SALAMANCA, Spain (AP) — Spaniard Fran Ventoso won a second straight stage of the Vuelta de Castilla and Leon on Thursday, and Alberto Contador placed 14th to move into ninth overall after two legs.
Ventoso covered the 132-mile leg in 5 hours, 6 minutes, 23 seconds to edge Sergio Ribeiro of Portugal and Russel Downing of Britain in a sprint finish.
Tour de France champion Contador finished in the same time to stay in contention for a fourth title at the race. Ventoso holds the overall lead of the five-stage race with a time of 9:19:20.
Contador, the defending champion, likely will make his move in Friday’s mountain stage.
The Court for Arbitration of Sport is set to review the Spanish cycling federation’s decision not to punish Contador despite a failed Tour de France doping test.
