Postal’s Van Heeswijk takes Murcia Stage 1

BBC SPORT | Van Heeswijk pips rivals

Max Van Heeswijk, who has been tearing up the early-season races, took Stage 1 of the Tour of Murcia by a tubular on Wednesday, barely nipping Erik Zabel and Ivan Gutierrez in a photo finish.

Lance Armstrong finished in the pack with the same time as Van Heeswijk, while Armstrong’s Tour rival Jan Ullrich dropped out of the pack at about 15 miles out, and finished 7.5 minutes back.

Johan Bruyneel assessed Armstrong’s early season fitness:

"He is in good shape," said Bruyneel.

"Although the idea is to prepare here in Spain, not necessarily to win, we will all be racing at 100%, especially in the time trial on Thursday."

Also:

Yahoo! Sport | US Postal dominate as Van Heeswijk wins Tour of Murcia first stage

DailyPeloton.com | Vuelta a Murcia-Costa Cálida: Stage 1 UPDATED