Nairo Quintana made the perfect start to a daunting season as the Movistar rider survived the elements to win the Tour of Valencia on Sunday. Frenchman Bryan Coquard claimed the shortened fifth and final 49.5km stage around Valencia ahead of compatriot Nacer Bouhanni and Dutchman Coen Vermeltfoort in 1hr 01min 23sec. In strong winds that curtailed the stage, Colombian Quintana finished safely among the peloton to stay 13 seconds ahead of Belgian Ben Hermans with his BMC Racing teammate Manuel Senni in third 19 seconds further adrift. After winning the Vuelta a Espana last year, Quintana is targeting a Giro d'Italia-Tour de France double and showed fine early season form in storming to victory in Saturday's fourth stage to move to the head of the standings. "This year we have some clear objectives in mind which are the Giro and the Tour. We know that getting the preparation right will be key," Quintana told Movistar's website. "At the moment we think we are on the right road to start there at 100 percent." Movistar had a difficult start in Wednesday's opening team time trial as they lost over a minute to BMC. However, Quintana was in a class of his own on the long and winding category one climb to win Saturday's queen stage on his 27th birthday. "After so many months without competing, the team time trial was a hard day and with the differences the others made we even thought it would be difficult to get in the lead," added Quintana. "Yesterday (Saturday) was perhaps the easiest day because I got to the final climb very fresh thanks to the work of the team and was able to finish it off well." Defending champion Wout Poels was 52 seconds back on Quintana in fourth for Team Sky. Howson eclipses Froome to win Herald Sun Tour In Melbourne, young Australian Damien Howson upstaged international stars Chris Froome and Esteban Chaves Sunday, winning the overall Herald Sun Tour ahead of fellow countryman Jai Hindley. Briton Ian Stannard (Team Sky) crossed the line first on the 121-kilometre (75.2-mile) fourth and final stage in Kinglake in Victoria state, just ahead of New Zealander Aaron Gate (Aqua Blue Sport). Howson (Orica-Scott), 24, and 20-year-old Hindley (Australian National Team) led the overall standings since stage one on Thursday ahead of third-placed Frenchman Kenny Elissonde (Team Sky). "I'm really happy to join that list of guys (of former winners including Froome and Bradley Wiggins)," Howson said. "It's my first overall win ever. It's also nice to break into new territory for myself." Defending champion and three-time Tour de France winner Froome (Team Sky) hailed the Australian's efforts to become the overall winner of his country's oldest stage race. "Damien Howson was really strong," said the 31-year-old Briton, who finished sixth in the overall standings. He rode a great stage on Falls Creek and has defended the jersey really well." Colombian Chaves was ninth in the overall standings. Froome's teammate Stannard, 29, attacked following the final climb, opening up a gap that his rivals could not close to take the stage. "I knew the guys wanted to spice it up behind," Stannard said. "I wasn't sure how I felt. I had a big day chasing that last 30 kms yesterday, I went pretty deep and felt not great early and came around towards the end of the race." Dutchman Taco Van Der Hoorn (Roompot-Nederlandse Loterij) crossed the finish line to be third for the stage. Stannard's victory capped a successful few days for Team Sky, with Luke Rowe also winning stage two of the Tour on Friday. "We've come here and wanted to have some fun and some good racing — that's what it's been about and it's worked well for us," Stannard said. Froome said the team had experimented with different tactics this year. "I think tactically we made some very different choices this year," he told Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper. "Everyone came here to ride an aggressive race and not necessarily deliver the typical lead-out train for me that we normally do. "So at Falls Creek (on stage one) when Kenny went up the road we were happy to sit back and roll the dice and let them have a crack. But he added: "It didn't pay off for us and it went in Damien Howson's favor." The climbing and time-trial specialist added that he was happy with starting his 2017 season in Australia, which included competing in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. "The legs were good. I'm just happy to get through the week and have a good block out here," he said.
