Lobato racks up yet another podium

Juan José Lobato picked up his third podium placing in a little over three weeks in the first stage of the Tour of Luxembourg on Thursday.

The 183,8km leg from Luxembourg to Hautcharage was taken out by Katusha's Alexander Porsev, the Russian out-sprinting Milan-San Remo victor Gerald Ciolek and Euskaltel's Lobato.

Lobato, fresh off a second and a third place in the Bayern Rundfahrt late last month, was helped out in the final kilometres by a number of his team-mates, and in the end he had enough gas in the tank to land the last step on the podium.

Speaking post-stage, the team's sports director Álex Díaz was content with the day's work.

"The team did a good job", he told Euskaltel Euskadi's website. "We assumed control of the peloton in the final clicks, but we came across rivals who also did a good job. We've got three more opportunities ahead of us, and, if we keep working like we did today, we'll be in with a shout of a win".

André Schulze's wretched first year with the team continued apace on Thursday, the German abandoning his fourth race of the year. The ProRace Berlin five days ago, in which he came in 110th, is the only race he's completed this season.

Results:

• (1, Alexander Porsev (Katusha), 4:40:50)
• 3, Juan José Lobato, s.t.
• 15, Ioannis Tamouridis, s.t.
• 22, Rubén Pérez, s.t.
• 24, Jon Aberasturi, s.t.
• 72, Pablo Urtasun, s.t.
• 125, Steffen Radochla, 2:55

Photo: BCPT