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News :: May 2005

27 May 2005

28 May News ...

Riding with Matteo Algeri, Saunier Duval - Prodir

Pietro Algeri Driving

BiciRace.com decided to catch up with one of the two Director Sportivo's for Saunier Duval - Prodir, Matteo Algeri. The other DS is Pietro, Matteo's dad. You might know Matteo from reading the BiciRace.com chats, but we wanted to spend some more time with him. So, we rode along with Matteo in Stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia. Take a look at life in the team car.

Basso Fights Back with Stage Win

Basso Alone on the Colle Di Tenda, photo: Team CSC

Ivan Basso (Team CSC) Today, Stage 17 hit back in stage 17 with a strong stage win. Basso, who refused to retire after loosing 42 minutes on lo Stelvio, fought back with his first Giro d'Italia stage win. The CSC rider won at the end of a 194K stage, finishing on the top of Colle di Tenda in Limone Piemonte.

Stage 18 is the Torino TT and it is sure to further shake up the GC. Savoldelli will hold his own in the TT, while Simoni will have to dig deep for inspiration. Basso may be on the move, with a potential to win two stages in a row. As for Di Luca, he seems to be on the down slope and will have to fight like mad with Rujano.

Torino TT and Sestriere 2X

Stage 18 today will be tough, A time trial like this is no place for the 100% pure TT men. Simoni and Savoldelli might have a chance, everyone's legs will be fried and cooked after 2 solid weeks of racing over mountain passes. Unexpected results could happen on a 34K course from Chieri to Torino (Stage Profile). It is flat TT, but with a big hump right in the middle of the test, 8K in length. This final TT of the Giro will give us a great idea of what to expect heading into stage 19, the last mountain stage.

Stage 19

Saturday's Stage 19 is really going to put the pain into the riders legs, giving them a long lasting memory of the 2005 Giro d'Italia. There are about 55K of flat roads before the climbs kick into action (Stage Profile). The riders will tackle the Sestriere twice, with the feared Colle delle Finestre sandwiched between.

The Sestriere is about 50K in length, and an elevation gain of 1500m! A climb like this leaves the door open for huge time gains or losses. Dropping down quickly from the Sestriere the riders will battle the Colle delle Finestre. You might have heard about this climb; it is nasty. The Colle delle Finestre is more cow path than race route, with the final 8.5K being gravel and dirt. The riders will be cursing this, but the tifosi will be grinning ear to ear.

Finally, it is an 8K descent of the Finestre before the riders take the final 18K to Sestriere. A mountain top finish will top off the final mountain stage. There will be all sorts of fall out from the Finestre and we will see the true Giro champion emerge on the slopes of Sestriere.

Read about Marco Pinotti's (Saunier Duval - Prodir) preview of the Finestre.

Giro d'Italia Classifications

Maglia Rosa: As predicted, the mountains wreaked havoc today. Thanks to some stellar pacemaking by Cunego, Simoni was able to gain back precious second on the maglia rosa. In the final kilometers Di Luca was on the rivet and still lost precious time. Savoldelli still leads, but his advantage is precarious. Simoni moved up a slot to second at 58" back. Rujano Guillen was the big gainer moving himself into third at 1'24". Di Luca is a mere 2 seconds behind the Venezuelan, so the fight for the podium should be a fierce one.
Maglia Ciclamino: It's looking good for Bettini to win the sprinter's classification. He has garnered 142 points to Petacchi's 129 points. A disinterested Di Luca is in third with 123 points.
Maglia Verde: Rujano Guillen should have this one locked up, barring disaster. As evidenced by his climbing today, Rujano's climbing legs are stellar. He's got a comfortable advantage over countryman, Parra, who has 57 points. Thanks to Basso's exploits today, he moved in to third with 38 points.
Maglia Azzurra: Zanini got himself into an early break today and in the process moved into the lead in the Intergiro competition. He's now 12" up on his teammate, Paolo Bettini. Good old Sven Krauss is in third 14" back.
Read the complete Giro d'Italia classification break-down.
- Paco

Dust Devil's Daily Wrap: Redemption Song

The Dust Devil was impressed with Ivan Basso's stage win. "That's a success in most people's book. He didn't win overall like he set out to do, but hey, that's racing and that's life. He'll also have a lot of confidence in himself going into the Tour that he can go all the way in the mountains-if he can avoid illness." Read the Dust Devil's Daily Wrap, Redemption Song

Toe-to-knee coverage on the 88th Giro d'Italia
Startlist, Classifications, Dust Devil's Daily Wrap
Key Stages, Stages and Maps, Overall Map
Photos

26 May News ...

Chat with the Director Sportivo, "It's good ... as I've told you the most important thing is not to have cold on downhill."

The Giro d'Italia, Podium Girls, Stage 16 Photos are in and they are exciting.

2005 Giro d'Italia - The Dust Devil's Daily Wrap, "The weather was far from hospitable in the normally scenic Lake Como/Lecco region, with most of the riders unrecognizable due to being covered by their rain capes."

Volta Ciclista a Catalunya: Yaroslav Popovych, Discovery Channel, Wins a Big GC race

Battaglia Italiana, Simoni and Cunego Box? "Also, they have selected a photo where I appear fat."

Stefano Garzelli - "No, Even in Spain I train with some pros in the area. While in Italy, I ride with Nardello, Andriotto, Zanini, Mason, Peron, etc."

Pedro Delgado Interview - "In my opinion, of the directors I know, I like Vicente Belda the most."