important thing is that my form is good going into the spring classics.”
The 66th Paris-Nice continues Saturday with a hard day across seven rated climbs in a bumpy profile from Sisteron down to the glamour port of Cannes. The Cat. 2 Col du Tanneron with 20 kilometers will be a decisive battleground between the favorites trying to dislodge Gesink.
The new Tarmac SL2 has showed it’s caliber this year with 4 of the top 10 riders using it to their advantage, and 3 convincing stage wins this is bike that can handle the hardest terrain the race can throw at it.
Specialized equipment is used by half of the top 10 riders with Quick-Step on frames and optics, Gerolsteiner on frames and helmets and Silence Lotto on helmet, optics and gloves.
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