 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2014) |
| 2014 UCI World Tour, race 9 of 29 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates | 7–12 April 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 840.8 km (522.4 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 21h 09' 11" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2014 Tour of the Basque Country was the 54th edition of the Tour of the Basque Country. It started on 7 April 2014 in Ordizia and ended on 12 April in Markina-Xemein, and consisted of six stages, including a race-concluding individual time trial. It was the ninth race of the 2014 UCI World Tour season.
The race was won for the third time[1] by Spanish rider Alberto Contador of Tinkoff–Saxo,[2] who won the race's opening stage after a late-stage move and eventually held the overall lead for the rest of the race. Contador won the general classification by 49 seconds[3] over runner-up Michał Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma–Quick-Step) while Ag2r–La Mondiale's Jean-Christophe Péraud completed the podium,[4] 15 seconds behind Kwiatkowski and 64 seconds down on Contador. Kwiatkowski and Péraud had both started the final stage outside the top three placings, but moved up due to their more proficient performances in the time trial.
With five third-place finishes from the six stages, Kwiatkowski was also the winner of the white jersey for the points classification,[5] taking the lead on the final stage from the Movistar Team's Alejandro Valverde; Valverde also dropped from second to fifth overall in the general classification.[6] Cannondale rider Davide Villella was the winner of the mountains classification,[7] having held that lead from start to finish, while the sprints classification was won for the second year in a row by a rider from the wildcard team Caja Rural–Seguros RGA; Omar Fraile won the classification,[7] after Amets Txurruka had done so in 2013. The teams classification was won by BMC Racing Team,[8] with three of their riders finishing in the top 15 overall.
- ^ "Contador wins 3rd Tour of Basque Country title". USA Today. Larry Kramer; Gannett Company. Associated Press. 12 April 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
- ^ "Contador wins Vuelta Pais Vasco". Tinkoff–Saxo. Tinkoff Sport. 12 April 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
- ^ Wynn, Nigel (12 April 2014). "Alberto Contador wins Tour of the Basque Country overall". Cycling Weekly. IPC Media. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
- ^ "JC Péraud on the podium". Ag2r–La Mondiale. EUSRL France Cyclisme. 12 April 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
- ^ "Martin Wins, Kwiatkowski on Stage and GC Podium!". Omega Pharma–Quick-Step. Decolef. 12 April 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
- ^ "Valverde left unrewarded". Movistar Team. Abarca Sports. 12 April 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
- ^ a b Farrand, Stephen (12 April 2014). "Contador secures overall Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco victory ahead of Kwiatkowski". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
- ^ "BMC Racing Team Wins Pais Vasco Team Title". BMC Racing Team. BMC Trading. 12 April 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13. Retrieved 12 April 2014.