K-StateNation.com Forums
Other Junk => Ya Want Classless ? => Topic started by: cyclist on April 21, 2011, 06:23:11 PM
-
While it doesn't have the status of the Tour de France, the Giro is the second biggest cycling stage race in the world.
From VeloNews:
2011 Giro d’Italia Startlist
By VeloNews.com
Published Apr 21st 2011 12:35 PM UTC — Updated Apr 21st 2011 1:44 PM UTC
Preliminary startlist for the 2011 Giro d’Italia, to be held May 7-29.
ACQUA & SAPONE ITA)
1 GARZELLI Stefano (ITA)
2 CODOL Massimo (ITA)
3 CORIONI Claudio (ITA)
4 DONATI Alessandro (ITA)
5 MARZOLI Ruggero (ITA)
6 MIHOLJEVIC Vladimir (CRO)
7 NAPOLITANO Danilo (ITA)
8 SARMIENTO TUNARROSA Cayetano (COL))
9 TABORRE Fabio (ITA)
D.S: CENGHIALTA Bruno
AG2R (FRA)
11 NOCENTINI Rinaldo
12 BERARD Julien (FRA)
13 CHEREL Mikael (FRA)
14 DESSEL Cyril (FRA)
15 DUPONT Hubert (FRA)
16 GADRET John (FRA)
17 GASTAUER Ben (LUX)
18 KRIVTSOV Yuriy (FRA)
19 MONTAGUTI Matteo (ITA)
D.S.: BIONDI Laurent
ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI (ITA)
21 SERPA PEREZ Jose
22 SELLA Emanuele (ITA)
23 RUJANO GUILLEN José (VEN)
24 DE MARCHI Alessandro (ITA)
25 ERMETI Giairo (ITA)
26 FERRARI Roberto
27 OCHOA Carlos José (VEN)
28 RODRIGUEZ Jackson
29 VICIOSO ARCOS Angel (ESP)
D.S.: SAVIO Gianni
BMC (USA)
31 BALLAN Alessandro (ITA)
32 BEYER Chad (USA)
33 FRANK Mathias (SUI)
34 KOHLER Martin (SUI)
35 KRISTOFF Alexander NOR
36 SANTAMBROGIO Mauro (ITA)
37 TSCHOPP Johann (SUI)
38 WYSS Danilo (SUI)
39 ZAHNER Simon (SUI)
D.S.: BALDATO Fabio
COLNAGO – CSF INOX
41 POZZOVIVO Domenico (ITA)
42 (BEL)LETTI Manuel (ITA)
43 MODOLO Sacha (ITA)
44 PIRAZZI Stefano
45 SAVINI Filippo
46 CANUTI Federico (ITA)
47 STORTONI Simone (ITA)
48 BRAMBILLA Gianluca (ITA)
49 CADDEO Manuele
D.S.: REVERBERI Roberto
EUSKALTEL –EUSKADI (ESP)
51 ANTON HERNANDEZ Igor (ESP)
52 SESMA Daniel (ESP)
53 MINGUEZ AYALA Miguel (ESP)
54 ISASI FLORES Inaki (ESP)
55 CAZAUX Pierre (FRA)
56 ARAMENDIA LLORENTE Javier (ESP)
57 AZANZA SOTO Jorge (ESP)
58 OROZ Jose (ESP)
59 NIEVE ITURALDE Mikel (ESP)
D.S: GLEZ Alvaro
GEOX – TMC (ESP)
61 MENCHOV Denis (RUS)
62 SASTRE CANDIL Carlos (ESP)
63 COBO ACEBO Juan Jose (ESP)
64 BLANCO RODRIGUEZ David (ESP)
65 CHEULA Giampaolo (ITA)
66 KOZONTCHUK Dmitry (RUS)
67 DUARTE AREVALO Fabio Andres (COL)
68 ARDILA CANO Mauricio
69 VALLS FERRI Rafael (ESP)
D.S.: ZANINI Stefano
HTC – HIGHROAD (USA)
71 CAVENDISH Mark (GBR)
72 PINOTTI Marco (ITA)
73 GRETSCH Patrick
74 LEWIS Craig (USA)
75 BAK Lars (DEN)
76 RABON Frantisek (CZE)
77 RASMUSSEN Alex (DEN)
78 RENSHAW Mark (AUS)
79 SIVTSOV Kanstantsin (BLR)
D.S.: PIVA Valerio
KATUSHA TEAM (RUS)
81 POZZATO
82 RODRIGUEZ OLIVER (ESP)
83 DI LUCA, Danilo(ITA)
84 CARUSO Giampaolo (ITA)
85 MORENO FERNANDEZ Daniel (ESP)
86 PAOLINI Luca (ITA)
87 LOSADA ALGUACIL Alberto
88 HORRACH RIPPOLL Juan (ESP)
89 KUSCHYNSKI Aleksandr (BLR)
D.S.:PARSANI Serge
LAMPRE – ISD (ITA)
91 SCARPONI Michele (ITA)
92 PETACCHI Alessandro (ITA)
93 MARZANO Marco (ITA)
94 ULISSI Diego (ITA)
95 HONDO Danilo (GER)
96 NIEMIEC Przemyslaw (POL)
97 MALORI Adrian
98 RIGHI Daniele
99 SPILAK Simon (SLO)
D.S: MAINI Orlando
TEAM LEOPARD – TREK (LUX)
101 BENNATI Davide (ITA)
102 KLEMME Dominic (GER)
103 ROHREGGER Thomas (AUT)
104 STAMSNIJDER Tom (NED)
105 PIRES Bruno (POR)
106 VIGANO Davide (ITA)
107 WEGMANN Fabian (GER)
108 WEYLANDT Wouter (BEL)
109 ZAUGG Oliver (SUI)
D.S.: GUERCILENA Luca
LIQUIGAS – CANNONDALE ITA)
111 NIBALI Vincenzo (ITA)
112 AGNOLI
113 CAPECCHI Eros (ITA)
114 DA DALTO Mauro (ITA)
115 DALL’ANTONIA Tiziano (ITA)
116 SABATINI Fabio (ITA)
117 SALERNO Cristiano (ITA)
118 SZMYD Sylvester (POL)
119 VANOTTI Alessandro (ITA)
D.S.: VOLPI Alberto
MOVISTAR TEAM ESP)
121 ARROYO (ESP)
122 BRUSEGHIN Marzio (ITA)
123 AMADOR Andrey (CRC)
124 KIRYIENKA Vasili (BLR)
125 LASTRAS GARCIA Pablo (ESP)
126 PARDILLA (BEL)LON Sergio (ESP)
127 PASAMONTES RODRIGUEZ Luis (ESP)
128 SAMOILAU Branislau (BLR)
129 (VEN)TOSO ALBERDI Francisco J. (ESP)
D.S.: ARRIETA Jose Luis
OMEGA PHARMA- LOTTO
131 BAKELANDTS Jan (BEL)
132 BLYTH Adam (GBR)
133 DE GREEF Francis
134 DE CLERCQ Bart (BEL)
135 DOCKX Gert (BEL)
136 KAISEN Olivier
137 LANG Sebastian (GER)
138 VEIKKANEN Jussi FIN
139 LODEWYCK Klaas (BEL)
D.S. DAMIANI Roberto
ASTANA PRO (KAZ)
141 KREUZIGER Roman (CZE)
142 TIRALONGO Paolo (ITA)
143 MASCIARELLI Francesco (ITA)
144 KISERLOVSKI Robert (CRO)
145 GOUROV Maxim (KAZ)
146 JUFRE POU Josep (ESP)
147 KESSIAKOFF Fredrik (SWE)
148 PETROV Evgeni (RUS)
149 STANGELJ Gorazd (SLO)
D.S.: MARTINELLI Giuseppe
FARNESE SOTTOLI (ITA)
150 VISCONTI Giovanni (ITA)
151 FAILLI Francesco (ITA)
152 GIORDANI Leonardo (ITA)
153 GATTO Oscar (ITA)
154 RABOTTINI Matteo (ITA)
155 MAZZANTI Luca (ITA)
156 CACCIA Diego (ITA)
157 NOE’ Andrea (ITA)
158 RICCI BITTI Davide (ITA)
D.S.: SCINTO Luca
QUICKSTEP CYCLING TEAM (BEL)
161 BANDIERA Marco (ITA)
162 CATALDO Dario (ITA)
163 CIOLEK Gerald (GER)
164 DE MAAR Marc (NED)
165 ENGELS Addy (NED)
166 MALACARNE Davide (ITA)
167 PINEAU Jérome (FRA)
168 SEELDRAYERS Kevin (BEL)
169VANDEWALLE Kristof (BEL)
D.S. BRAMATI Davide
RABOBANK CYCLING TEAM (NED))
171 BOS Theo (NED)
172 FLENS Rick (NED)
173 KRUIJSWIJK Steven (NED)
174 LEEZER Tom (NED)
175 SLAGTER Tom Jelte (NED)
176 TANKINK Bram (NED)
177 VAN EMDEN Jos (NED)
178 VAN WINDEN Dennis (NED)
179 WEENING Pieter (NED)
D.S.: VERHOEVEN Nico
SAXO BANK
181 CONTADOR VELASCO (ESP)
182 DIDIER Laurent (LUX)
183 GUSTOV Volodymir (UKR)
184 HERNANDEZ BLAZQUEZ Jesus (ESP)
185 KLOSTERGAARD LARSEN Kasper (DEN)
186 LARSSON Gustav Erik (SWE)
187 NAVARRO GARCIA Daniel (ESP)
188 TOSATTO Matteo (ITA)
189 NOVAL GONZALEZ Benjamin (ESP)
MAUDUIT Philippe
SKY PROCYCLING (GBR)
191 LÖVKVIST Thomas (SWE)
192 BARRY Michael (CAN)
193 CARLSTRÖM Kjell (FIN)
194 CIONI Dario David (ITA)
195 DOWNING Russel (GBR)
196 APPOLLONIO Davide (ITA)
197 NORDHAUG (NOR)
198 PAUWELS Serge (BEL)
199 POSSONI Morris (ITA)
D.S: YATES Sean
TEAM GARMIN – CERVELO (USA)
201 FARRAR Tyler (USA)
202 DEAN Julian NZL
203 BOBRIDGE Jack (AUS)
204 FISCHER Murilo
205 LE MEVEL Christophe (FRA)
206 MEYER Cameron (AUS)
207 MILLAR David (GBR)
208 STETINA Peter (USA)
209 WILSON Matthew (AUS)
D.S. MARIE Lionel
TEAM RADIOSHACK (USA)
211 POPOVYCH Yaroslav UKR
212 MCEWEN Robert (AUS)
213 MACHADO Tiago (POR)
214 BEPPU Fumiyuki (JPN)
215 CARDOSO Manuel Antonio Leal (POR)
216 DEIGNAN Philip (IRL)
217 HERMANS Ben (BEL)
218 HUNTER Robert (RSA)
219 ROVNY Ivan (RUS)
D.S.: GALLOPIN Alain
VACANSOLEIL – DCM PRO C.TEAM (NED)
221 CARRARA Matteo (ITA)
222 BOZIC Borut (SLO)
223 BELKOV Maxim (RUS)
224 GOLAS Michal (POL)
225 HOOGERLAND Johnny (NED)
226 LAGUTIN Sergey (UZB)
227 ONGARATO Alberto
228 SELVAGGI Mirko (ITA)
229 VEUCHELEN Frederik (BEL)
-
This stage race is always an enigma. Most of this is due to the fact that the Italians race 'balls to the wall' to win this thing. They don't always win it, but it does make for interesting racing. Also, the well known 'heads of state' don't always enter this race and if they do, they many times are getting 'conditioned' so that they peak for the Tour de France.
Here are some names to watch:
1 Stefano Garzelli (ITA) Acqua & Saponeita - In his late 30's, Garzelli may have his better cycling days behind him. He won the Giro in 2000 and placed second in 2003. He was caught in the 2002 doping scandal in the Giro and forced out of that year's race.
61 Denis Menchov (RUS) Geox-TMC - In his early 30's, Menchov won the Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain) in 2005 and 2007 and won the Giro in 2009. He finished third in the Tour de France in 2008 and 2010.
62 Carlos Sastre (ESP) Geos-TMC - In his mid 30's, Sastre will be helping team leader Denis Menchov, but will be ready if Menchov falters. Sastre won the 2008 Tour de France and finished 3rd in the 2009 Giro.
71 Mark Cavendish (GBR) HTC-Highroad - Cavendish is not in contention for the leader's jersy (Maglia Rosa or pink jersey), but is a 'greyhound' that wins flat stages will amazing regularity. He will be in contention for the 'Points' jersey (Maglia Rosso or red jersey).
181 Alberto Contador (ESP) Saxo Bank - Contador has been cleared (at least for now) of doping charges. Contador is arguably the best cyclist in the world right now, with wins in his last five Grand Tours: Tour de France - 2007, 2009 and 2010; Giro - 2008; and Vuelta - 2008. A top time trialist and climber, Contador is a force to be reconded with. I would image he will be defending his Tour de France win, but he may be trying to win the Giro, Tour and possibly the Vuelta in the same year, a feat never accomplished before. On a side note, legendary Eddy Merckx won the Giro, Tour and the World Championship in 1974 (cycling's Triple Crown). Only one other cyclist has won the Triple Crown, Stephen Roche in 1987.
201 Tyler Farrar (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo - Farrar, like Cavendish is a sprinter and will be going for stage wins and the points jersey.
207 David Millar (GBR) Team Garmin-Cervelo - Millar is an 'old hand' at cycling and will be the 'on the road' manager, working to get Farrar in position to win stages.
There will be others who may stand tall and challenge. The Giro starts May 7 and runs through May 29.
-
From Pez Cycling:
Pez Previews II Giro’11 Corsa: Stages 1-9
Wednesday, May 04, 2011 5:15:54 AM PT
by Richard Pestes
With the Corsa Rosa set to start on Saturday, it's time for a closer look at the route that could be the most difficult Grand Tour in recent years. Today we cover stages 1-9, which carry the race from the start in Torino to the southernmost point of this year’s race on Mount Etna in Sicily. We’ll follow with a look at the run up the Adriatic coast and into the Dolomites, and then tackle the final week and its vast array of mountain peaks and summit finishes.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11-map465.jpg)
Giro 2011: 3,498km going top to toe and back - with a mountain-heavy weighting.
The Giro has consistently delivered the best racing of any Grand Tour for several years now, and while it’s the riders who make the race, serving up an interesting and spectacular parcours always makes for a more animated coffee ride banter.
In addition to some imaginative race planners at the RCS, The Giro has the added benefit of being in Italy – which is blessed with some of the best geography for bike racing anywhere.
Once again the organizers have opted for an entertaining route that will see the GC battle start in week one, and carry on with peaks in weeks two and three right to the end. Like the Tour de France, the real fighting will hot up in the second half of the race, but the first half will by no means be tranquillo.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st01-pez05tt.jpg)
Starting with the opening 21km Team Time Trial in Torino, a pink jersey will be claimed and a team charged with controlling things for the next few stages. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the nationalization of Italy, and Torino was the first capital. We were last here in 2005 for the individual TT from Chieri to Torino – my trusty driver Francis and I chased Ale-Jet Petacchi on his run – and he dropped us at over 90kmh on the descent into the city.
The Stage 2 mostly flat run from Alba to Parma is the 3rd longest at 242km, but a day for the sprinters. Nothing else to report there.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st03-camogli.jpg)
Here's the town of Camogli - next door to Rapallo, and typical of the towns that line the Ligurian coast.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st03-profile.jpg)
• Stage 3 from Reggio Emilia to Rapallo carries the race 178km to azure waters of the Ligurian coast, maybe my favorite part of Italy. I spent 2 weeks in nearby Cavi di Lavagna this past Spring, and after visiting almost every corner of the country over the past 10 years, this is one place I could live – but more on that in another article.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st03-boccosign.jpg)
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st03-boccovalley.jpg)
The descent from Passo del Bocco runs out this valley to the sea - which lies just over that distant ridge.
The stage climbs gradually over the Appenines, summiting at the Passo del Bocco before plunging to the coast. In May ’10 I rode the climb from the south, it’s about 20km up to 1000meters, but taken from the northeast will be about as decisive as the Passo del Turchino is to Milan-Sanremo.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st03-cannons.jpg)
Rapallo nestles in a natural bay, and is a great base for a riding holiday.
Watch for an early break to go the distance, since the roads of the descent and along the coast over the Madonna della Grazie are small and twisty – perfect for the opportunists. This will be a fun stage to watch, as the closing kms snake along the coast, and we may even see a crash or two on the tight bends, just like we did in 2007’s stage 10 to Santuario Nostra Signora Della Guardia.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st04-profile.jpg)
• Stage 4 runs 208 km southeast along the coast from Quarto dei Mille – Livorno .
Ale Sez: From the Ligurian coast, the Giro will arrive in central Italy passing through Toscana and the Lazio regions. Quarto dei Mille is a neighborhood in Genoa located on the sea, has been chosen for its high symbolic value as departure village for stage 4, as one of the symbols of the 150 years of Italian independence. Giusepe Garibaldi sailed from Quarto 150 years ago heading to Sicily to make one Nation from a group of different small countries.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st04-braccoview.jpg)
You can see the summit of the Passo del Bracco slicing across the top of that yonder ridge. Also note the autostrda below left – which runs through miles and miles of tunnels here.
The biggest obstacle is the climb over the Passo del Bracco – Jered did a great preview on it here when we last saw it used as part of the uber-hard 65km stage 10 TT from Sestri Levante to Riomaggiore. I rode it too, and although it can be a grinder in the heat going solo, it comes too early in the stage to provide anything more than a launch pad for an early break, which the sprinters’ teams will be cursing later in the day as they be forced to shut it down before the finish along the seaside beach resorts in Livorno.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races09/giro09/giro09st13rp-06umbrellas.jpg)
Stage 4 winds up in Livorno, alongside the fashionable Italian beaches that take on a life of their own during summer months.
• Stage 5 – Piombino – Orvieto 201km
After a couple days on the coast, the race heads for the hills of central Italy, and the first taste of the ‘strade biancha’ which last year tuned into the ‘strade mudfesta’ in the rains – and left us with one of the all time epic days of modern bike racing. The race guide shows just one section of the dirt roads for this stage versus 19.5km one two sectors last year, so it’s too early to say how this could impact the day.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st05-profile.jpg)
The race climbs to the finish in the hill top town of Orvieto, famous for wines (like most of Italy), and also noted because one of the only bad meals I ever had in Italy – I had in Orvieto. Let’s just say I don’t recommend the pizza with wurstel. Seriously – how they even got wieners on a pizza past the Austro-German border guards is beyond me.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st06-hills.jpg)
The Umbrian landscape never takes a break from going up and down.
Ale Sez: One of the most interesting stages will be the two that finish and start in Orvieto, located in Umbria, closed to Toscana. Stage 5 will pass through Fighine, a small village surrounded by ancient walls, submerged in the typical Italian landscape. The road to Fighine is a gravel road. That day the Giro will find again the white Tuscan roads like those used in last year’s epic stage to Montelcino.
• Stage 6 – Orvieto – Fiuggi Terme 195km
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st06-profile.jpg)
Ale Sez: From Orvieto the Giro will head to Fiuggi, a thermal town in the centre Italy. Fiuggi is the right place where you can eat some perfect "spaghetti amatriciana". But, in fact, the correct pasta to eat as amatriciana is "bucatini" and not spaghetti (bucatini are a kind of fat spaghetti-like tubes).
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st05-natalia.jpg)
Ale's wife Natalia shows off a plate of the 'real' amatriciana.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st07-profile.jpg)• Stage 7 – Maddaloni – Montevergine 100km
We last braved the switchbacks to Montevergine in 2007, when the Giro started in Sardegna and climbed this peak on only stage 4. It climbs for 17 long kms and gains 856m at an average 5% with pitches to 10%, and DiLuca won from a fairly large group of gc contenders and climbers. We’re not going to see big time gaps, but we will see a selection of who’s serious about winning the overall, setting up the first big mountain showdown on stage 9.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st07-07switch2.jpg)
Ed braved the nausea-inducing heights of the funicular when Di Luca won in ’07.
The spanner in the works though, is the short distance – only 100km – and the 1100m climb over Monte Taburno that starts just 20km into the race. This could really hot up the pace as there’ll be little time for heroic chases should a group get away - so watch for a high speed all day and the strongest men only left to fight the finale.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races07/giro07/giro07st04-climbmap.jpg)
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st07-07switch1.jpg)
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st08-boats.jpg)
• Stage 8 – Sarpi – Tropea 214km
The 8th stage will be unique as only the second real day for sprinters’ as the race follows the Tirrenean coast south for 214 kms. Having visited the area in 2008 when I stayed in the seaside town of Pizzo Calabro, I can tell you it’s a gorgeous stretch of coastline marked by sparkling blue waters, fresh seafood, and friendly people. It’s as well suited to a vacation as to a bike race.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st08-map.jpg)
The stage itself is almost pan flat, so expect a quieter day as a break gets just as much time as the sprinters’ team will allow before shutting it down, and the gc boys rest up for stage 9.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st08-coast.jpg)
While plenty of hills flank the route for stage 8, the road itself is mostly flat along the coast.
• Stage 9: To ETNA – And Beyond!
Stage 9 will be a cracker, and you bet your sweet bippy there’ll be metaphors of volcanic proportions to go along a with a day that climbs the always-on-edge active volcano known as Mt. Etna.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st09-etna03.jpg)
Submitted by Jamie Horner – and Ex-pat American who married an Italian girl and moved to her Sicilian hometown of Palermo. Jamie was deputized by the Pez for the opening stages of the 2008 Giro, and his local knowledge was indispensible to our coverage.
Jamie Sez: Italians are particularly drawn to stories of suffering, tragedy, the inexorable hand of fate. Italian cyclists even more so. Perhaps that is why stage 9 is starting at the place where 31 people lost their lives when rain saturated mountains suddenly melted down into the towns of Scaletta Marina, Giampilieri, Altolia, Molino, Santo Stefano di Briga, and Pezzolo. The cyclists will ride through all of these places, with those mountains towering menacingly on their right and the mainland of Italy clearly visible on their left as they follow the coast-line toward snow covered Mt. Etna.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st09-profile.jpg)
The route takes a detour at the beach resort of Taormina to climb the steep slope above the ancient Greek city of Giardini Naxos, one of the jewels of Italy, where paparazzi patiently wait. Expect plenty of photographs from there, as this climb looks down nearly vertically to the sea below.
All the while the riders will be able to see Mt. Etna lumbering disproportionately over the horizon to their right. Sometimes its snowy top is engulfed by clouds and then at times it is surrounded by its own smoke. From the ground it is impossible to tell the difference. For fifty euros you can pay to ride up in a small bus with tractor tires and see for yourself. If you have the opportunity, you definitely should. The riders will head toward the town of Linguaglossa, one of the highest villages on the volcano. Above there the roads are often closed for lava flow the way a Rocky Mountain road is closed for snow drifts. Once, from a restaurant in Linguaglossa, I watched the smoking mountainside above me slowly start to glow and then, an hour later, start to flow lava. I was so alarmed by the sight that I asked some of the townspeople if they weren’t frightened to live this way, below an active volcano. One old woman I asked looked up at the mountain as though she hadn’t thought of it and shook her head slowly.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st09-etna3d.jpg)
From Linguaglossa the route continues past farms and buildings half buried by lava flow to Lenza at 1631 meters, then they will descend and climb up the south side, essentially climbing the mountain twice. The final climb will go through Nicolosi, a town much like Linguaglossa, to the Sapienza Reservation at 1900 meters. There is not much up there, a large brick building surrounded by souvenir shops, a lot of parking and inactive craters. Among the craters it is possible to see rooftops of structures buried in lava flow. This is where the ski lifts mechanically move thousands of colourful skiers up to the snowy top of the mountain so they can gracefully glide back down. It is comforting to see so much skiing without the hot tubs and indoor pools and night life.
Meanwhile those buses with the giant tires creep insistently up toward the smoking craters. I am still grateful to my son, who irreverently rolled a good sized stone down the crater, to see what would happen. He was eight, and as I watched that rock roll down into the earth I suddenly realized that my entire group had stopped to watch, even the guide with the mountain glasses, we all stood motionless as the rock rolled down the soft sides into the sulferous who-knows-what.
Cycling is like that. Creeping close to danger, suffering, pushing limits, standing quietly to see what happens. Stage nine is certainly a stage for curiosity seekers, sufferers, and survivors.
(http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races11/giro11/giro11st01-pez05clowns.jpg)
Geez - there I am in 2005 - and in spite of being accosted be these guys, I'm still just as excited about covering my 7th Giro here on PEZ.
So there you have it - our rough guide to the opening week of racing at the 2011 Giro. While the gc will certainly not be decided until the final week these opening stages will serve up some great race days, and by no means allow the gc boys to hide out. You'll not want to miss a minute of the action, and you know we'll have it covered from start to finish.
Next up - The Giro's second week that climbs north along the Adriatic, keeps climbing for 3 dizzying days to the Grossglockner in Austria, the uber-steep slopes of the Zoncolan, and the epic day through the Dolomites to Gardeccia- Val di Fassa.
-
2011 Giro d’Italia
Stage 1, Venaria Reale-Turin (19.3 km)
1. HTC-Highroad, In 20:59
2. Team Radioshack, at 10
3. Liquigas-Cannondale, at 22
4. Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 22
5. Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 24
6. Lampre-ISD, at 24
7. Rabobank Cycling Team, at 26
8. Saxo Bank Sungard, at 30
9. Sky Procycling, at 37
10. Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team, at 37
11. Movistar Team, at 38
12. Androni Giocattoli-C.I.P.I, at 39
13. BMC Racing Team, at 41
14. Leopard Trek, at 42
15. Quickstep Cycling Team, at 42
16. Ag2r La Mondiale, at 49
17. Pro Team Astana, at 50
18. Geox-TMC, at 53
19. Colnago-Csf Inox, at 1:02
20. Katusha Team, at 1:04
21. Acqua & Sapone, at 1:07
22. Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli, at 1:07
23. Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1:13
GC
1. Marco Pinotti (Ita), HTC-Highroad, in 20:59
2. Lars Ytting Bak (Den), HTC-Highroad, at 0:00
3. Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Blr), HTC-Highroad, at 0:00
4. Mark Cavendish (GB), HTC-Highroad, at 0:00
5. Craig Lewis (USA), HTC-Highroad, at 0:00
6. Robbie McEwen (Aus), Team RadioShack, at 0:00
12. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr), Team RadioShack, at 0:10
29. Tyler Farrar (USA), Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 0:24
32. David Millar (GB), Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 0:24
51. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa), Saxo Bank Sungard, at 0:30
134. Denis Menchov (Rus), Geox-TMC, at 0:53
137. Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa), Geox-TMC, at 0:53
156. Danilo Di Luca (Ita), Katusha Team, at 1:04
207. Javier Francisco Aramendia Lorente (Spa), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 4:23
The Giro has Stage 1 as a Team Time Trial.
-
2011 Giro d’Italia
By VeloNews.com
Published May 8th 2011 11:44 AM UTC — Updated May 8th 2011 2:28 PM UTC
Stage 2: Alba – Parma
1. Alessandro Petacchi (Ita), Lampre-ISD, in 5:45:40
2. Mark Cavendish (GB), HTC-Highroad, s.t.
3. Manuel Belletti (Ita), Colnago-CSF Inox, s.t.
4. Roberto Ferrari (Ita), Androni Giocattoli, s.t.
5. Borut Bozic (Slo), Vacansoleil-DCM, s.t.
7. Tyler Farrar (USA), Team Garmin-Cervélo, s.t.
8. Robbie McEwen (Aus), Team RadioShack, s.t.
29. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa), Saxo Bank Sungard, s.t.
41. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr), Team RadioShack, s.t.
73. Denis Menchov (Rus), Geox-TMC, s.t.
126. Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa), Geox-TMC, s.t.
150. David Millar (GB), Team Garmin-Cervélo, s.t.
207. Patrick Gretsch (Ger), HTC-Highroad, at 10:20
General Classification
1. Mark Cavendish (GB), HTC-Highroad, in 6:06:27
2. Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Blr), HTC-Highroad, at 0:12
3. Craig Lewis (USA), HTC-Highroad, at 0:12
4. Marco Pinotti (Ita), HTC-Highroad, at 0:12
5. Lars Ytting Bak (Den), HTC-Highroad, at 0:12
6. Alessandro Petacchi (Ita), Lampre-ISD, at 0:16
7. Robbie McEwen (Aus), RadioShack, at 0:22
9. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr), RadioShack, at 0:22
25. Tyler Farrar (USA), Garmin-Cervélo, at 0:36
33. David Millar (GB), Garmin-Cervélo, at 0:36
41. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa), Saxo Bank Sungard, at 0:42
117. Denis Menchov (Rus), Geox-TMC, at 1:05
119. Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa), Geox-TMC, at 1:05
207. Patrick Gretsch (Ger), HTC-Highroad, at 11:22
Alessandro Petacchi wins stage 2 of the 2011 Giro d’Italia; Mark Cavendish takes overall lead
By VeloNews.com
Published May 8th 2011 11:08 AM UTC — Updated May 8th 2011 2:53 PM UTC
Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD) won stage two of the 2011 Giro d’Italia, a mostly flat 244km leg from Alba to Parma.
The stage was marked by a heroic solo break by Sebastian Lang (Omega Pharma-Lotto), who built a monstrous lead of nearly 20 minutes at one point — and collected a time-bonus “sprint†and the KOM along the way — before being retrieved with 26km to race.
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/PETACCHI-WINS-325x205.jpg)
Petacchi gets the win ... and a bit of a protest from his chief rival. | Graham Watson photo
The early catch saw a counterattack from Leonardo Giordani (Farnese). Jan Bakelandts (Omega Pharma) and Michal Golas (Vacansoleil) marked him, as did Ruggero Marzoli (Acqua e Sapone), Eduard Vorganov (Katusha), Jerome Pineau (Quick Step) and Daniele Righi (Lampre), and with 20km to go there was a small group off the front, hoping to steal a march on the sprinters.
But as the escapees quickly took a 16-second advantage with as many kilometers left to race, Garmin-Cervélo came forward to help drive the chase for sprinter Tyler Farrar, and the escapees were brought back with 8km remaining.
That set up a chaotic bunch dash to the line, which saw Petacchi outlast a late charge from HTC-Highroad’s Mark Cavendish, with Manuel Belletti (Colnago-CSF) finishing third.
Cavendish was not happy at being beaten, gesticulating at Petacchi as the two crossed the line in a photo finish. The Brit had tried first to come around the Lampre sprinter on the right, but was forced to try again from the left after the Italian slightly altered his trajectory.
“Other sprinters, not only me, would have blocked him. If I changed direction I didn’t realize it. I’m sorry,†said Petacchi.
How it unfolded
Omega Pharma-Lotto once again showed its colors at the front, sending Lang away in the first few kilometers. He was given plenty of leash before HTC-Highroad gradually started reeling him in for race leader Marco Pinotti and Cavendish.
With 70km to go the 2006 German national time trial champion’s lead had been halved as HTC and RadioShack drove the pursuit and he was showing the effects of a long, lonely day in the saddle.
Ten kilometers further along the margin was 4:30.
Pinotti needed a wheel change with 41km to go, but there was no panic — a team mechanic quickly made the swap and the race leader got back to work, threading his way through the cars.
Lang’s lead had fallen to three minutes as behind, a crash took down Vassili Kiryienka (Movistar) and an unidentified Leopard-Trek rider.
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/CAVENDISH-325x435.jpg)
Cavendish gets the maglia rosa, which isn't a bad consolation prize. | Graham Watson photo.
The lone leader scooped up a six-second time bonus at the intermediate sprint and then soldiered on to take the KOM at Tabiano Castello with 90 seconds of his once-mighty advantage still in hand. Then he sat up, his work for the day at an end, and waited for the bunch to join him.
A late break
The catch came at 26km to go and Giordani opened the ball. Bakelandts and Golas chased, and Marzoli, Vorganov, Pineau and Righi latched on, and with 20km to go the sprinters’ teams found themselves chasing a small, dangerous escape.
It wouldn’t survive — and adding injury to insult, a touch of wheels with 10km sent Vorganov to the deck. Shortly thereafter the break was back in the bunch, and Vacansoleil and Lampre were trying to get organized at the front, with Garmin lurking nearby.
Despite their work chasing the breaks Farrar was well positioned going into the final 1.5km. Cervélo led into the penultimate right-hander, but couldn’t close the deal. Then HTC’s Mark Renshaw laid down a surge for Cavendish — only to see Petacchi slip past at the line.
Farrar was shut out, too, settling for seventh on the day. As for Cav’, he took some consolation from his defeat — he slipped on the maglia rosa of the Giro’s overall leader, and his HTC mates occupied all three steps on that podium.
The Manxman now leads teammates Kanstantsin Sivtsov and Craig Lewis by 12 seconds on the overall. But in a very mountainous Giro, he knows his tenure in the maglia rosa will be limited.
“There are five stages which can end in a sprint,†Cavendish said.
Monday’s stage three takes the peloton for a 173km ride between Reggio Emilia and Rapallo.
Agence France Presse contributed to this report. Stay tuned for more news from the Giro, plus photos and tech reports.
-
After Stage 2:
The jerseys
• Pink: Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) took over the pink jersey from teammate Marco Pinotti and holds a 12-second lead to four of his HTC teammates. American Craig Lewis is third overall at 12 seconds back.
• White: Bjorn Selander (RadioShack) finished safely in the bunch to defend his white jersey that he won in the team time trial when RadioShack rode to second.
• Red: Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) claimed the points jersey lead with 25 points with victory in the stage. Cavendish is second with 20 and Manuel Belletti (Colnago-CSF Inox) third with 16.
• Green: Sebastian Lang (Omega Pharma-Lotto) claimed the green King of the Mountains jersey out of a solo breakaway, taking three first-place points over the day’s lone rated climb at 210km to go.
-
Not posting any Giro Results today.
Wouter Weylandt dies after stage 3 crash at the Giro d’Italia
By Agence France Presse
Published May 9th 2011 11:16 AM UTC — Updated May 9th 2011 2:09 PM UTC
The Italian news agency RAI is reporting that Leopard-Trek’s Wouter Weylandt died after crashing out of the Giro d’Italia Monday.
His heart has stopped beating,†announced RAI’s head of sport Auro Bulbarelli.
Weylandt, 26, was left bloodied and unconscious and requiring a cardiac massage after a crash that occurred on the descent of the Bocco mountain pass around 25km from the finish line.
Race officials later said his left pedal got stuck in a wall at the side of the road, forcing Weylandt to tumble around 20 meters to the ground below.
He received emergency medical treatment by race doctors and was scheduled to be airlifted to hospital but had to wait as an emergency helicopter looked for a suitable landing spot.
Weylandt, who spent the bulk of his career with the Belgian team Quick Step after becoming professional in 2006, won the third stage of the Giro last year, in Middelburg, Netherlands.
Weylandt is the first professional rider to die in a crash since 2003 while racing since Kazakhstan’s Andrei Kivilev succumbed to head injuries the morning after a crash on the second stage of Paris-Nice.
Kivilev’s death, while the rider was travelling at a seemingly innocuous speed, signalled the introduction of the mandatory wearing of helmets in the professional peloton.
Weylandt, who hailed from Ghent, is the first fatality on the Giro since 1986 when Emilio Ravasio crashed on the first stage and fell into a coma to die several days later.
Although life and career-threatening crashes are a regular occurrence in cycling, the last fatality on the world’s biggest race, the Tour de France, was over a decade ago.
On the race’s 15th stage in 1995 Italy’s Fabio Casartelli — a member of Lance Armstrong’s Motorola team — died a few hours after sustaining injuries in a crash on the descent of the Portet d’Aspet in the Pyrenees.
-
David Millar: Weylandt’s crash is ‘the unthinkable’
ByAndrew Hood
Published May 9th 2011 3:22 PM UTC — Updated May 9th 2011 3:35 PM UTC
RAPALLO, Italy (VN) – David Millar won the pink jersey Monday, but he was in no mood to celebrate following the tragic death of Belgian rider Wouter Weylandt during the third stage of the Giro d’Italia.
Millar bridged across to join Garmin-Cervélo teammate Christophe Le-Mével in the winning breakaway and sprinted to second behind stage-winner Angel Vicioso (Androni) to earn time bonuses to slip into the race leader’s jersey.
Millar, however, was stunned to learn of the news of Weylandt’s death when he was told at the finish line. Speaking to VeloNews and two other journalists after the stage, he said the accident reveals just how dangerous cycling can be.
“It’s the unthinkable,†Millar said. “It’s probably a one and a million thing if you had to put a number on it. At the same time, it could happen on any corner or descent. The bottom line is, the guys who are here and racing are the best cyclists in the world, but the best can have a mechanical or can find themselves in the wrong place or the wrong time and have that happen. â€
That says that our sport is very tragic at times and it always has in the history, we get mixed up in a lot of silly things, politics, radios … The bottom line, it is a sport that has its risks.â€
The tragic news overshadowed a big day for Garmin-Cervélo and Millar, who became the first British rider in history to hold the leader’s jersey in all three grand tours.
Millar said race officials gave him a pink jersey to try on, but the post-stage podium ceremony was canceled in the wake of Weylandt’s accident. He was ordered for standard anti-doping controls and returned to the waiting Garmin team car without the pink jersey.
Millar said his thoughts were with Weylandt and his family, however, and said he wasn’t sure if he would wear the pink jersey Tuesday because it wouldn’t do much to take away the pain and loss everyone is experiencing right now.
“I don’t think it will make a difference if I wear it or not,†he said. “(The crash) just reminds all of us of what our sport is about. Forget all the bull shit, this is what it’s like every day that we race. We get a lot of flack, but this is what we do.â€
Millar said he was also worried about the reaction from Garmin-Cervélo teammate Tyler Farrar, who is best friends with Weylandt.
“I am not looking forward going back to the hotel because he’s Tyler’s best friend. I am honestly a bit concerned about how he is because he is an emotional young man,†Millar said. “He was so close to Wouter, it was like one of his brothers. It’s just horrible.â€
-
The cycling world reacts to Weylandt’s death
By VeloNews.com
Published May 9th 2011 2:38 PM UTC — Updated May 9th 2011 3:48 PM UTC
RAPALLO, Italy — The professional peloton reacted with shock and sympathy Monday at the tragic death of popular Belgian Wouter Weylandt following a crash on the third stage of the Giro d’Italia.
Some of the reactions:
Leopard-Trek manager Brian Nygaard:
The team is left in a state of shock and sadness and we send all our thoughts and deepest condolences to the family and friends of Wouter.
UCI president Pat McQuaid:
On behalf of the whole cycling family, the UCI President M. Pat McQuaid wishes to extend his deepest sympathies to all members of Weylandt’s family, all his friends and teammates, but also to all his colleagues on the Giro, who will have to overcome their grief to continue in the race.
Team Quick Step:
On behalf of the entire Quick-Step Cycling team our hearts go out to Wouter’s family, friends and the colleagues of Team Leopard, in this sad, sad time.
For all of us, Wouter was a friend before he was a colleague. We remember him as an honest man, always available with a smile on his face and forever generous towards the next guy.
Wouter leaves us with a terrible sense of loss and unbearable grief. We want to remember him with arms held high, crazy with joy after a victory, like the one at Middelburg last year.
This is the image of him that all of us will carry in our hearts forever.
David Millar (Garmin-Cervelo), the new Giro leader after Monday’s stage:
I love cycling, and I’ve always been enchanted by the epic scale of it all, it was why I fell in love with it as a boy. Yet Wouter’s death today goes beyond anything that our sport is supposed to be about, it is a tragedy that we as sportsmen never expect, yet we live with it daily, completely oblivious to the dangers we put ourselves in. This is a sad reminder to us, the racers, what risks we take and what lives we lead.
Wouter was a sprinter, this means he was one of the most skillful bike handlers in the peloton, for this to have happened to him shows that we are all at risk every single kilometre we race.
My wife was in tears when I spoke to her after the race because she couldn’t understand why the live television was showing him receiving medical attention when in such a horrific state. All she could imagine was that it was me. I haven’t told her yet, that like her, Wouter’s girlfriend is five months pregnant.
I am trying to imagine what that would be like to see the person I love most in the world in those circumstances. I can’t, and in honesty, I don’t want to.
Within our team we have one of Wouter’s best friends, Tyler, in a way he was Ty’s European brother. The next few days are going to be very difficult for us as racing cyclists, but for Tyler, and the friends and family of Wouter it is going to be a lifetime of loss.
I will wear the pink jersey tomorrow, but it will be in memory of Wouter, there is no celebration or glory, only sadness. I will discuss with Tyler, Leopard and the family of Wouter what we as a peloton will do tomorrow.
Photographer Graham Watson:
As Leopard-Trek’s team photographer, I got to know Wouter just this year, he was as nice as everyone else kept telling me! It is a horrible tragedy that he has died doing something he loved; at least on this day our beautiful sport is anything but…
-
Weylandt’s death leaves Giro in state of shock
ByAndrew Hood
Published May 9th 2011 12:58 PM UTC — Updated May 9th 2011 2:41 PM UTC
RAPALLO, Italy (VN) – The tragic death of Wouter Weylandt left the Giro d’Italia in a state of shock Monday.
Riders were not told of the accident until after crossing the finish line in Rapallo and the mood quickly descended into sadness and mourning. Angel Vicioso’s victory and David Millar’s pink jersey were obviously overshadowed by what is the fourth death in Giro history caused by a crash.
“It’s the unthinkable, isn’t it? It doesn’t even bear thinking about how it must have been for his family watching that on TV. Leaving that being filmed, of a young man bleeding and dying on the road, in my opinion, is just disgusting,†Millar told VeloNews and two other journalists. “That just shows what our sport is about. It’s pretty extreme. There’s no point even dedicating anything to Wouter, because it doesn’t even come close to make up for what has happened.â€
Wouter, 27, crashed near the back of the bunch near the bottom of the third-category climb on a narrow, treacherous descent that led down to the coast road toward the finish line.
It’s not exactly clear what caused the crash, but he apparently fell at a very high speed while trying to stay close to the attacking peloton. TV images captured Weylandt lying on his back with traces of blood. Doctors quickly arrived and immediately began CPR. He was later transported by helicopter and confirmed dead by officials.
“It was a very technical descent. We raced hard ahead of it to make sure we were at the front going down,†Millar continued. “Anything could have happened on it, we went controlled because we were at the front, but that means at the back they would have been strung out.â€
Garmin-Cervélo sport director Bingen Fernández was one of the first people to arrive at the scene. He told VeloNews he assumed the worst as soon as he saw the Belgian sprawled on the tarmac.
“When we saw him, it looked very bad. It appeared that he was dead. He was not moving and there was no sign of life. His neck was twisted in an unnatural way and there was blood coming out. It was a horrible scene,†Fernández recounted. “Our team doctor stayed with him to treat him. This is what cyclists face every day they race. It is a very dangerous sport. Thankfully, this doesn’t happen very often. When it does, it’s horrible for everyone.â€
Garmin-Cervélo sprinter Tyler Farrar was especially close to Weylandt and the pair regularly train together in their Belgian home base of Ghent. Farrar went pale when a team soigneur informed him at the finish line and then he dropped his bike in shock when a journalist later confirmed the bad news outside the team bus.
The scene was equally grim around the Leopard-Trek team bus. Riders reacted at shock at the finish line with the news.
“I saw him crash,†said Leopard-Trek rider Tom Stamsnijder said at the line. “It was a very hard fall.â€
Leopard’s Brice Feillu also reacted with dismay at the line, saying: “It was a very technical descent, right and left, right and left. No one told us until right now … it is a catastrophe for our team. He is a great friend and a great teammate.â€
Race officials canceled post-race podium presentations. Millar later said he was simply handed the pink jersey without any sort of the usual pomp and circumstance that goes with winning the pink jersey.
Giro race director Angelo Zomegnan spoke to journalists before the official announcement of Weylandt’s death was confirmed. He defended the Giro’s readiness to deal with accidents.
“We have all the best available emergency equipment to deal with these kinds of things, but everyone knows it’s never very easy at a bicycle race,†Zomegnan said. “After what happened to (Pedro) Horrillo (two years when he fell into a ravine), we now have two extra ambulances traveling in the caravan. A helicopter was quickly on the scene.â€
Zomegnan is scheduled to give a press conference at 7:30 p.m. local time. Check back to VeloNews for more on the tragic story.
-
Giro honors Weylandt with neutral stage, peloton vows to race Wednesday
ByAndrew Hood
Published May 10th 2011 1:06 PM UTC — Updated May 10th 2011 1:19 PM UTC
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/LEOPARD-FINISH-660x345.jpg)
Team Leopard-Trek and Garmin-Cervelo's Tyler Farrar cross the line after a long memorial stage in honor of Wouter Weylandt. Photo: Graham Watson | www.grahamwatson.com
LIVORNO, Italy (VN) – The peloton paid its due respects to Wouter Weylandt in an emotional tribute to the fallen Belgian rider, but promises to get back to the business of racing bikes in Wednesday’s fifth stage at the Giro d’Italia.
Tyler Farrar joined Leopard-Trek as the team led the way across the finish line arm-in-arm in an emotional end of the 212km fourth stage that was neutralized a day following the tragic death of Weylandt in crash in Wednesday’s third stage.
Tears were flowing from riders, fans and even a few cynical journalists as the peloton rolled into Livorno together. Race leader David Millar trailed across just ahead of the remaining riders in the bunch after the Scotsman decided to wear the maglia rosa to honor his fallen comrade.
All remaining eight members of the team later joined the four jersey-holders on stage for a moment of silence for Weylandt.
“He was a great teammate and a great man,†said Leopard-Trek rider Davide Vigano. “We wanted to this today for his family and for his memory. This was something beautiful that cycling could do. We were moved from the support of the fans lining the road.â€
Fans packed the spectacular route along the Italian Riviera to cheer on the teams as they took turns riding at the front of the peloton.
Before the start, riders vowed not to challenge for the victory, but they also said they didn’t want to be baking in the hot Italian sun for seven or eight hours. The group came in just under six hours, averaging about 35kph during the stage.
The peloton agreed to award all prize money from the stage to Weylandt’s family.
Leopard-Trek vowed to stay in the Giro and race hard in Wednesday’s fifth stage in honor of their fallen teammate.
“We are staying in the Giro. We will continue to race to honor Wouter,†said Leopard-Trek general manager Brian Nygaard on RAI. “What the riders did today was something special. It was a beautiful way to pay tribute to a great rider and a great man.â€
Farrar, who was Weylandt’s best friend and training partner in Belgium, has decided he will leave the Giro.
-
2011 Giro d’Italia
By VeloNews.com
Published May 11th 2011 12:21 PM UTC
Stage 5: Piombino – Orvieto
1. Pieter Weening (NED), Rabobank Cycling Team, at 4:54:04
2. Fabio Andres Duarte Arevalo (COL), Geox-TMC, at 8
3. Jose Rodolfo Serpa Perez (COL), Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, at 8
4. Christophe Le Mevel (FRA), Garmin-Cervelo, at 8
5. Oscar Gatto (ITA), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli, at 8
7. Alberto Contador Velasco (ESP), SaxoBank-Sungard, at 8
15. Stefano Garzelli (ITA), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, at 8
16. Denis Menchov (RUS), Geox-TMC, at 8
31. Carlos Sastre Candil (ESP), Geox-TMC, at 28
49. David Millar (GBR), Garmin-Cervelo, at 2:50
72. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR), Team RadioShack, at 5:31
94. Alessandro Petacchi (ITA), Lampre-ISD, at 10:40
155. Robert Hunter (RSA), Team RadioShack, at 19:34
163. Mark Cavendish (GBR), HTC-Highroad, at 19:34
193. Robbie Mcewen (AUS), Team RadioShack, at 22:39
194. Miguel Minguez Ayala (ESP), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 22:39
DNF – Chris Barton (USA), BMC Racing Team
DNF – Francesco Failli (ITA), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli
DNF – Tom Jelte Slagter (NED), Rabobank Cycling Team
DNS – Tyler Farrar (USA), Garmin-Cervelo
DNS – Brice Feillu (FRA), Leopard-Trek
DNS – Dominic Klemme (GER), Leopard-Trek
DNS – Bruno Pires (POR), Leopard-Trek
DNS – Thomas Rohregger (AUT), Leopard-Trek
DNS – Tom Stamsnijder (NED), Leopard-Trek
DNS – Davide Vigano (ITA), Leopard-Trek
DNS – Fabian Wegmann (GER), Leopard-Trek
DNS – Oliver Zaugg (SUI), Leopard-Trek
General Classification
1. Pieter Weening (Netherlands), Rabobank Cycling Team, 14:59:33
2. Marco Pinotti (Italy), HTC-Highroad, at 2
3. Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Belarus), HTC-Highroad, at 2
4. Christophe Le Mevel (France), Garmin-Cervelo, at 5
5. Pablo Lastras Garcia (Spain), Movistar, at 22
9. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spain), SaxoBank-Sungard, at 30
20. Denis Menchov (Russia), Geox-TMC, at 29
28. Stefano Garzelli (Italy), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, at 31
44. Carlos Sastre Candil (Spain), Geox-TMC, at 2:08
46. David Millar (Great Britain), Garmin-Cervelo, at 2:35
59. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukraine), Team RadioShack, at 5:35
80. Alessandro Petacchi (Italy), Lampre-ISD, at 10:38
155. Mark Cavendish (Great Britain), HTC-Highroad, at 21:30
156. Robert Hunter (South Africa), Team RadioShack, at 21:29
186. Robbie Mcewen (Australia), Team RadioShack, at 28:01
194. Graeme Brown (Australia), Rabobank Cycling Team, at 35:26
From VeloNews:
Andrew Hood’s Giro notebook: Weening’s winning ride; Porte, Rujano lose time
ByAndrew Hood
Published May 11th 2011 3:53 PM UTC
ORVIETO, Italy (VN) – Pieter Weening had just enough in the tank to pull the double in Wednesday’s fifth stage as the Giro d’Italia clicked back into gear following two emotionally wrenching days following the death of Wouter Weylandt.
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/Par6263123-325x207.jpg)
Pieter Weening holds on for the win. | AFP photo
Weening said the stage win-pink jersey double comes close to the career high of winning a stage at the 2005 Tour de France.
“For a cyclist, the Tour is the biggest event. The win in the Tour is perhaps more special, because it was my first big victory and it’s the Tour. But this makes it also special with the maglia rosa, so it’s very similar,†he said. “This is a special day. This is not like a regular day for me. It’s not easy for guys like me to win. Between the sprints and the GC riders on the mountain tops, so once in awhile, when you have good legs, it’s possible.â€
Rujano, Machado, Porte lose time to Orvieto
Most of the top GC favorites survived the dusty roads of Tuscany with their pink jersey hopes intact.
There were a few notable exceptions. José Rujano, the pint-sized Venezuelan who nearly rode away with the 2005 Giro, lost 5:06 while RadioShack GC man Tiago Machado forfeited 3:03.
Richie Porte, the pink jersey-holder from last year in a revelatory grand tour debut, crashed hard and finished in the gruppetto at 18:49 off the pace.
A group of 20 riders arrived together at the hilltop town just behind Pieter Weening, with overall favorites Vincenzo Nibali, Alberto Contador, Michele Scarponi, Joaquim RodrÃguez and Roman Kreuziger finishing sixth through 10th, respectively.
A few others lost time, including Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago), at 25 seconds; Carlos Sastre (Geox-TMC) and Emanuele Sella (Androni) lost 28 seconds each.
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/SLAGTER-CRASH1-325x158.jpg)
Slagter's injuries were serious, but not life-threatening. | Graham Watson photo
Medical report
The fifth stage saw its fair share of crashes. Here’s the official medical communiqué from the Giro medical staff:
• 107km: Crash without consequence David Millar and Angel Vicioso;
• 130km: Chris Butler (BMC), cuts on both side of body; Richie Porte (Saxo Bank), cuts on lower right left, knee and thigh; Marcel Wyss (Geox-TMC) and Ivan Rovny (RadioShack), without serious injury;
• 135km: crashing without serious injuries were Hubert Dupont, Jackson Rodriguez, Vasili Kiryienka, Ignatas Konovalovas, Cyril Dessel, Daniel Moreno, Luca Mazzanti, Elia Favilli, Denis Van Winden, Borut Bozic;
• 167km: Jackson Rodriguez crashed again and received five stitches on his left elbow at the finish line; Francesco Failli (Vini Farnese) crashed in the same incident and was later given stitches to his left knee;
• 176km: Tom Jelte Slagte (Rabobank) crashed and was transported to a hospital in Orvieto, where CAT scans later revealed no brain injury, treated for a fractured jaw and trauma to right shoulder
The jerseys
• Pink jersey: David Millar (Garmin-Cervélo) saw his two-day run in pink end when he faded on the final climb to Orvieto, losing more than two minutes. Pieter Weening (Rabobank) won the stage and holds a two-second lead on Marco Pinotti (HTC-Highroad)
• Red jersey: Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) defended his lead in the points jersey with 28 points, with Christophe Le-Mével (Garmin-Cervélo) climbing into second with 26 points.
• Green jersey: Martin Kohler (BMC) climbed into the lead of the climber’s jersey after riding in a solo breakaway, taking the jersey away from Gianluca Brambilla of Colnago-CSF Inox.
• White jersey: Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) ended Bakelandts two-day run in the best young rider’s jersey. Kruijswijk now leads Fabio Duarte (Geox-TMC) by 15 seconds.
-
2011 Giro d’Italia
By VeloNews.com
Published May 12th 2011 11:33 AM UTC — Updated May 12th 2011 5:10 PM UTC
Stage 6, Orvieto – Fiuggi
1. Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi (ESP), Movistar, in 5:15:39
2. Alessandro Petacchi (ITA), Lampre-ISD, s.t.
3. Roberto Ferrari (ITA), Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, s.t.
4. Danilo Di Luca (ITA), Team Katusha, s.t.
5. Davide Appollonio (ITA), Team Sky, s.t.
11. Stefano Garzelli (ITA), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, s.t.
17. Denis Menchov (RUS), Geox-TMC, s.t.
32. Alberto Contador Velasco (ESP), SaxoBank-Sungard, s.t.
64. Carlos Sastre Candil (ESP), Geox-TMC, s.t.
106. David Millar (GBR), Garmin-Cervelo, at 1:52
171. Mark Cavendish (GBR), HTC-Highroad, at 10:16
174. Robert Hunter (RSA), Team RadioShack, at 13:39
186. Robbie Mcewen (AUS), Team RadioShack, at 17:29
194. Sacha Modolo (ITA), Colnago-CSF, at 17:29
GC
1. Pieter Weening (Netherlands), Rabobank Cycling Team, in 20:15:12
2. Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Belarus), HTC-Highroad, at 0:02
3. Marco Pinotti (Italy), HTC-Highroad, at 0:02
4. Christophe Le Mevel (France), Garmin-Cervelo, at 0:05
5. Pablo Lastras Garcia (Spain), Movistar, at 0:22
9. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spain), SaxoBank-Sungard, at 0:30
20. Denis Menchov (Russia), Geox-TMC, at 0:55
27. Stefano Garzelli (Italy), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, at 1:09
44. Carlos Sastre Candil (Spain), Geox-TMC, at 2:08
53. David Millar (Great Britain), Garmin-Cervelo, at 4:29
73. Alessandro Petacchi (Italy), Lampre-ISD, at 10:26
74. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukraine), Team RadioShack, at 10:40
172. Mark Cavendish (Great Britain), HTC-Highroad, at 35:09
174. Robert Hunter (South Africa), Team RadioShack, at 35:31
190. Robbie Mcewen (Australia), Team RadioShack, at 45:30
194. Graeme Brown (Australia), Rabobank Cycling Team, at 52:55
From VeloNews:
Francisco Ventoso takes stage win at Giro d’Italia, Pieter Weening retains lead.
By VeloNews.com
Published May 12th 2011 11:15 AM UTC — Updated May 12th 2011 2:40 PM UTC
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/VENTOSO-WINS-325x255.jpg)
Ventoso celebrates a big win for a new team.
FIUGGI, Italy (VN) – Francisco Ventoso launched an impressive sprint at the end of the sixth stage of the Giro d’Italia to score big win for the Movistar team, as Rabobank’s Pieter Weening finished in the main field to keep his hold on the overall lead.
Ventoso fought a tight duel with veteran Lampre sprinter Alessandro Petacchi in a charge to the line at the end of a hilly 216-kilometer stage from Orvieto to Fiuggi, along the the lower slopes of the Apennine Mountains. Petacchi’s sprint faded as the line approached and Ventoso had ample opportunity to celebrate.
Roberto Ferrari (Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni) finished third ahead of Katusha’s Danilo Di Luca, whose attack on the final 1km climb, fractured the field and left some sprinters – including HTC’s Mark Cavendish – trailing on the climb towards Fiuggi.
The 216-kilometer stage passed slightly to the east of Rome, giving fans from the capital a chance to see the Giro first hand under a sunny sky and warm temperatures.
The day’s break
The hilly stage, with but one categorized climb, offered the GC contenders a chance to rest in the peloton, as the expected break formed at 15 kilometers into the stage. None of the five riders – Sacha Modolo (Colnago-CSF), Kristof Vandewalle (Quick Step), Yaroslav Popovych (RadioShack), Frederik Veuchelen (Vacansoleil-DCM) and Jussi Veikkanen (Omega Pharma-Lotto) – in the break posed a significant GC threat and the peloton appeared content to let them slip off the front.
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/VANDEWALLE-SOLO-325x385.jpg)
Kristof Vandewalle hung on until the last two kilometers.
The escapees got to work and built up a lead of nearly six minutes at the 90km mark, before the sprinters’ teams gradually increased its speed and began to nip away at their advantage.
The break began to fracture with 40km to go, with Modolo the first to falter and lose contact with his four companions.
Eventually, all five were caught as the last survivor, Vandewalle, was pulled in by the peloton with less than 2km remaining. With a slightly uphill finish, late attackers hoped to slip away for the stage win, including a late attack from Danilo Di Luca in the final kilometer. But attentive sprinters’ squads wouldn’t allow that and the finale came as expected, with the remaining fast-twitchers in the field fighting it out over the final few hundred meters. While the late attacks may not have succeeded, they did cause some top sprinters in the peloton to struggle, including HTC sprint ace Mark Cavendish who was dropped on the climb to Fiuggi.
The jerseys
• Pink jersey: Pieter Weening (Rabobank) defended his maglia rosa, with HTC-Highroad’s Konstantin Sitvsov moving into second place, tied with Marco Pinotti (HTC-Highroad) at two second back.
• Red jersey: Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) defended his lead for the point classification, with 48 points to Christophe Le-Mével’s (Garmin-Cervélo) 35.
• Green jersey: Martin Kohler (BMC) defended the climber’s jersey after riding in a solo breakaway and leads Gianluca Brambilla of Colnago-CSF Inox with 10 points to 8 points.
• White jersey: Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) defended the young rider’s jersey and leads Fabio Duarte (Geox-TMC) by 15 seconds.
-
2011 Giro d’Italia Stage 7 Results
ByCharles Pelkey
Published May 13th 2011 12:15 PM UTC
Stage 7: Maddaloni – Montevergine
1. Bart De Clercq (BEL), Omega Pharma-Lotto , 2:54:47
2. Michele Scarponi (ITA), Lampre-ISD, s.t.
3. Roman Kreuziger (CZE), Astana, s.t.
4. Stefano Garzelli (ITA), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, s.t.
5. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA), Liquigas-Doimo, s.t.
9. Alberto Contador Velasco (ESP), SaxoBank-Sungard, s.t.
17. Denis Menchov (RUS), Geox-TMC, s.t.
35. Carlos Sastre Candil (ESP), Geox-TMC, at 21
127. Robert Hunter (RSA), Team RadioShack, at 15:09
140. Alessandro Petacchi (ITA), Lampre-ISD, at 15:09
160. Mark Renshaw (AUS), HTC-Highroad, at 15:09
165. David Millar (GBR), Garmin-Cervelo, at 15:09
166. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR), Team RadioShack, at 15:09
178. Mark Cavendish (GBR), HTC-Highroad, at 15:09
192. Robbie Mcewen (AUS), Team RadioShack, at 16:32
194. Graeme Brown (AUS), Rabobank Cycling Team, at 18:56
General Classification
1. Pieter Weening (Netherlands), Rabobank Cycling Team , at
2. Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Belarus), HTC-Highroad, at 2
3. Marco Pinotti (Italy), HTC-Highroad, at 2
4. Christophe Le Mevel (France), Garmin-Cervelo, at 5
5. Michele Scarponi (Italy), Lampre-ISD, at 14
9. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spain), SaxoBank-Sungard, at 30
16. Denis Menchov (Russia), Geox-TMC, at 55
22. Stefano Garzelli (Italy), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, at 1:09
33. Carlos Sastre Candil (Spain), Geox-TMC, at 2:29
81. David Millar (Great Britain), Garmin-Cervelo, at 19:38
101. Alessandro Petacchi (Italy), Lampre-ISD, at 25:35
104. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukraine), Team RadioShack, at 25:49
175. Mark Cavendish (Great Britain), HTC-Highroad, at 50:18
177. Robert Hunter (South Africa), Team RadioShack, at 50:40
182. Mark Renshaw (Australia), HTC-Highroad, at 56:42
191. Robbie Mcewen (Australia), Team RadioShack, at 1:02:02
194. Graeme Brown (Australia), Rabobank Cycling Team, at 1:11:51
Late attack proves fruitful for Bart De Clerq at Giro d’Italia, Pieter Weening keeps lead
ByCharles Pelkey
Published May 13th 2011 11:30 AM UTC — Updated May 13th 2011 1:48 PM UTC
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/de-clercq-2-325x481.jpg)
Bart de Clercq's broke away late on the finish climb and held off the chase - just barely. Photo: Graham Watson | grahamwatson.com
Bart De Clercq (Omega Pharma-Lotto) took advantage of a well-timed attack on the final climb of the seventh stage of the Giro d’Italia and held on to take the win, but only just barely.
After riding on his own for most of the final 10km of a 17.km climb to the finish atop the Montevergine di Mercogliano, De Clerq was forced to sprint to the line as a hard-charging peloton, led by Lampre-ISD’s Michele Scarponi, nearly denied the tiring Belgian a victory.
Rabobank’s Pieter Weening kept his hold on the maglia rosa, with no major changes in the top four on GC.
Scarponi, among a small list of favorites to win the Giro, expressed frustration that he couldn’t quite seal the deal at the line, finishing a few meters behind the day’s winner.
“Baahh, it’s a shame not to win the stage,†Scarponi said. “The team worked hard to keep me in good position. The Belgian was just strong enough, so congratulations to him. At least this shows the legs are good.â€
Short stage, with a kicker
Riders had a chance to sleep in on Friday as the day’s 110-kilometer stage allowed for a later-than-usual start time. While remarkably short for a grand tour road stage, the ride from Maddaloni to Montevergine di Mercogliano saved the best for last, with a long 17.1-kilometer climb to the finish. While a formidable distance, the winding road to the line averaged only five percent, meaning that many of the pre-race favorites – including Saxo Bank’s Alberto Contador – were playing their cards close to their respective chests.
As per usual, a break formed early in the stage, after a series of attacks from those hoping to gain some advantage as the road headed for the hills.
A five-man group managed to gain time on the peloton, slipping ahead at the 11km mark. Italian champion Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli) was joined by Lars Ytting Bak (HTC-Highroad), Jérôme Pineau (Quick Step), Federico Canuti (Colnago-CSF) and Matteo Montaguti (Ag2r). The quintet eventually managed only to build up an advantage of about five minutes before an attentive peloton began to slowly reel in the break.
With two climbs ahead and 53km to the finish, their advantage had already been narrowed to 2:30 and the proximity of the break prompted more than a few riders to try their luck at bridging the gap. After a series of attacks from a peloton controlled by Stefano Garzelli’s Acqua e Sapone squad, it was Belgian Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil-DCM) who finally managed to slip away from the main field.
The 27-year-old, who was celebrating his birthday on Friday, chased and eventually caught the five escapees with 25km remaining, just a few kilometers from the start of the climb. Indeed, the birthday boy must have been feeling good, because even after chasing on his own for 25km, he immediately attacked up reaching the leading quintet.
Hoogerland’s move was quickly countered, but the Vacansoleil rider stayed at the front of the group and drove the break on to the lower slopes of the Montevergine di Mercogliano. But by that time, the peloton had trimmed the escapees advantage to just around one minute.
Again, the proximity of the break prompted a number of riders to try and bridge the gap, as members of the lead group began to slip back into the grasp of the peloton. De Clerq gave it a shot and caught and passed several earlier attackers and finally the lone survivor of the break, Bak.
Behind him, the GC favorites were keeping a close eye on one another, with only cautious attacks coming from some on the relatively moderate five-percent grade to the finish. Indeed, Contador, the Giro’s big favorite, stayed tucked in the field and did not commit any of his Saxo Bank teammates to the task of setting tempo on the climb.
It wasn’t until the final few kilometers that Scarponi’s Lampre squad and Garzelli’s Acqua e Sapone crew increased the tempo to the point that De Clerq’s win was put in doubt. As the lone Belgian negotiated the final few hundred meters, the peloton came roaring around the final turn and an exhausted De Clerq was forced to put in one final surge to protect his win. He made it, but only just barely.
Weening, meanwhile, was able to keep pace with the group and preserved his hold on the maglia rosa for another day.
Garzelli said he found the ride to the finish to be a perfect venue to test his climbing legs as the Giro’s more mountainous stages loom ahead.
“It’s a stage that I like. The team did great work to try to control the breakaways,†Garzelli noted. “I hope to win a stage this year. I know that the GC is perhaps too far to reach. I am still enoying racing my bike.â€
Scarponi climbed two places into fifth in the overall standings, 14 seconds behind Weening, who holds a two-second cushion over HTC duo of Kanstantsin Sivtsov and Marco Pinotti, with GRM’s Christophe Le Mevel five seconds away in fourth. Contador is in ninth at 30 seconds.
Sprinters are favored again in Saturday’s eighth stage, a 217km race from Sapri to Tropea.
-
2011 Giro d’Italia stage 8 results
By VeloNews.com
Published May 14th 2011 11:10 AM UTC — Updated May 14th 2011 12:05 PM UTC
Stage 8: Sapri – Tropea
1. Oscar Gatto (ITA), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli, 4:59:45
2. Alberto Contador Velasco (ESP), SaxoBank-Sungard, s.t.
3. Alessandro Petacchi (ITA), Lampre-ISD, at 0:05
4. Alexander Kristoff (NOR), BMC Racing Team, at 0:05
5. Roberto Ferrari (ITA), Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, at 0:05
28. Denis Menchov (RUS), Geox-TMC, at 0:05
46. Mark Cavendish (GBR), HTC-Highroad, at 0:05
53. Carlos Sastre Candil (ESP), Geox-TMC, at 0:05
64. Stefano Garzelli (ITA), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, at 0:26
85. Robert Hunter (RSA), Team RadioShack, at 0:26
87. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR), Team RadioShack, at 0:38
113. Robbie Mcewen (AUS), Team RadioShack, at 1:22
189. David Millar (GBR), Garmin-Cervelo, at 4:45
193. Matthew Wilson (AUS), Garmin-Cervelo, at 8:08
DNF – Fabio Andres Duarte Arevalo (COL), Geox-TMC
GC
1. Pieter Weening (Netherlands), Rabobank Cycling Team , 28:09:49
2. Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Belarus), HTC-Highroad, at 0:02
3. Marco Pinotti (Italy), HTC-Highroad, at 0:02
4. Christophe Le Mevel (France), Garmin-Cervelo, at 0:05
5. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spain), SaxoBank-Sungard, at 0:13
16. Denis Menchov (Russia), Geox-TMC, at 0:55
29. Stefano Garzelli (Italy), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, at 1:50
32. Carlos Sastre Candil (Spain), Geox-TMC, at 2:29
94. David Millar (Great Britain), Garmin-Cervelo, at 24:18
97. Alessandro Petacchi (Italy), Lampre-ISD, at 25:27
168. Mark Cavendish (Great Britain), HTC-Highroad, at 50:18
171. Robert Hunter (South Africa), Team RadioShack, at 51:01
189. Robbie Mcewen (Australia), Team RadioShack, at 1:03:19
193. Graeme Brown (Australia), Rabobank Cycling Team, at 1:16:31
Oscar Gatto, Alberto Contador go 1-2 in stage 8 of the 2011 Giro d’Italia
By VeloNews.com
Published May 14th 2011 10:51 AM UTC — Updated May 14th 2011 1:33 PM UTC
Oscar Gatto (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli) won stage eight of the 2011 Giro d’Italia on Saturday in a two-up tussle with Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard).
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/GATTO-WINS-325x275.jpg)
Gatto and Contador used the steep run up to the finish to launch attacks.
The 217km stage from Sapri to Tropea was billed as one for the sprinters, if only they could make it over the final steep, switchbacked hill leading to the finish.
As things turned out, they couldn’t — not in time to stop Gatto from launching out of one of the hairpins and taking a massive advantage over the field. Contador took off after him, but couldn’t close him down and settled for a strong second on the day, with Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD) best of the rest in third at five seconds back.
“To beat Contador to win this stage is obviously quite something. When I looked back at the finish I saw a Saxo Bank jersey but I never thought it was him,†said Gatto.
“The next time I checked he was even closer. I couldn’t believe my eyes.â€
Pieter Weening (Rabobank) finished with the bunch, five seconds back, to retain the maglia rosa with Kanstantsin Sivtsov (HTC-Highroad) second overall at 0:02 and Marco Pinotti (HTC-Highroad) third in the same time.
Contador, meanwhile, vaulted from ninth to fifth overall at 13 seconds.
“I knew it would be difficult in the end and maybe we can gain an advantage,†Contador told journalists at the line. “The team did a great job to keep me at the front all day. I gained a few seconds and the time bonus, so the sensations are good. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.â€
The break of the day featured Mirko Selvaggi (Vacansoleil-DCM) and Leonardo Giordani (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli), who built an advantage of more than 10 minutes at one point. With 80km to race the twosome still had 8:30.
Then HTC-Highroad and Quick Step moved forward and began snipping away at their lead, the peloton eventually pulling them back with less than 10km to go. Quick Step was thinking of Gerald Ciolek and Francesco Chicchi, while HTC of course had Mark Cavendish in mind.
Despite their teams’ work, none of the three would get a chance to battle for the bouquet. Gatto sprinted clear on that final ascent, leaving everyone save Contador to fight for the crumbs on the stage-eight table.
• Up next: Sunday’s ninth stage is a 169km run from Messina up Mt. Etna, which spewed lava and ash overnight Wednesday, forcing the temporary closure of nearby Catania airport. Maglia rosa Weening conceded that the ascent of the volcano would be tough, adding: “It won’t be the first time I’ve undergone a tough examination. Anyway, whatever happens it’s been a great adventure wearing the leader’s pink jersey and I’ll give my maximum to hold on to it.â€
The jerseys
â— Pink jersey: Pieter Weening (Rabobank) is getting comfortable in pink and successfully defended his colors to keep pink for the fourth day. There were no changes in the top four, but Alberto Contador climbed to fifth overall at 12 seconds back. Weening will be under the gun to defend his lead up Mt. Etna.
â— Red jersey: Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) widened his lead on the points jersey by sprinting to third in the stage. He now leads Christophe Le Mevel, 64-48.
◠Green jersey: Bart de Clerq just had to finish the stage because there were no rated climbs Saturday in order to keep his climber’s jersey he won with victory on Friday. He leads Martin Kohler (BMC) by one point, 11-10.
◠White jersey: Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) was the lone Rabobank rider to help Weening up Montevergine on Friday. Those climbing legs could keep him in the young rider’s jersey up Etna, though Roman Kreuziger (Astana), a GC threat, is only 16 seconds off the jersey.
-
2011 Giro d’Italia stage 9 results
By VeloNews.com
Published May 15th 2011 12:24 PM UTC — Updated May 15th 2011 1:46 PM UTC
Stage 9: Messina – Mt. Etna
1. Alberto Contador Velasco (ESP), SaxoBank-Sungard , 4:54:08
2. José Rujano Guillen (VEN), Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, at 0:03
3. Stefano Garzelli (ITA), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, at 0:50
4. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA), Liquigas-Doimo, at 0:50
5. Roman Kreuziger (CZE), Astana, at 0:50
23. Denis Menchov (RUS), Geox-TMC, at 2:16
30. Carlos Sastre Candil (ESP), Geox-TMC, at 2:21
84. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR), Team RadioShack, at 17:07
93. Alessandro Petacchi (ITA), Lampre-ISD, at 23:46
124. David Millar (GBR), Garmin-Cervelo, at 23:46
140. Robert Hunter (RSA), Team RadioShack, at 24:46
189. Mark Cavendish (GBR), HTC-Highroad, at 26:35
Time Cut – Robbie Mcewen (AUS), Team RadioShack
Time Cut – Graeme Brown (AUS), Rabobank Cycling Team
DNF – Jackson Rodriguez (VEN), Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni
DNS – Chris Butler (USA), BMC Racing Team
GC
1. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spain), SaxoBank-Sungard , 33:03:51
2. Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Belarus), HTC-Highroad, at 0:59
3. Christophe Le Mevel (France), Garmin-Cervelo, at 1:19
4. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy), Liquigas-Doimo, at 1:21
5. Michele Scarponi (Italy), Lampre-ISD, at 1:28
13. Stefano Garzelli (Italy), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, at 2:39
20. Denis Menchov (Russia), Geox-TMC, at 3:18
26. Carlos Sastre Candil (Spain), Geox-TMC, at 4:57
90. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukraine), Team RadioShack, at 43:36
101. David Millar (Great Britain), Garmin-Cervelo, at 48:11
105. Alessandro Petacchi (Italy), Lampre-ISD, at 49:20
170. Robert Hunter (South Africa), Team RadioShack, at 1:15:54
171. Mark Cavendish (Great Britain), HTC-Highroad, at 1:17:00
189. Adam Blyth (Great Britain), Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 1:33:18 .
Alberto Contador wins atop Mt. Etna, seizes lead at Giro d’Italia
ByCharles Pelkey
Published May 15th 2011 11:13 AM UTC — Updated May 15th 2011 1:50 PM UTC
Alberto Contador entered the 2011 Giro d’Italia as the odds-on favorite to take his second overall victory in the race and on Sunday, he showed why he topped the picks of anyone betting on the first grand tour of the season, winning the ninth stage and taking the overall lead in impressive style.
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/BERT-WINS-325x416.jpg)
Contador stamps his authority on the 2011 Giro. Remember two days ago they were criticizing him for not attacking? | Graham Watson photo.
Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) rode a conservative and cautious race until the day’s second trip up the slopes of Mount Etna, when he launched a devastating attack halfway up the 17.4km finishing climb and rode away from a host of others once considered top contenders for this Giro.
Contador scored an impressive win, finishing just ahead Venezuelan climbing specialist José Rujano (Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni), with 2000 Giro winner Stefano Garzelli (Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo) grabbing third as he led a power-packed chase group across the line, nearly a minute back.
Overnight leader Pieter Weening (Rabobank) suffered on the climb and finished 45th, at 6:35, dropping from first to 32nd on GC.
A break with a threat?
After a quick evening ferry transfer from Trofeo, the scene of Saturday’s finish, to Sicily, the Giro faced a 169km stage from Messina to Mt. Etna, a route that involved two trips up Europe’s largest active volcano. Rumblings from the mountain earlier in the week had prompted concerns that the stage might have to be rerouted, but the activity subsided and the stage was contested as originally planned.
While a number of riders tried to slip off the front in the relatively flat opening portion of the stage, it took nearly 50km for the day’s break of nine to be established. Remarkably, the escapees included Pablo Lastras Garcia (Movistar), who began the day in seventh on GC, just 22 seconds out of first.
Along with the major GC threat were Jan Bakelants (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Alessandro Vanotti (Liquigas-Doimo), Mathias Frank (BMC) Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli), Juan Horrach Rippoll (Katusha), Yaroslav Popovych (RadioShack) Mikael Cherel (Ag2r) and Filippo Savini (Colnago-CSF).
If Latras’ presence in the break was cause for concern, none of the major GC contenders appeared too worried as the nine set about establishing a lead that approached five minutes at times.
The nine cooperated, but the peloton kept the gap within reasonable limits over the first of two climbs up the slopes of Etna. The first ascent began in the village of Linguaglossa and lasted 18km with an average grade of 6.1 percent, although portions offered up ramps as steep as 11 percent.
While the peloton didn’t respond to the break, beyond keeping a tight watch on the gap, Maxim Belkov (Vacansoleil) made a solo effort to join the escapees and came to within 1:30 by the top of the climb. The peloton crested at 4:23 and Belkov eventually faded back into the main field.
That gap stayed relatively stable with the nine escapees rode through the village of Nicolosi, reaching the lower slopes of the final climb three and a half minutes ahead of the peloton. Ahead was a 17.4km ascent that averaged 6.2 percent, with ramps that topped 12 percent.
The cooperation that characterized the nine-man group soon evaporated on the slopes of the climb with Frank trying to go it alone. He was reeled in but the attacks continued, first whittling the group to four leaders —Bakelants, Frank, Visconti and Lastras — and finally down to just one: a tenacious Bakelants trying to hang on over the final 10km.
While the peloton covered the lower slopes of the climb in a steady manner, the pace gradually increased as more and more riders slipped off the back. As the peloton reached the 8.5km-to-go mark, three of the day’s original escapees were pulled back.
Alberto and the volcano
Rujano launched a strong attack and appeared to be on his way to catching the remaining escapees and grabbing a stage win. He soon passed Lastras, who eventually drifted back to the peloton and then slipped off the back, his threat to the overall standing fading as quickly as Weening’s hold on the leader’s jersey.
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/T09_Etna_alt.jpg)
But Rujano’s time alone didn’t last long. As the route hit a steep section, the Saxo Bank rider with wins in each of the three grand tours launched a devastating attack. Only Lampre’s Michele Scarponi was able to stay with him, and only for a few hundred meters. Contador reaccelerated and Lampre’s top GC hope drifted back to the chase group.
Contador soon joined Rujano and the feisty Venezuelan responded to repeated attacks and managed to stay with him all the way until 1km to go. But it was that final surge that left Rujano chasing. Contador crossed three seconds ahead of Rujano and a full 50 seconds ahead of his chief rivals. Contador now enjoys a 59-second lead over HTC-Highroad’s Kanstantsin Sivtsov in the overall standings.
“The wind was gusting up the ascent and I knew I had to attack between eight and five kilometers out,†said Contador. “I wasn’t thinking about the maglia rosa. The race is only beginning, the Giro is hard and anything can happen.â€
Contador is competing at the Giro while still awaiting a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which could overturn a Spanish cycling federation decision to clear him of wrongdoing following a positive test for clenbuterol at last year’s Tour de France.
Contador said the case is not far from his thoughts.
“I dedicate this win above all to my fans, it’s they who have given me the strength to keep going, and also to my family, who have been there for me through the tough times, to my team and my sponsors.â€
Racing resumes on Tuesday, following a retun to the mainland and Monday’s rest day, the first of two in the Giro. Stage 10 is likely to have little effect on the overall standings, as the mainly flat 159-kilometer race along the Adriatic coast from Termoli to Teramo will offer the sprinters in the field a chance at a win.
Race Note
Veteran Australian sprinters Robbie McEwen (RadioShack) and Graeme Brown (Rabobank) finished 59:35 behind Contador, outside of the official time cut, and have been eliminated from the Giro.
HTC-Highroad’s Mark Cavendish finished at 26:35 with a number of other sprinters, including his lead-out man Mark Renshaw and Danilo Napolitano (Acqua & Sapone).
The jerseys
PINK: Alberto Contador ended Pieter Weening’s four-day run in pink. The Dutchman was dropped with about 15km to go and dropped to 32nd at 6:42 off the pace.
RED: Contador also grabs the red points jersey from Alessandro Petacchi, who slipped into second with 64 points to Contador’s 65.
WHITE: Roman Kreuziger (Astana) moved solidly into the young rider’s jersey.
GREEN: Filippo Savini (Colnago-CSF Inox) snagged the climber’s jersey after taking points over the first passage up Etna.
-
2011 Giro d’Italia results, stage 10
By VeloNews.com
Published May 17th 2011 11:52 AM UTC — Updated May 17th 2011 1:56 PM UTC
Stage 10
1. Mark Cavendish, HTC-Highroad, in4:00:49
2. Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi, Movistar Team, at 0
3. Alessandro Petacchi, Lampre – Isd, at 0
4. Roberto Ferrari, Androni Giocattoli – C.i.p.i, at 0
5. Davide Appollonio, Sky Procycling, at 0
29. Alberto Contador Velasco, Saxo Bank Sungard, at 0
31. Stefano Garzelli, Acqua & Sapone, at 0
68. Yaroslav Popovych, Team Radioshack, at 0
83. Denis Menchov, Geox-Tmc, at 0
87. Carlos Sastre Candil, Geox-Tmc, at 0
142. Robert Hunter, Team Radioshack, at 0
154. David Millar, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 56
157. Mark Renshaw, HTC-Highroad, at 1:13
188. Jos Van Emden, Rabobank Cycling Team, at 5:20
DNF Adam Blyth, Omega Pharma-Lotto
GC
1. Alberto Contador, Saxo Bank Sungard, in 37:04:40
2. Kanstantsin Sivtsov, HTC-Highroad, at 59
3. Christophe Le Mevel, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 1:19
4. Vincenzo Nibali, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 1:21
5. Michele Scarponi, Lampre – Isd, at 1:28
13. Stefano Garzelli, Acqua & Sapone, at 2:39
20. Denis Menchov, Geox-Tmc, at 3:18
26. Carlos Sastre Candil, Geox-Tmc, at 4:57
90. Yaroslav Popovych, Team Radioshack, at 43:36
102. David Millar, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 49:07
103. Alessandro Petacchi, Lampre – Isd, at 49:12
168. Robert Hunter, Team Radioshack, at 1:15:54
170. Mark Cavendish, HTC-Highroad, at 1:16:40
183. Mark Renshaw, HTC-Highroad, at 1:26:12
188. Matthew Wilson, Team Garmin-Cervelo, at 1:34:59
Mark Cavendish outkicks AleJet to win Giro d’Italia’s 10th stage
By VeloNews.com
Published May 17th 2011 11:35 AM UTC — Updated May 17th 2011 12:50 PM UTC
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/sprint-660x468.jpg)
Cavendish kicks around a fading Petacchi with 150 meters to go. Photo: Graham Watson | grahamwatson.com
HTC-Highroad’s Mark Cavendish won his sixth career Giro stage on Tuesday, rising to the occasion despite allegations that he was towed up part of Sunday’s final climb. The Manxster outkicked nemesis Alessandro Petacchi in the final meters of one of the last sprinter stages of this Tour of Italy.
Alberto Contador finished safely to retain the maglia rosa he took Sunday.
Stage 10 was a 159km mostly flat jaunt up Italy’s eastern coast and then turning inland for 25km along the Tordino River to a technical finish in Teramo.
The early break
RadioShack’s Fumiyuki Beppu, Pierre Cazaux (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Yuriy Krivtsov (AG2R La Mondiale) attacked in the first kilometer of the race, and built out a lead that topped six minutes early on the stage.
HTC-Highroad did the bulk of the pace setting in the field for the first half of the race, hoping to set up a sprint for Cavendish.
The finale and Millar’s break
The catch was made with less than 11km to go under pressure from HTC, Saxo Bank and Liquigas.
From there the sprinters teams fought for control of the front. HTC appeared to have control with about 6km to go, but then lost spots in a tight turn 4km from the end.
Garmin-Cervelo’s David Millar took a massive flyer with 3km to go, opening an enormous gap a the narrow, twisty section of the finale. But when the road straightened out, the Scotsman was unable to hold off Saxo and HTC, who brought him back at the 1km kite.
Movistar’s Fran Ventoso, one of the riders who earlier accused Cavendish of taking a tow during Sunday’s stage, was the first of the big sprinters to jump, then Petacchi responded, with Cavendish tucked on his wheel.
Cavendish kicked around the Italian in the final 150 meters, when no one could match his speed.
“I stayed on Petacchi’s wheel until 150 meters to go. That’s when I started my sprint and I was able to come around him easily to win the stage,†Cavendish said.
“The team did a great job today. It’s my first win of this Giro, so I am very happy. It’s been a very hard Giro and I didn’t want to leave without winning a stage.â€
Ventoso held on past a fading Petacchi to take second on the stage.
Up next
Wednesday is a hilly 144km stage from Tortoreto Lido to Castelfidardo. The stage includes four categorized climbs, but they are all Cat. 4.
The jerseys
PINK: Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) retained his lead as there were no major shakeups in the overall standings.
RED: Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) regained the pink jersey from Contador after finishing third in the stage; he now leads 80 to Contador’s 65.
GREEN: Filippo Savini (Colnago CSF-Inox) defended his climber’s jersey to Contador, with Bart De Clerq (Omega-Lotto) in third.
WHITE: Roman Kreuziger (Astana) keeps the best young rider’s jersey with no major changes.
-
2011 Giro d’Italia results, stage 11
By VeloNews.com
Published May 18th 2011 11:44 AM UTC — Updated May 18th 2011 12:38 PM UTC
Stage 11: Tortoreto Lido – Castelfidardo
1. John Gadret (FRA), Ag2r La Mondiale , at
2. Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (ESP), Team Katusha, s.t.
3. Giovanni Visconti (ITA), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli, s.t.
4. Jose Rodolfo Serpa Perez (COL), Androni Giocattoli, s.t.
5. Alberto Contador Velasco (ESP), SaxoBank-Sungard, s.t.
11. Denis Menchov (RUS), Geox-TMC, s.t.
17. Stefano Garzelli (ITA), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, s.t.
22. Carlos Sastre Candil (ESP), Geox-TMC, at 0:13
80. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR), Team RadioShack, at 2:54
101. Alessandro Petacchi (ITA), Lampre-ISD, at 4:15
125. Robert Hunter (RSA), Team RadioShack, at 9:48
129. David Millar (GBR), Garmin-Cervelo, at 10:06
186. Manuel Belletti (ITA), Colnago-CSF, at 15:30
DNF – Borut Bozic (SLO), Vacansoleil-DCM
DNF – Danilo Napolitano (ITA), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo
General Classification
1. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spain), SaxoBank-Sungard , 40:37:51
2. Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Belarus), HTC-Highroad, at 0:59
3. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy), Liquigas-Doimo, at 1:21
4. Christophe Le Mevel (France), Garmin-Cervelo, at 1:28
5. Michele Scarponi (Italy), Lampre-ISD, at 1:28
13. Stefano Garzelli (Italy), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, at 2:39
16. Denis Menchov (Russia), Geox-TMC, at 3:18
24. Carlos Sastre Candil (Spain), Geox-TMC, at 5:10
88. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukraine), Team RadioShack, at 46:30
96. Alessandro Petacchi (Italy), Lampre-ISD, at 53:27
103. David Millar (Great Britain), Garmin-Cervelo, at 59:13
161. Robert Hunter (South Africa), Team RadioShack, at 1:25:42
170. Mark Cavendish (Great Britain), HTC-Highroad, at 1:31:50
186. Matthew Wilson (Australia), Garmin-Cervelo, at 1:50:09
John Gadret wins 11th stage at Giro d’Italia, as Alberto Contador preserves his lead
By VeloNews.com
Published May 18th 2011 11:22 AM UTC — Updated May 18th 2011 3:14 PM UTC
CASTELFIDARDO, Italy (VN) – Oh the agony.
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/gadret-wins-325x376.jpg)
Gadret makes the late catch and scores a win.
While many said that the hilly 11th stage of the Giro d’Italia had “breakaway written all over it,†the heartbreaking ending wasn’t necessarily in the cards for the final survivor of the big break that highlighted the 144-kilometer ride from Tortoreto Lido to Castelfidardo.
Ag2r’s John Gadret emerged the winner of the day, but only after Daniel Moreno (Katusha), the last survivor of an 11-man break was caught less than 300 meters from the line.
Meanwhile, even though he had suggested that he might be willing to let go of the leader’s jersey for a few days, Saxo Bank’s Alberto Contador stayed secure in the main field, preserving his lead, despite a potential threat from Garmin-Cervélo’s Christophe Le Mevel.
Short and hilly
The ride from Tortoreto Lido to Castelfidardo, along the northern Adriatic coast, was a hilly affair, much hillier than the four rated category 4 climbs might suggest. Indeed, at least twice that number would warrant categorization on any other stage and although short, stage 11 also featured an unending series of short rollers from start to finish.
With little to no flat terrain in the stage, there were only four rated climbs highlighted on the profile:
• The Category 4 Monte-Ripaberarda a 13.7km ascent that topped out at 48,9km, averaging 3 percent, but reaching 12 percent at points.
• The Cat. 4 Monte Vidon Combatte, a 2.6km climb at 73k, averaging 8.6 percent with a maximum grade of 13 percent;
• The Cat. 4 Rapagnano, 5.1km, at 91k, averaging 8 percent, with a maximum of 10 percent.
• The Cat. 4: Morrovalle, a 4.2km climb, at 115.9km, averaging 4 percent, with a maximum of 12 percent.
As many had observed, the day was not one that favored the sprinters in the peloton, but a stage that offered opportunities to those willing to gamble on an escape. That, however, didn’t mean that any group would simply slide off the front at kilometer zero.
With the prospect of a stage win, the attacks came quickly, an attentive peloton ensured that no escapee would get too much distance on the field. It wasn’t until the race reached 60km that the day’s break would develop and, interestingly, among the 11 that eventually moved ahead was Le Mevel who has spent the past few days quietly sitting among the top GC riders of the Giro. Le Mevel began the day in third, just 1:19 out of first.
Joining Le Mevel in the break were Carlos Betancourt and Fabio Taborre (Acqua & Sapone), Simoni Stortoni (Colnago), Daniel Moreno (Katusha), Marco Marzano (Lampre), Valerio Agnoli (Liquigas), Ignatas Konovalovas (Movistar), Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank), Tiago Machado (RadioShack) and Lars Nordhaug (Sky).
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/T11_Castelfidardo_alt.jpg)
Le Mevel’s presence immediately put Contador’s comment, that he might be willing to cede the jersey for a few days, to the test. Indeed, while the peloton kept the escapees within about two minutes, it wasn’t Contador’s Saxo Bank team doing the bulk of the work. The Saxo Bank team did put riders up front, but the chase effort appeared to be more of a holding action and didn’t do much to dent the break’s advantage. With 45k remaining, Astana, without a representative in the break, moved to the front and set about to chip away at the escapees’ lead.
As the chase picked up and the gap narrowed, Moreno attacked out of the break, stepping up the pace on an unrated climb about 25km from the finish. Agnoli jumped on his wheel but faded before the summit and the Katusha rider crested the climb on his own. Colnago’s Stortoni took up the chase.
With 15km to go, Moreno still remained alone at the front, but the gaps were relatively small: 20 seconds to the break and 1:20 to the peloton. Le Mevel took command of the chase as Stortoni was pulled back and the attacks out of the chase group began in earnest. As Le Mevel showed signs of tiring, Konovalovas launched a strong attack and none were able to respond.
Konovalovas reached Moreno’s back wheel with 9.6km to go and immediately attacked again. It took a big effort on Moreno’s part, but he rejoined the Movistar youngster and the two leaders reached a temporary truce in an effort to stay ahead of the rest of the original break.
300 meters too long?
Behind, attack and counter-attack broke up the group and ensured that a concerted chase wouldn’t get organized. With three kilometers remaining, the two leaders had an advantage of 40 seconds, with the peloton closing in on the group quickly.
With 2.5km remaining, the peloton, under the power of the Lampre team, pulled in all of the day’s escapees, with the exception of the two men off the front. With 2km to go, the two leaders’ advantage was down to 34 seconds. With 1km to go, the gap had been cut to 12.
Glancing over his shoulder with 700 meters to go, Moreno could see the peloton charging up fast … he attacked again, but the uphill effort took its toll. As the peloton closed in, Gadret attacked out of the field, charged ahead and pulled Moreno in with 300 meters to go. The exhausted Spaniard was soon swarmed by the peloton, but Gadret held on with a wide enough margin to give him the opportunity to celebrate the win with arms held high.
Behind him Joaquin Rodriguez charged out of the field for second and Giovanni Visconti holding on for third. Contador stayed close to most of his chief rivals on the hilly finish, coming across the line in fifth, just behind the Colombian climber Jose Serpa. He maintains a 59-second lead over HTC-Highroad’s Kanstantsin Sivtsov while Liquigas’ Vincenzo Nibali has moved up to third. Le Mevel paid for his earlier efforts as he lost nine seconds and dropped to fourth.
Race Note
The stage started with a minute’s silence dedicated to Leopard-Trek’s Wouter Weylandt who died after a crash on the Bocco mountain pass on stage 3, May 9. His team pulled out following a memorial stage on May 10 and Weylandt’s funeral was held on Wednesday in his home town of Ghent.
Gadret said he felt compelled to dedicate the stage win to the young Belgian.
“I want to dedicate this victory to Weylandt. I was thinking all day about his funeral,†said Gadret. “Even though I’m not Belgian I wanted to win for him. Cycling is a big family, since he died I haven’t stopped thinking about his fall. I wanted to do something to pay hommage to him and I’m happy.â€
The jerseys
PINK: Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) retained his lead with Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) slotting into third as Christophe Le Mevel (Garmin-Cervelo) slipped to fourth after losing a few seconds on the final climb.
RED: Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) regained the red jersey from Contador after finishing third in the stage; he now leads 80 to Contador’s 77.
GREEN: Filippo Savini (Colnago CSF-Inox) defended his climber’s jersey to Contador, 16-15, with Bart De Clerq (Omega-Lotto) in third with 11 points.
WHITE: Roman Kreuziger (Astana) widened his lead in the best young rider’s jersey, now 1:21 ahead of his teammate Franco Masciarelli.
-
2011 Giro d’Italia, stage 12 results
By VeloNews.com
Published May 19th 2011 12:00 PM UTC
Stage 12: Castelfidardo – Ravenna
1. Mark Cavendish (GBR), HTC-Highroad, 4:17:25
2. Davide Appollonio (ITA), Team Sky, s.t.
3. Alessandro Petacchi (ITA), Lampre-ISD, s.t.
4. Roberto Ferrari (ITA), Androni Giocattoli, s.t.
5. Gerald Ciolek (GER), Quick Step, s.t.
9. Mark Renshaw (AUS), HTC-Highroad, s.t.
22. Alberto Contador Velasco (ESP), SaxoBank-Sungard, s.t.
85. Denis Menchov (RUS), Geox-TMC, s.t.
96. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR), Team RadioShack, s.t.
120. Carlos Sastre Candil (ESP), Geox-TMC, s.t.
174. Robert Hunter (RSA), Team RadioShack, s.t.
181. David Millar (GBR), Garmin-Cervelo, at 2:24
186. Martin Kohler (SUI), BMC Racing Team, at 3:58
GC
1. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spain), SaxoBank-Sungard , 44:55:16
2. Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Belarus), HTC-Highroad, at 59
3. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy), Liquigas-Doimo, at 1:21
4. Christophe Le Mevel (France), Garmin-Cervelo, at 1:28
5. Michele Scarponi (Italy), Lampre-ISD, at 1:28
13. Stefano Garzelli (Italy), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, at 2:39
16. Denis Menchov (Russia), Geox-TMC, at 3:18
24. Carlos Sastre Candil (Spain), Geox-TMC, at 5:10
88. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukraine), Team RadioShack, at 46:30
95. Alessandro Petacchi (Italy), Lampre-ISD, at 53:19
113. David Millar (Great Britain), Garmin-Cervelo, at 1:01:37
161. Robert Hunter (South Africa), Team RadioShack, at 1:25:42
170. Mark Cavendish (Great Britain), HTC-Highroad, at 1:31:30
186. Matthew Wilson (Australia), Garmin-Cervelo, at 1:52:26
Mark Cavendish wins his second stage at the Giro d’Italia, Alberto Contador continues to lead as mountains loom
ByCharles Pelkey
Published May 19th 2011 11:41 AM UTC — Updated May 19th 2011 1:26 PM UTC
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/cav-wins-325x248.jpg)
Cavendish grabs the last sprinters' stage of this Giro. | Graham Watson photo.
RAVENNA, Italy (VN) – Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) grabbed his second stage win at the Giro d’Italia on Thursday, winning a drag race to the line against Sky’s Davide Appollonio and Lampre’s sprint star Allesandro Petacchi.
Provided with a near-perfect lead-out through the twisting final kilometers of a near-pan-flat 12th stage, Cavendish was well ahead of a crash that split the field with 1.5 kilometers remaining in the 184km ride from Castelfidardo to Ravenna.
Saxo Bank-Sungard’s Alberto Contador finished with other overall contenders and continues to hold the maglia rosa enjoying a 59-second lead over Cavendish’s HTC teammate Kanstantsin Sivtsov.
Flat profile and a tight, tight leash
With a flat profile and the Giro one day closer to its appointment with the Dolomites, Thursday’s stage offered one last opportunity for the sprinters to grab a stage win before the profile turns skyward.
With that in mind, none of them were going to let opportunity sneak away and when the day’s break developed the sprinters’ teams didn’t let things get out of hand, monitoring the move closely when four riders moved off the front soon after the start of a
Of course, hope springs eternal in headbangers’ hearts and despite the wary eyes of sprinters upon them, Stef Clement (Rabobank), Michal Golas (Vacansoleil), Miguel Minguez (Euskaltel) and Davide Ricci Bitti (Farnese) settled in for a long ride off the front.
The peloton, of course, wanted no storybook endings for this day and the four never managed to extend their lead much beyond the three-minute mark. Cavendish’s HTC squad stayed near the front, but shared the work with a coalition of other teams, carefully watching the clock and upping the tempo whenever the gap neared the two-and-a-half- to three-minute range.
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/T12_Ravenna_alt1-325x182.jpg)
Nary a ripple on the road to Ravenna.
With 35km to go, the four leaders were pulled back to within two minutes and the sprinters’ squads continued to nibble away at the lead for the next 20k. With 14k remaining, the four were pulled in and attention was turned to the rapidly approaching finish.
Cavendish’s HTC crew stayed at the front, keeping the pace high enough to dissuade the ambitious from attempting a late attack. With 10k remaining, Omega-Pharma, Liquigas, Lampre, Acqua e Sapone and Movistar began moving forward to organize their lead-out trains.
Despite other teams working to set up their sprinters, the HTC squad remained focused and disciplined, keeping Cavendish tucked in behind three teammates in increasingly faster dash to the line.
With three kilometers remaining, other teams’ presence at the front seemed but a fading memory, as HTC kept the pressure on as the day’s route began to negotiate a series of tight turns on relatively narrow roads.
It was one of those turns, that a crash – with no serious injuries – created a gap that left just 15 or 20 riders charging to the line. Cavendish remained calm, glued to the wheel of his most trusted lead-out man, Mark Renshaw.
Behind him, Petacchi stayed on Cavendish’s wheel, hoping to reverse the tables perhaps, after the HTC sprinter had earned his first stage win of this Giro by keying on Petacchi before launching his sprint in the final meters of stage 10 on Tuesday.
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/BERT1-325x488.jpg)
Contador spent a day tucked in the peloton contemplating the days ahead, no doubt. | Graham Watson photo
Cavendish seemed unfazed by the company and stayed on Renshaw’s wheel until about 120 meters to go. Launching a blistering attack, Cavendish held off all challengers, first Petacchi and then a fast moving Appollonio, cruising across the line with a half-a-bike-length’s advantage.
“I am very happy with this victory,†Cavendish said. “The team did a great job today. We didn’t have any help from any other teams. We had to do it all today. It was very fast in the end and I had no problem with the crash in the last kilometer. Renshaw gave me a perfect lead-out.â€
While the crash at 1.5k to go caused a major split in the field, it had no impact on the overall standings, since the incident occurred within the final three kilometers of the stage.
“We had seen before the stage, in the route-book, that it might be a difficult finish,†Cavendish noted. “We knew we had to be close to the front, and we got through it OK.â€
Cavendish is leaving and other fast-twitch types are likely to embark on a mass exodus from the Giro at this point. Riders will make a long transfer northward on Thursday night and then face a tough 167km ride from Spilimbergo to a mountaintop finish atop the Grossglockner. And if that weren’t enough to ring a sprinter’s bell, the stage marks just the beginning of a brutal week in the mountains, with no more opportunities for riders of that ilk to strut their talents.
“I’m going home to recuperate before the Tour de France,†Cavendish said, following the 66th victory of his pro’ career and the fourth of the 2011 season.
With or without Cavendish and his colleagues, the Giro will continue Friday and ending the stage atop Austria’s highest mountain.
Three days of hell
Fans might be looking forward to this weekend, but most riders are not.
The Giro enters its next decisive phase of racing, putting the bunch sprints into the rear-view mirror and climbing into the Dolomites for three fearsome stages.
The statistics are frightful enough: 14 rated climbs over three days with a total of 10,505 meters (34,666 vertical feet).
The crash report
•130km: Crash “without consequence†involving Maurilio Ardila (Geox-TMC), Manuel Cardoso (RadioShack), Mikael Cherel (Ag2r) and John Gadret (Ag2r)
•145km: Crash involving Julian Berard (Ag2r) and Matteo Montaguti (Ag2r), both finished the stage
•1800m to go: Crash involving Danilo Wyss (BMC) and Sacha Modolo (Colnago CSF-Inox); Modolo suffered cuts; both finished stage
The jerseys
• PINK: Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) retained his lead for the fourth day.
• RED: Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) widened his lead in the points jersey, with 96 points to Contador’s 77.
• GREEN: With no rated climbs, Filippo Savini (Colnago CSF-Inox) kept the climber’s jersey for the fourth day.
• WHITE: Roman Kreuziger (Astana) kept the young rider’s jersey for the fourth day.
-
2011 Giro d’Italia, stage 13 results
By VeloNews.com
Published May 20th 2011 12:44 PM UTC
Stage 13: Spilimbergo – Grossglockner
1. José Rujano Guillen (VEN), Androni Giocattoli, in 4:45:54
2. Alberto Contador Velasco (ESP), SaxoBank-Sungard, at 0
3. John Gadret (FRA), Ag2r La Mondiale, at 1:27
4. Hubert Dupont (FRA), Ag2r La Mondiale, at 1:29
5. Igor Anton Hernandez (ESP), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1:29
10. Denis Menchov (RUS), Geox-TMC, at 1:36
30. Stefano Garzelli (ITA), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, at 3:49
49. Carlos Sastre Candil (ESP), Geox-TMC, at 7:26
74. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR), Team RadioShack, at 13:48
81. David Millar (GBR), Garmin-Cervelo, at 14:21
176. Frantisek Rabon (CZE), HTC-Highroad, at 23:54
DNF – Davide Appollonio (ITA), Team Sky
DNS – Alessandro Petacchi (ITA), Lampre-ISD
DNf – Martin Kohler (SUI), BMC Racing Team
DNS – Mark Cavendish (GBR), HTC-Highroad
DNS – Danilo Hondo (GER), Lampre-ISD
DNF – Sacha Modolo (ITA), Colnago-CSF
DNS – Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi (ESP), Movistar
DNS – Manuel Belletti (ITA), Colnago-CSF
DNF – Gerald Ciolek (GER), Quick Step
DNs – Mark Renshaw (AUS), HTC-Highroad
General Classification
1. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spain), SaxoBank-Sungard , 49:40:58
2. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy), Liquigas-Doimo, at 3:09
3. Michele Scarponi (Italy), Lampre-ISD, at 3:16
4. David Arroyo Duran (Spain), Movistar, at 3:25
5. Roman Kreuziger (Czech Republic), Astana, at 3:29
11. Denis Menchov (Russia), Geox-TMC, at 5:06
19. Stefano Garzelli (Italy), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, at 6:40
28. Carlos Sastre Candil (Spain), Geox-TMC, at 12:48
86. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukraine), Team RadioShack, at 1:00:30
106. David Millar (Great Britain), Garmin-Cervelo, at 1:16:10
154. Robert Hunter (South Africa), Team RadioShack, at 1:46:37
176. Matthew Wilson (Australia), Garmin-Cervelo, at 2:16:03
José Rujano wins Grossglockner stage as Alberto Contador extends his lead
By VeloNews.com
Published May 20th 2011 11:37 AM UTC — Updated May 20th 2011 12:50 PM UTC
José Rujano (Androni Giocattoli) won the 13th stage of the Giro d’Italia Friday, finishing just ahead of overall race leader Alberto Contador atop a tough, rain-soaked climb to the finish on Austria’s highest mountain, the Grossglockner.
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/rujano-wins-325x371.jpg)
Jose' Rujano gets the win, Contador gets the time.
The 167-kilometer ride from Spilimbergo, Italy, the first of a series of brutal mountain stages that will most certainly decide the final standings of this Giro, gave Contador the opportunity to extend his already comfortable 59-second lead on GC by another two minutes.
Into the clouds
The two climbing specialists moved out of an elite cadre of GC contenders with 10km remaining on the long 20km climb to the top of a cloud shrouded Grossglockner, following a series of attacks triggered by the catch of the final survivors of a 16-man break that marked much of the day’s action.
Rujano, who started the day well out of contention for the overall title (26th at 6:05), struggled to maintain pace on some sections of the climb, but the Venezuelan obviously posed little threat to Contador’s lead and the two settled in to put distance on their pursuers. Contador did not contest the sprint to the line as Rujano repeatedly cast glances over his shoulder to confirm that was, indeed, going to win the stage.
The two finished 1:37 ahead of Ag2r’s John Gadret and Contador now enjoys a lead of 3:09 over Liquigas’ Vincenzo Nibali in the overall standings.
16 on the run
After what many said was the final opportunity for sprinters to shine on Thursday, the expected exodus of top sprint talent saw six riders take a pass on starting Friday’s entry into the Dolomites. Double stage winner Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) joined his leadout man Mark Renshaw, Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre), Danilo Hondo (Lampre), Manuel Belletti (Colnago) and Francisco Ventoso (Movistar) in skipping the start in Spilimbergo. Indeed, the six left the Giro on Thursday in advance of the longest non-rest-day transfer of the three week grand tour.
The remaining 180 riders set off under sunny skies and the usual early attacks were absent as riders worked the kinks out of their legs in anticipation of a day that included major hurdles along the way, including the Passo di Monte Croce Carnico, at 79.6km, which climbed for 10.4km at 4.9 percent; the Iselsbergpass, at 127.5km, averaging 6.5 percent for 8.5km and the final 20km climb to the finish.
It wasn’t until the road turned upward that the day’s break began to take shape at the 50km mark. When the break did form, however, it was substantial. Included in the 16-man break were Pablo Lastras (Movistar), Branislau Samoilau (Movistar), Pieter Weening (Rabobank), Robert Kiserlovski (Astana), Cayetano Sarmiento (Acqua & Sapone), Rafael Valls (Geox-TMC), Alberto Losada (Katusha), Angel Vicioso (Androni Giocattoli), Craig Lewis (HTC-Highroad), Lars Petter (Sky), Andrea Noe (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli), Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil-DCM), Rinaldo Nocentini (Ag2r La Mondiale), Kristof Vandewalle (Quick Step), Cameron Meyer (Garmin-Cervélo), and Alessandro Spezialetti (Lampre-ISD).
While none of the escapees posed much of a threat to Contador’s lead – with Lastras the best ranked on GC at 6:58 out of first – there were others in the peloton not willing to let the break get too much time on the field. Chief among those, was the Euskaltel-Euskadi team of Igor Anton, who may have been in the hunt for a stage win, rather than having a realistic goal of challenging Contador. Whatever the motivation, chase duties fell not to Contador’s Saxo Bank squad, but to the orange-clad Euskaltels, who never let the break get beyond 4:45 ahead.
By the time the break reached the slopes of the Iselsbergpass, the gap was again trimmed to 3:15. Astana’s Kiserlovski went on the attack and left the lead group, building a minute’s advantage over his former companions at the summit of the Austrian climb.
But the peloton continued to nip away at the break’s advantage and that of the lone escapee and when the Astana man hit the base of the day’s final climb, he held only a 40-second lead on the other men in the break and a 2:20 advantage over the peloton.
Remarkably, it was still Euskaltel at the front as the task of reeling in escapees began over the opening 10km of the climb. Kiserlovski was soon pulled back by Sarmiento and Weening, the Rabobank rider who briefly held the maglia rosa earlier in the Giro. The peloton, meanwhile, continued to pull back the remnants of the break and then finally reeled in the two leaders with about 10k to go.
Adding to the advantage
(http://velonews.competitor.com/files/2011/05/GROSSGLOCKNER-1-325x240.jpg)
Contador and Rujano put time on the chase group with apparent ease.
As Weening and Sarmiento conceded to the inevitable, Rujano went on the attack and was quickly joined by Anton and then Lampre’s Michele Scarponi. Contador did not immediately respond, letting some of the chase work fall to Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) and Astana’s Roman Kreuziger. And chase they did, with Contador shadowing their moves.
When the three leaders were pulled back, it was time for Contador to launch his own attack, one that could only be followed by the little Venezuelan, Rujano. Over the ensuing kilometers the two extended their lead, leaving a group of riders once considered to be strong candidates to win the Giro, fighting for third place on the day … and perhaps a step on the podium in Milan, a week from Sunday.
The odds are good, however, that the top step will be occupied by a rider who has won the last five grand tours he’s entered.
Contador confirms his dominance on the Grossglockner
ByAndrew Hood
Published May 20th 2011 3:24 PM UTC — Updated May 20th 2011 6:34 PM UTC
HEILIGENBLUT, Austria (VN) – With the Giro d’Italia heading into a tough run in the mountains, Eddy Merckx observed that the only hope the GC rivals had to knock Alberto Contador off-balance was to attack from afar and try something truly daring.
No one dared.
Instead, it was Contador who delivered another long-distance attack against his rivals in Friday’s grueling Grossglockner climb.
With 10km to go, José Rujano hitched a ride and won the stage after helping to pace Contador, but it was the Spanish climber who instead took the wind out of the sails of his GC rivals. After surging into the pink jersey five days ago on Mount Etna, Contador once again looked untouchable. He followed a surge from Rujano and sensed he was opening up a gap, so Contador kept right on going.
“I didn’t want another opportunity pass by. When I saw the others staying behind, I knew I had to keep going,†said Contador, who now widened his grip on the pink jersey to 3:09 to Vincenzo Nibali. “It was not an easy stage for anyone. We were all suffering. I was glad to have Rujano there, so we agreed to work together and he would get the stage win.â€
Contador’s agile riding spelled doom for two riders who were hanging close. Kanstantsin Sitvsov (HTC-Highroad) sunk from second to sixth, now 3:53 back, while Christophe Le Mevel (Garmin-Cervelo) slipped from fourth to 16th at 5:29 back.
As expected, Nibali and Michele Scarponi (Lampre), now third at 3:16 back, are shaping up to be Contador’s most dangerous rivals. Contador has a much bigger lead and can use a close fight for the podium to his advantage. There’s only two minutes dividing second-place Nibali from 12th place Vasili Kiryienka (Movistar), so riders will be riding to defend their own GC interests rather than risking all in trying to attack a dominant Contador.
“What a masterpiece. We were in control throughout the whole stage and according to the original plan, Alberto only had to keep up with his opponents. But as they showed weaknesses, I asked him to launch two attacks without going too deep and in the second punch, only Rujano was able to compete and we’re very content with that,†said Saxo Bank boss Bjarne Riis. “The lead to Nibali is increased significantly and we got more from the stage than we had expected beforehand. That doesn’t mean that the race is won. There are several high mountain stages to come and we all know how you can lose minutes on a bad day in the mountains, so we need to stay focused on the job.â€
Contador, too, cautioned about counting his eggs before they’re hatched.
“Nothing is finished in this Giro. Tomorrow is another hard stage. You could have a bad day and lose 15 minutes easily,†Contador said. “I’ve felt good over the past few days. I had some doubts about attacking today, but I am glad because now I have a bigger lead.â€
Having missed their chance on Grossglockner, Contador’s GC rivals will have to try something before it’s too late. Saturday’s epic stage up Zoncolan presents an ideal testing ground. If Contador shows signs of weakness, Nibali and Scarponi must attack. Otherwise, Contador can mark the wheels and then make his own attacks late in the stage.
What would Merckx suggest now on how to crack Contador?