Juan Jose Cobo Wins 2011 Vuelta a España; Peter Sagan Wins Stage 21

Juan Jose Cobo of Geox won his first Grand Tour Sunday, finishing first in the 2011 Vuelta a España.
Juan Jose Cobo Wins 2011 Vuelta a España; Peter Sagan Wins Stage 21
9/11/2011
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img class="size-medium wp-image-1797973" title="Juan Jose Cobo of Geox TMC celebrates winning the 2011 Vuelta a Espa&#241a. (Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images)" src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/CoboVuelta124655502WEB.jpg" alt="Juan Jose Cobo of Geox TMC celebrates winning the 2011 Vuelta a Espa&#241a. (Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images)" width="575"/></a>
Juan Jose Cobo of Geox TMC celebrates winning the 2011 Vuelta a España. (Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images)

Traditionally, the final stage of a Grand Tour is for the sprinters. No one attacks the race leader; it is assumed that he has earned his position and shouldn’t be forced to ride hard on the final stage, usually into the host nation’s capital city. The final stage often decides the sprinters’ jersey, but never decides the race leader’s jersey.

So it was in Stage 21 of the 2011 Vuelta a España: Juan Jose Cobo wore the red jersey into Madrid, his 13-second lead over Sky’s Chris Froome not challenged. It was the first Grand Tour General Classification victory for the Geox rider, who had seriously considered retiring earlier in the season. 

“I’m thrilled, this is the greatest day in my career,” Cobo said on the team website. “It’s a dream come true. I still can’t believe this victory and the fantastic feat that me and my team managed to accomplish.

“I came to the Vuelta knowing that I was in good shape and that I could ride a good race, with the desire to help my team, but I never thought that I would end up here in Madrid in the red jersey on the highest step on the podium.

“The team was phenomenal; we raced united and compact every day,” Cobo concluded.

Cobo has won three Grand Tour stages: Stage 10 of the 2008 Tour de France, Stage 19 of the 2009 Vuelta, and Stage 15 this year.

<a><img class="size-medium wp-image-1797975" title="Juan Jose Cobo celebrates winning Stage 15 of the Vuelta a Espa&#241a. (Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images)" src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/CoBo123708146WEB.jpg" alt="Juan Jose Cobo celebrates winning Stage 15 of the Vuelta a Espa&#241a. (Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images)" width="350"/></a>
Juan Jose Cobo celebrates winning Stage 15 of the Vuelta a España. (Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images)

His performance in Stage 15 vaulted him up the ranks of climbers on the UCI Pro Tour. Cobo attacked Sky’s Brad Wiggins and Chris Froome on a 23-percent grade on the Alto de L' Angliru, one of the steepest climbs in professional cycling. Cobo simply rode away from his competitors, gaining 48 seconds in the final six kilometers.

Sky had big hopes for their man Bradley Wiggins, who was looking like a GC contender in the Tour de France before he broke his collarbone. Perhaps he came back too soon; he didn’t have his best form for the Vuelta. Wiggins still managed third overall, quite a respectable finish considering the field he faced, but 2011 has certainly been a disappointing year for him.

<a><img class="size-medium wp-image-1797977" title="Chris Froome crosses the finish line just ahead of race leader Juan Jose Cobo to win Stage 17 of the 2011 Vuelta a Espa&#241a. (Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images)" src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/FroomeWin123985983WEB.jpg" alt="Chris Froome crosses the finish line just ahead of race leader Juan Jose Cobo to win Stage 17 of the 2011 Vuelta a Espa&#241a. (Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images)" width="350"/></a>
Chris Froome crosses the finish line just ahead of race leader Juan Jose Cobo to win Stage 17 of the 2011 Vuelta a España. (Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images)

Chris Froome was the big surprise for Sky and for everyone else, going from domestique to GC contender with his ride in the Stage Ten time trial, which he backed up with superb rides in all the high mountain stages, beating Cobo in Stage 17. His second-place finish, just 13 seconds out of first, must be as frustrating as it is gratifying; just a few pedal strokes kept him off the top of the podium.

Rabobank’s Bauke Mollema seized the green jersey at the line with his ninth-place finish, ahead of Katusha’s Joaquin Rodriguez; in 125th. The pair had been tied coming into the stage, so Mollema’s last-second spurt made the difference.

David Moncoutie won the King of the Mountain jersey for the fourth consecutive year.

Sagan Sprints to Stage Win

<a><img class="size-medium wp-image-1797979" title="Peter Sagan of Liquigas-Cannondale celebrates as he crosses the finish line of the last stage of the 2011 Vuelta a Espa&#241a. (Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images)" src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/21Sagan124655477WEB.jpg" alt="Peter Sagan of Liquigas-Cannondale celebrates as he crosses the finish line of the last stage of the 2011 Vuelta a Espa&#241a. (Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images)" width="350"/></a>
Peter Sagan of Liquigas-Cannondale celebrates as he crosses the finish line of the last stage of the 2011 Vuelta a España. (Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images)

The final flat 95-km stage from the Circuito del Jarama race track to Madrid served two purposes: to give the fans a chance to cheer for their favorites, and to give the sprinters one last day to perform in front of huge crowds.

Many of the best sprinters had abandoned, preferring to train for the upcoming UCI World Championships. There were still some good ones left: Lampre’s Alessandro Petacchi, Leopard Trek’s Daniele Bennati, Sky’s Chris Sutton, HTC’s John Degenkolb. 

In the end it wasn’t the Leopard Trek leadout train which had carried Bennati to two stage wins, nor Ale-jet’s acceleration, nor the power of young Degenkolb, who has been in fine form all season.

In the end, Liquigas-Cannondale’s Peter Sagan, the 21-year-old wunderkind, picked his way through the field and blazed past the other sprinters to take the stage win by half a wheel.

Sagan, who won three stages in this year’s Vuelta, has announced himself on the world’s cycling stage in a big way this year.

Sagan won the Giro di Sardegna on GC, plus the points jersey, with three stage wins; won the points jersey in the Tour of California; won the points jersey and two stages in the Tour de Suisse; won the Slovakian National Road Race Championship; and won GC, the points jersey, and two stages in the Tour de Pologne before coming to the Vuelta, his first Grand Tour.

2011 Vuelta a España Stage 21

 

Final General Classification

1

Peter Sagan

Liquigas

02:20:59

1

Juan Jose Cobo

Geox

84:59:31

2

Daniele Bennati

Leopard Trek

0:00

2

Christopher Froome

Sky

0:00:13

3

Alessandro Petacchi

Lampre

0:00

3

Bradley Wiggins

Sky

0:01:39

4

John Degenkolb

HTC-Highroad

0:00

4

Bauke Mollema

Rabobank

0:02:03

5

Nikolas Maes

Quickstep

0:00

5

Denis Menchov

Geox

0:03:48

6

Pim Ligthart

Vacansoleil

0:00

6

Maxime Monfort

Leopard Trek

0:04:13

7

Chris Sutton

Sky

0:00

7

Vincenzo Nibali

Liquigas

0:04:31

8

Koen De Kort

Skil-Shimano

0:00

8

Jurgen Van Den Broeck

Omega Pharma-Lotto

0:04:45

9

Bauke Mollema

Rabobank

0:00

9

Daniel Moreno

Katusha

0:05:20

10

Vicente Reynes

Omega Pharma-Lotto

0:00

10

Mikel Nieve

Euskaltel-Euskadi

0:05:33

 

Points Competition

 

King of the Mountian

1

Bauke Mollema

Rabobank

122

1

David Moncoutie

Cofidis

63

2

Joaquim Rodriguez

Katusha

115

2

Matteo Montaguti

AG2R

56

3

Juan Jose Cobo

Geox

101

3

Juan Jose Cobo

Geox

42

4

Christopher Froome

Sky

100

4

Daniel Martin

Garmin-Cervelo

33

5

Daniele Bennati

Leopard Trek

92

5

Daniel Moreno

Katusha

32