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9 May 2006

10 May News ...

Schumacher without Limits

Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner) pulled off an amazing victory in yesterday's stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia. Under the hammering Belgian rain, over the uneven pavé and in front of the best riders in cycling, the German (24) crossed the line within Namur's citadel and became a changed man. Schumacher, 24 years-old, took the Maglia Rosa from Paolo Savoldelli and all the deserved attention that comes with the prestigious jersey.

"It is precious, it is fantastic, it is incredible," said the new race leader, who is competing in his first Giro d'Italia, which is also his first Grand Tour. "The finale I had never seen, but I was explained what it was like by our director sportif, Christian Henn.

"Up front we had Rebellin and myself to follow any attacks. When Rubiera attacked there was a moment of indecision behind. Then when Bettini attacked, I followed. Bettini was blocked by a motorbike, which I don't think made that much of a difference, and then I went on to join Rubiera. Then at 400 meters to go I started my sprint. I was afraid of being pulled back. I was also afraid of crashing, it was slick and dangerous. But there was not an alternative but to push it hard."

Schumacher turned professional with Germany's biggest squadra: Telekom. "The first year, 2002, I went well: zero wins but I had good races. Then in 2003 I had a virus that knocked me out and resulted in being without a contract. I restarted with a smaller squadra, Team Lamonta, for 2004, and then I transferred to Shimano last year. I had nine victories, the possibility to be a leader, it was getting better."

Now, in the bubbly blue colors of Gerolsteiner, Schumacher has found his feet in Germany's second largest squadra. "Now I don't limit myself, only because I don't know my limits," continued the German. "On the short climbs, like this one in Namur, I am good, but on the long climbs, like in the Alps, I don't know. I have never done them."

"I will defend the Maglia Rosa with all my force. Tomorrow [today's stage 4] I want to keep the jersey. Then in the team time trial, who knows. We are able to arrive in the first five, but I don't know if it will be enough," finished Schumacher.

Schumacher continues the run of success of the "youngsters" this season. The Classics were dominated by the new generation: Filippo Pozzato (24) in Milano-Sanremo, Tom Boonen (25) in Tour of Flanders, Fabian Cancellara (25) in Paris-Roubaix, Fränk Schleck (26) in Amstel Gold and Alejandro Valverde (25, now 26) in Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège; and now it is the turn of 24 year-old Stefan Schumacher in la Corsa Rosa... Bellissima!

Read:
Cycling's New Generation Winning Big, 11 April

89th Giro d'Italia, 6 - 28 May
Main, Startlist, Classifications, Giro Favorites
Stages and Maps, Key Stages, Overall Map
Photos, The Dust Devil's Daily Wrap
Aaron Olson and Saunier Duval-Prodir Updates
2005 Giro d'Italia

Giro Over for Alessandro Petacchi

Just outside of Wanze, 47 kilometers to the finish of stage 3, the Giro d'Italia went belly-up for Italian Alessandro Petacchi (Milram). Lo Spezzino, with 19 Giro victories in his palmarès, hit the deck while on a wide sweeping right-hand, slightly downhill turn. After making it to the stage finish, he was reported with a fractured kneecap: Giro Over.

"There was an Euskaltel rider that crashed five or six riders in front of me. I panicked, my bicycle slid and I was keeping some control. I thought I would be able to stay upright, just putting my foot down, but then Dario Cioni, from behind, hooked me with his handlebars. At this point I flew forward and banged my left knee really hard."

"I reentered the group," continued Petacchi. "My knee started to swell and so I decided [-30K] to stop with my teammates."

Lo Spezzino (32) continued on to the finish in Namur, basically pedaling with one leg, where he finished 14'38" behind Schumacher. The Giro was not officially over for Petacchi until 20.00, where at the hospital in Namur he saw the results of the X-rays: a fractured left kneecap.

Petacchi will now be out of action for at least three months: "I will not be able to ride the Tour. I hope for the Vuelta and Paris-Tours. This is the worst misfortune in my career, and I hope that it does not reveal to be any worse than it already seems."

Today Petacchi will depart from Bruxelles for Pisa, where he will undergo an operation Wednesday under the supervision of Doctor Spinelli.

Motorbike Incident for Brandt

Davitamon-Lotto's Walloon climber, Christophe Brandt, will not start today's stage 4 of the Giro d'Italia. Yesterday, while the peloton was slowly moving, waiting for Petacchi to join after his crash, Brandt went down because of a badly placed Belgian police motorcyclist.

Brandt, 29 years-old, continued on to the finish in Namur, with an impressive 29th place, but like Petacchi, X-rays revealed the end of the Belgian's Giro. The radiography showed a fractured left elbow. Last night the Belgian underwent an operation, performed by Doctor Claes at Herentals.

Savoldelli Loses and Gains

Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel) lost the Maglia Rosa in stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia, but he succeeded in adding some valuable time on his rivals. In the stage finale all of the boys wanted to stay safe, but Paolo was able to use his technical skills to gain that extra bit of ground.

"I am content because I have added a little bit of time over my rivals," explained il Falco, who finished 9th at 6" back. The Italian added 3" on Serhiy Honchar, 13" on Danilo Di Luca, Damiano Cunego, Michael Rogers and Ivan Basso; and another 23" on Gilberto Simoni. "The Giro will not be decided on seconds, but they are important. It is always better to take any sort of advantage that comes. Also, here on today's stage, it was very important to stay at the front in case of any crashes."

"I am content to have lost the Maglia Rosa, which was starting to be an extra weight," continued il Falco, who is now 13" back on Schumacher. "From here on I will have more peace, more time to recover after the stages and the team will not have to do that extra work at the front to control the race. When the others attack I can remain calm, I don't have to defend anything."

Mustache McCarty

Patrick McCarty (Phonak) is one, if not the only, rider in the 2006 Giro d'Italia peloton coveting a well groomed "stache". Il Texano, riding for the Swiss Phonak squadra, can be recognized by his mustache, which we believe no one else in the peloton has. Sure, Schumacher has the "tough-man" look with the outdated goatee, but the 24 year-old Phonak rider is pushing new limits with his stache. Bravo!

Later during this Giro, BiciRace.com will check if McCarty owns a dually with a crew cab, or if he enjoys the sweet sounds of ZZ Top.

8 May News ...