Johannes Fröhlinger

September 4, 2012

Fröhlinger Holds Fulcrum Going into Rest Day

Johannes Fröhlinger of Argos-Shimano moved into the fulcrum Monday during Stage 16 of the Vuelta a España.

Fröhlinger came home with an overall time of 1 hour, 53 minutes and 58 seconds behind the race leader, Joaquim Rodriguez. He finished 1 hour, 3 minutes and 19 seconds ahead of Joost Van Leijen of Lotto Belisol.

Xavier Florencio Cabre of Katusha won the Point d’Appui for the stage.

Cameron Meyer Orica-GreenEdge abandoned before the start of the stage, and Pablo Lechuga of Andalucia failed to finish, bringing to 181 the number of riders still in the saddle.

Grischa Niermann, who held the overall Point d’Appui after Stage 15, slipped three spots after finishing 141st on the day.

August 28, 2012

Rast Slides into Point d’Appui After Vuelta Stage 10

Gregory Rast

Gregory Rast

Grégory Rast of Radioshack-Nissan has gotten ahold of the overall Point d’Appui in the Vuelta a España. John Gadret of AG2R abandoned the race before Stage 10 because of gastrointestinal problems, leaving 193 to come home on Stage 10.

Rast was the Swiss National Road Champion in 2002, 2004 and 2006, won the Tour de Luxembourg in 2007, was victor in the 2008 Grand Prix of Instanbul, and finished first with the RadioShack team during the team time trial of Stage 4 of the Tour de France in 2009. Since then, not so much. Until today. Now he holds his first Point d’Appui.

Rast is not only the Point d’Appui; he holds the median time of the Vuelta so far too. He finished 49 minutes and 3 seconds behind race leader Joaquim Rodriguez of Katusha and 49 minutes and six seconds ahead of Joost Van Leijen of Lotto Belisol.

On the stage, Johannes Fröhlinger of Argos-Shimano won the Point d’Appui.