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News :: May 2005

15 May 2005

16 May News ...

Koldo Gil Wins Tough Stage

Koldo Gil Going for Win, photo: Liberty Seguros-Würth

Yesterday, after 190K away, Koldo Gil (Liberty Seguros-Würth) won the 7th stage of the Giro d'Italia into Pistoia, arms in the air and enjoying the moment. Gil from Pamplona, the homeland of Miguel Indurain, rode just like the former Giro d'Italia champion, with style. Gil, 26 years old, obtained and his 4th career victory.

Stage 7 was quite a day for the GC teams. Damiano Cunego, Gilberto Simoni (both Lampre-Caffita), and Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel) gained 50 seconds on the other GC rivals. Basso had some bike and team problems, on the early slopes of Sammommè, that attributed to his tough day. The Liquigas-Bianchi squadra looked strong again, but missed out when the Lampre-Caffita boys topped the Sammommè. Stefano Garzelli and Dario Cioni were working hard to bring back their rivals, so much so that Garzelli went down hard on the run-in. Garzelli appears to be alright, but we will see if the little pavement slide has ill-effects on his performance in the stage 8 TT. (Expand your knowledge of Stefano Garzelli and read the BiciRace.com interview.)

Race of Truth, Stage 8

Today in stage 8 the riders will put on their skin-suits and mount the disc wheels. The riders of the Giro d'Italia face the first real TT and it should have large effects on the overall GC. No more Danilo Di Luca or Paolo Bettini fighting it out for the maglia rosa, as the boys with time trialing strength will rise to the top. We could see Basso take the overall lead, or Savoldelli rocket into a pink Firenze.

The riders are departing from Lamporecchio, Andrea Tafi's home town, and heading to the famed città Firenze. It is a stage of 41.5K with a good sized hill, 10K into the test. It is a climb of 8K that should give the riders like Damiano Cunego and Gilberto Simoni a chance at not losing so much time. Take a look at the stage profile for yourself.

We had a little rain yesterday and today will be sunnier for the riders. We are enjoying partly cloudy skies with temperatures topping out at 26°C (78°F). It will be a great day to ride your bike into the famous city over the river Arno. BiciRace.com wishes the riders the best of luck!

Giro d'Italia Classifications

Maglia Verde: The big move in stage 7 was Koldo Gil (Liberty Seguros-Würth). With his efforts on the Sammommè he moved in to the points lead for the mountain classification. Gil pushed out our coffee friend, José Rujano Guillen (Selle Italia-Colombia).
Maglia Rosa: Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas-Bianchi) found himself back in pink. On the Sammommè Di Luca showed off his climbing legs while Paolo Bettini faded.
Maglia Ciclamino: Di Luca also won enough points to take the purple Ciclamino jersey. Because Di Luca will be rocking out in pink during the TT, we will see McJet, Robbie McEwen, in the maglia ciclamino.
Maglia Azzurra (Intergiro): Tall Sven Krauss (Gerolsteiner) is still getting the kisses on the podium for staying in the Intergiro lead.
Read the complete Giro d'Italia classification break-down.

No More Giro

Christophe Detilloux Abandons, photo: Matteo Algeri

Was anyone really considering Ivan Quaranta as a serious sprinter contender? The Domina Vacanze "sprinter" finally called it a Giro and dropped out mid-stage 7. Also out is the Spaniard David Lopez Garcia (Euskaltel-Euskadi). The Basque rider did not finish stage 7.

Read the Pink news from the 88th Giro d'Italia...
Startlist, Classifications, Dust Devil's Daily Wrap
Key Stages, Stages and Maps, Overall Map
Photos

ProTour for the Volta a Catalunya

In the past the Volta a Catalunya has relied on its proximity to the Tour de France for attracting a star studded field. It always provided an ideal training ground for those looking to hone their form for the upcoming Tour de France. Times have changed. The Volta a Catalunya, by virtue of its inclusion in the UCI Pro Tour, will have the who's who of cycling at the start line in Salou. And they won't be using it for training miles. Precious Pro Tour points are at stake, which should ensure some aggressive racing.
Read more and see the stages.

14 May News ...

Stefano Garzelli - "I have heard of Danielson and I know that he is very strong in the climbs. Together with Paolo, they will be a very terrible twosome!"

Robbie McEwen in Pink after stage 2 of the Giro d'Italia

Chat with the Director Sportivo, "Very beautiful and "rigida"( how do you say in English?)"

Tom Danielson Interview, Before the Giro d'Italia, "We looked at Lance a lot for that stage. And if I was able to do it, then I was going to try to do it. Lance had a lot of faith in me, and kind of stressed me out a little bit..."

Joseba Beloki Interview, "I'm not a real attacking kind of rider, but to attack one needs to have both confidence and physical strength to spare."

He was often criticized by the nay-sayers for not getting over the big mountains. True, he never made it to Paris. But, he knows his talents. He got paid to win races and get publicity for his sponsors., "The End of an Era"

"Every sprint is always different. There are always things going through my mind. The main thing I do is stay concentrated on the job and trying to get in the best position possible!" - Allan Davis