Road: McCartney Triumphant at Vuelta

Discovery Channel’s Jason McCartney won the Vuelta a Espana’s 207 km Stage 14 race from Puerto Lumbreras to Villacarrillo, snatching his first victory since 2004. After positioning himself in an 11-man breakaway at roughly the 66 km mark, McCartney waited until the final climb of the day—the Cat. 3 Alto Santiago Pontones—to unleash a series of attacks, eventually shaking off the groupetto with 10 km to go. From there, the 34-year old Iowan put it all on the line, racing his Trek Madone in a pseudo-time trial to the finish.

"It's a super important win for me." McCartney said. "I'm no sprinter, more a time trialist, so I knew I had to attack before the finish…if I wanted a chance of winning."

For McCartney, nearly 57 minutes down in the general classification, a Vuelta stage win is a well-deserved reward after a season of helping drive the Disco blue train. It’s also an important resume builder for the yet-unsigned-for-2008 McCartney: "I'm still looking for a new team in 2008, so I hope this win will help. I don't want to stop riding a bike.”