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17 May 2006

19 May News ...

Liquigas Conquers Peschici with Pellizotti

"I was thinking only of the finish and not who I beat, like Merckx," said Franco Pellizotti after his win in Peschici in stage 10 of the 2006 Giro d'Italia. The 28 year-old rider from Veneto blasted some of the best in the game, after being away in a day-long escape, to win his biggest win to date.

The climb to the finish presented a steep rise in the final meters, which cracked Axel Merckx, and allowed Pellizotti to win. "In the team bus, before the stage, they said it was something like 19% gradient. To me it felt like 15 or 16 percent... But it was very tiring!"

"This morning I started the stage with the idea of winning," continued Pellizotti, who scored the third win of Liquigas for the season. With his heroics, the Italian is now in fourth overall on the GC, "If I took the Maglia Rosa then that would have been even better."

"The team first wanted to set up the win for Di Luca, then we thought of Wegelius, but I was able to play my card for victory. ... The last 35K everyone was looking to our team to work. We did a lot to bring back Merckx. The team helped me a lot for the finale, and then it all came down to me."

"The win was good for me and the team. It is always good to win a race. Now that I have won a stage of the Giro d'Italia my morale is even better. I am happy! The team, and Danilo, we are all calm and ready to continue to work for Danilo and the Maglia Rosa."

The team, Liquigas, has not won many races this year but Franco said that is because the focus was on arriving on form in May, "I am happy for today, even if it is only the team's third win, it does not matter. We are working for Di Luca in the classification... The whole squadra aimed to be on 'top' form for the Giro. It was our point to arrive here in grand form.

What this means for Pellizotti is greater confidence to take risks for even more wins. The confidence of a big win, like today's Giro Peschici finish, will give our curly-haired friend a much needed boost. Liquigas must hope that the good fortune will rub off on Di Luca, as he vies for the overall lead.

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

Basso Talks Pontedera

"I went a couple of times to see the Pontedera course. I road the course this last winter with Michele Bartoli, and then I tried it again this spring with Bjarne Riis," confirmed Ivan Basso of Team CSC. The Italian Stallion faces one of the 2006 Giro's most important stages, stage 11, a time trial from Pontedera to Pisa and back. [stage profile]

"It will be all about spinning and pushing yourself," continued Basso, who is the best time trialist of the Giro GC favorites. "In the second part of the course, on the way back from Pisa, there could be headwind. ... It will suit the specialists. For me, I don't know if I have a chance. I am taking the race day by day."

Do you think Paolo Savoldelli has a chance to win? "I expect that he will go well, but I will do my own race. I will not worry too much about my rivals."

But who do you think can win? "Well, if I have to pick, I would say Jan Ullrich, Serhiy Honchar or Michael Rogers."

Il Italian Stallion will have another look at the parcours today, and then tomorrow, he will put a race number on his back. Basso may not win the crono, but he has the abilities to crush his top GC challengers.

Algeri and Pevenage Agree: Ullrich

BiciRace.com, after a LONG drive from Peschici to Pisa, had dinner with the Director Sportif of Saunier Duval-Prodir, Pietro Algeri. We had a good discussion about his career as a Team DS, including Giuseppe Saronni's amazing year with wins in the World Championships and Lombardia in the fall, and then the Milano-Sanremo and il Giro d'Italia the following spring.

Talk then shifted to tomorrow's time trial and Jan Ullrich. The German is Algeri's pick to win the time trial. Il Bergamasco mentioned how he talked to Rudy Pevenage, Ullrich's personal trainer and T-Mobile Team DS, and that Pevenage said Ulle is ready to win. According to our source, Ulle will target tomorrow's stage and a mountain stage.

Litu with Two Black X's

We spoke briefly with Litu (or Ángel Gómez Gómez) of Saunier Duval-Prodir, complementing him on his stage 10 escape, and asked how he was feeling. "I am good, I had a little problem with sinuses during yesterday's stage," commented Litu in Pisa.

The Spaniard, along with teammate Pinotti, rode at the front of the escape all day, before his power gave way with five kilometers to go. "It was on that second to the last hill," continued the 25 year-old. "I have a black X next to two more stages, and given the chance I will turn the throttle and go." Which stages? "You will see!"

PS... Happy Birthday Litu!

Falco for Pontedera

Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel) had the guns to rip apart the Seraing parcours, to take the Giro d'Italia stage 1 and the Maglia Rosa, but we don't think he will come through to win in the Pontedera time trial. The course is too flat and straight for a rider of Savoldelli's technical prowess. Il Falco Bergamasco will hope to limit his losses to Basso, and put time into Cunego and Di Luca.

"I don't think I can put time into Basso," confirmed Savoldelli. "I think that the rider to win will be Michael Rogers."

Rest Day Wrap Up

By Chris

With just under half of the Giro d'Italia in the books, almost nothing has been accomplished. Still to come are the decisive stages: the only long individual time trial, and all but one of the major climbs. Competition for the points and mountain jerseys are completely wide open. The Plan de Corones isn't paved yet... have I missed anything?

OK, so the preamble to the Giro hasn't been a complete loss. Let's look briefly at what has been accomplished at this point.

1. The rest days have been an unqualified success. As I type, the portion of the peloton who didn't make it to Paris for the Champions' League final are comfortably watching in their hotels.

2. The list of affected nations has been narrowed to three (in no particular order): Italy, Austria and Switzerland.

3. We know that Ivan Basso can climb. Ditto for Damiano Cunego. Also, the kryptonite CSC slipped into Savoldelli's kit bag seems to be working.

4. We know that, as a grand tour rider, Danilo DiLuca makes a great Classics rider. Further, we suspect, but don't know, that having half of Lampre's support may prove more useful to Gilberto Simoni than having all of Saunier Duval's.

5. Sitting around arguing with your team is apparently no substitute as a conditioning program for actually racing, as Jose Rujano has demonstrated.

6. On any given day in May, Italy has far better weather than Belgium.

7. Alessandro Petacchi, however average his performance has been, is a true cycling hardman.

8. The clock has struck midnight for Quick Step, proving that in today's Peloton, you can't win everything in both April and May.

9. Robbie McEwen is a crafty little bugger... every day of the week. And lastly...

10. Cycling.tv is proof that the internet can and will save the world. Ciao!
-Chris runs the Podium Cafe (www.podiumcafe.com), a Cycling weblog

16 May News ...