Spaniard Alejandro Valverde won the first stage of the Tour of the
Basque Country following the relegation of compatriot Oscar Freire.
Although Freire crossed the finish line first in Zierbena he did not
take the first place. The compatriot Valverde’s Caisse D’Epargne team
protested that the former three-times world champion had blocked their
rider in the bunch sprint.
Freire was waiting by the winner’s podium to collect his prizes
when he heard he had been relegated to second behind Valverde. France’s
Christophe Le Mevel was third.
Despite Freire’s allegation that he did nothing wrong, the first
place was lost and the rider was later fined 200 Swiss Francs. Valverde,
on the other hand, had no doubt that he would have taken the lead if
Oscar had not blocked him. The Tour of the Basque Country finishes in
Orio on Saturday when we will have the final results.
