Vuelta a España 2003
| 58th Vuelta a España 2003 - final score | ||
|---|---|---|
| Route length | 21 stages, 2954.8 km | |
| winner | Roberto Heras | 69:31:52 h (42.496 km / h) |
| Second | Isidro Nozal | + 0:28 min |
| Third | Alejandro Valverde | + 2:25 min |
| Fourth | Igor González de Galdeano | + 3:27 min |
| fifth | Francisco Mancebo | + 4:47 min |
| Scoring | Erik Zabel | 181 P. |
| Second | Alejandro Valverde | 161 P. |
| Third | Alessandro Petacchi | 160 p. |
| Mountain scoring | Félix Cárdenas | 204 P. |
| Second | Aitor Osa | 112 P. |
| Third | Joan Horrach | 101 P. |
| Combined rating | Alejandro Valverde | 9 p. |
| Second | Félix Cárdenas | 13 P. |
| Third | Roberto Heras | 14 p. |
| Team evaluation | iBanesto.com | 208: 43: 05 h |
| Second | ONCE-Eroski | + 1:03 min |
| Third | Kelme-Costa Blanca | + 17:07 min |
The 58th Vuelta a España was held from September 6th to September 28th, 2003. After 21 stages with a total length of 2957 kilometers, Roberto Heras won with 28 seconds ahead of Isidro Nozal .
The tour was primarily characterized by time trials . There was a team time trial, two individual time trials and a mountain time trial.
course
The start was the team time trial over 28 kilometers that the ONCE-Eroski team won. The fourth stage was a very bumpy stage. Some drivers took this opportunity to drive away from the field in a group of six. Unai Etxebarria later broke away from the small group and secured the stage win. Much more important for the further course of the Tour of Spain should be that Isidro Nozal was represented in the group and was allowed to wear the golden jersey of the front runner with a 50-second lead.
Nozal clearly dominated the individual time trial of the 6th stage and had a lead of two and a half minutes over his second-placed team-mate Igor González de Galdeano in the overall standings . The 7th stage was the first very difficult test in the mountains and Nozal's lead melted, but on the next stage, which also led through the mountains, he was able to keep up with the best again.
On the 9th stage he was even able to lose a few seconds from sharp competitors like Roberto Heras on the final climb. A young Spaniard named Alejandro Valverde won the stage .
After the difficult mountain stages, the sprinters had their say again. Erik Zabel was able to win two of the following three flat stages. This was followed by the second individual time trial and again it was Isidro Nozal who won it. Gonzalez de Galdeano was now more than three minutes behind, Roberto Heras even more than five minutes.
On the 15th stage came the first big attack by Roberto Heras. Only Valverde and Félix Cárdenas were able to follow on the final climb . Valverde won the stage and Heras was able to make up over a minute on Nozal. Nozal could not hold back the next stage. Heras and the other mountain specialists kept catching up. Before the decisive mountain time trial of the 20th stage, Nozal was 1:55 minutes ahead of Roberto Heras, but he lost more than two minutes and Heras was therefore certain of overall victory thanks to a small time cushion.
The greatest discovery of the 58th Tour of Spain was without a doubt the 23-year-old Alejandro Valverde, who impressed with his climbing and sprinting skills and ultimately took third place in the overall standings.
There was also a tough battle for victory in the points classification. While it initially looked like a duel between Alessandro Petacchi and Erik Zabel, Valverde intervened. Valverde scored points in the mountains and wasn't afraid to get involved in mass sprints. After the penultimate stage, Valverde was one point ahead of Zabel and 17 ahead of Petacchi. The Italian won the final section in the sprint ahead of Zabel, Valverde was only eighth. That was enough for Zabel to win the blue jersey.
The most successful stage hunter was Alessandro Petacchi with five stage successes.
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