Valverde takes the Tour of Murcia
MURCIA, Spain -- Alejandro Valverde of Spain won the Tour of Murcia after Brazilian Luciano Pagliarini took the final stage.
Lance Armstrong finished his second buildup race for the Tour de France seven seconds behind the pace, and was 23rd overall.
"Lance is doing well, but he is not expected to be in great shape just yet," Johan Bruyneel, director of Armstrong's U.S. Postal Service team, said.
"We decided before the race not to go over the limit. 'If it is OK for you, go until it gets hot,' I told him. It is not good to take risks in these situations. I am very happy with the physical condition of my team."
The fifth stage was 133 kilometers (82 miles) long in and around Murcia. It featured three peaks, including Alto Cabezo de la Plata at 370 meters (1,221 feet), culminating in a flat dash to the city center.
Valverde, riding for Com.Valenciana-Kelme, completed the tour in 15 hours, 49 minutes, 31 seconds, beating Jose Ivan Gutierrez of Spain by five seconds, and Cadel Evans of Australia by nine seconds.
Jan Ullrich of Germany, expected to be Armstrong's main rival in the Tour de France, finished 71st overall.
