Alexandre Vinokourov won the time
trial in the 20th stage of the Spanish Vuelta to retain the overall
lead Saturday on his 33rd birthday.
The Kazakh rider completed the 27.5 kilometres from Rivas Futura
to Rivas Vaciamadrid in 33 minutes 39 seconds.
``This win has been a great birthday present, something
precious,'' Vinokourov said. ``This morning, I was motivated to win.
It's a very happy day for me.''
Samuel Sanchez was six seconds back while fellow Spaniard
Alejandro Valverde finished 19 seconds behind. Valverde is second to
Vinokourov by 1:12 in the overall standings.
Vinokourov said that not having competed in the Tour de France
had probably benefited him.
``I arrived at the Vuelta with 30 days of competition and because
of that I was in good shape,'' Vinokourov said.
``The key to my race was the 17th stage. As well as losing
minutes in the first mountain stage, Valverde's big mistake was not
to place anyone from his team that day during the breakaway _ he was
left without his team.''
David Millar of Britain started as a favourite after his
time-trial win in the 14th stage around the hilltop town of Cuenca,
but Vinokourov finished with a strong sprint to strengthen his
overall lead.
The race ends Sunday with a 142.2-kilometre stage in Madrid.
© The Canadian Press, 2007
