First Endurance rider Michael Rogers (HTC-Columbia) successfully fended off some dangerous attacks in the final day’s racing of the Ruta del Sol to clinch the overall victory. A long break including overall threat Angel Vicioso of Spain was only caught 20 kilometres from the finish line. Chasing down the move was made much difficult because three HTC-Columbia riders, Konstantsin Sivtsov, Michael Albasini and Hayden Roulston, all crashed mid-stage.Rogers was delighted with his first stage race win since 2003, saying “It was a pretty tough day but the team were super and we never panicked.”

After the breakaway ended, Rogers then finished third in the final uphill sprint of a front group of 24 riders, won by Spain’s Francisco Ventoso. Overall, the former World Time Trial Champion finished with a 19-second advantage over Jurgen Van Den Broeck of Belgium, with Spain’s Sergio Pardilla in third. “The crash made things more difficult, although in the end it all worked out and I got third on the stage as well. So I’m very pleased.”

“The break was very dangerous with some strong riders out there, and we tried to keep them at two minutes but when that crash happened we had to let them have a bit more,” commented HTC-Columbia sport director Brian Holm. “It was very tense in the last part, although Mick got to the finish with enough teammates to protect him and he showed his strength by getting third, too. He did well on the first uphill finish and then again in the time trial that decided the race. It’s really nice to see him back on the podium of a stage race.”

About First Endurance:

First Endurance was started by two racing fanatics (a cyclist and a triathlete) with a healthy obsession for sports nutrition. The idea was simple. Give endurance athletes access to formulas that are developed for one specific reason-to maximize endurance performance. First Endurance is committed to using only the highest-quality ingredients and uses the latest scientifically validated technological advancements. First Endurance proudly sponsors the BMC, HTC-Columbia and Bissell professional cycling teams.   These cyclists work closely with First Endurance on new product development. Input and trials from the First Endurance athletes are used to develop new products like the new and improved EFS drinks that were introduced on Feb 1, 2010.

Final general classification
1 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team HTC – Columbia 18:12:16
2 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:00:19
3 Sergio Pardilla Bellón (Spa) Carmiooro NGC 0:00:30
4 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team Saxo Bank 0:00:31