Giro d'Italia Cycling News Special for May 8, 2005Edited by Jeff Jones & Hedwig Kröner Prologue wrap-upThe 88th Giro d'Italia began on Saturday evening with a 1.15 km prologue along the Lungomare Italo Falcomata' in Reggio Calabria. The atmosphere was perfect, with a large crowd of spectators watching the riders as Mt Etna loomed in the background across the Straits of Sicily. After Danilo Di Luca set the early best time, it was the turn of Guadeloupe-born Frenchman Rony Martias (Bouygues) to come home in 1'23. His time held until one of Petacchi's leadout men, Matteo Tosatto, stormed home in 1'21. Tosatto's time was good, but it wasn't good enough to beat Panaria's Brett Lancaster, a two-time World Champion in the team pursuit and the reigning Olympic Champion in that discipline, who became the only rider to go under 1'21 with a time of 1'20.958. Lancaster had a nervous wait as the last 40 riders had their turn, but at the end of the night he had won the stage from Tosatto and a speedy looking Alessandro Petacchi. It was only his third win as a pro but definitely a big one, following up from compatriot Brad McGee's win in the prologue last year. Impressively, Lancaster's team is one of only two non-ProTour teams in the Giro, the other being Colombia-Selle Italia. The GC riders Cunego, Simoni, Garzelli, Savoldelli, Gonchar and Basso all finished within a few seconds of each other, and today's times will surely not make a difference to the final overall classification. Last, but not least, Mario Cipollini signed off on his glittering career by riding the prologue as last rider, even after Damiano Cunego. Cipollini was clad in an all-pink bodysuit with silver veins, riding a pink Bianchi. A showman until the end, Cipo took the time to wave to the crowd, acknowledging them all for their support over the years. Exit one of the most colourful characters in the peloton. Prologue full results
& report Australian round-upReported by John Trevorrow in Reggio Calabria Cyclingnews was stationed on the finish line in Reggio Calabria and we spoke to the Australian riders as they came in:
Brett Lancaster (Panaria, 1st) We spoke to Lancaster just after he had crossed the line with the new best time. "Yeah it was pretty good," he said in his dry, laconic drawl. "I might have to wait a while, there may be a few going a bit quicker." We asked him about his gear selection, and he explained, "I had the 15 from the start, then I clicked it down a bit. I don't really know what I went to. Felt good though." Unlike his compatriot Stuart O'Grady, Lancaster didn't use a single speed bike. "I did give it a bit of thought, but it was a bit hard," he said. "This bike's pretty good. I started full on, made tempo in the middle, and brought it home." Afterwards, Lancaster was blown away by what he'd done when we spoke to him. "It's pretty incredible," he said. "I don't think it's hit home yet. It was very nervous waiting for the last half a dozen riders to go. With those last few off, there were some really good riders, especially O'Grady. It just shows that now I'm full on road racing and left the track behind, I've had some good results this year. No wins, but this is a pretty good one to start with." On his chances of retaining the jersey in tomorrow's stage, Lancaster replied, "I was just talking to a few of the guys and they reckon it might not even be a sprint finish. I'll just see what I can do."
Stuart O'Grady (Cofidis, 6th) "It was tough out there. I didn't feel real comfortable. It was heavy at the start." O'Grady was the only rider to use a single speed bike, and chose a 53x14. Did the gamble pay off? "We'll never know I suppose," he replied.
Mark Renshaw (Francaise des Jeux, 8th "I just never got the gear going. It's been a long time since I've done one of these. I just didn't have the punch tonight." We noted that Mark was only a couple of seconds off the pace in 8th. "Yeah, but there's a lot of guys around there."
Brad Wiggins (Credit Agricole, 11th "One kilometre is just a bit short for me. But I'm pleased with that ride. I was hoping for a top five. that was my objective. But I thought Renshaw and Lancaster would go a bit quicker than me. They're explosive guys."
Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto, 17th) Robbie McEwen was not happy with his ride of 1'24, which placed him 17th in the prologue. "The wind was tough. I got on the start line and just before I went I felt it blow up. It just felt like it was a bit stronger when I took off. I'm relatively happy with my ride. We'll just see what's going to happen in the next week."
Matt White (Cofidis, 86th) "I had a few weeks preparing for it. I haven't been in this part of Italy since 2000. I'm really looking forward to this tour. I'm happy with the ride. It's going to be a great couple of weeks. And I'm really looking forward to the Tour de France...finally."
Rory Sutherland (Rabobank, 116th) "I'm pleased to be in my first grand tour. I wasn't sure what to do, but I ended up riding the 14. It didn't feel too bad. I want to finish this tour, and do a good job for Rabobank. I'm excited about the weeks ahead."
Henk Vogels (Davitamon-Lotto, 138th) "That bloody hurt. I'm rapt to be back into the big time though, and had a good classics season. I'm really looking forward to doing the job for Robbie and Steels. I rode the 14 [cog at the back], and it was hard. But I felt OK."
Matt Wilson (Francaise des Jeux, 178th) ."It was bloody hard. Baden [Cooke]'s in good form, so I'm looking forward to it. I think we'll have a good one." [Baden was too fast for us to grab him today! - ed.]
Russell Van Hout (Colombia-Selle Italia, 179th) "I was hoping to do a lot quicker I lactated badly early on. I had too big a gear and couldn't go back. It was about as hard as a kilometre could be. My biggest problem is that I've only done four races since Langkawi. All in all, I'm underdone but I reckon I can get myself into good form by the real TT."
Nick Gates (Davitamon-Lotto, 195th) Nick Gates looked as though he'd ridden round the block when we spoke to him moments after he crossed the line. "What's the point in going flat out here mate? We'll wait until later in the week. Robbie's going really well. He should be up there winning stages."
Trent Wilson (Colombia-Selle Italia, 197th) "I didn't think it'd be slow as that. I felt as though I warmed up well. I was on a small gear, but by the time I finished, I was lactating in my arms, legs and earlobes. It really hurt." Basso: "I'm ready!""I'm 100 percent ready for the Giro d'Italia. I've done everything I can to be in great shape - perhaps the best shape I've ever been in. I aim for a big result, and I'm not afraid to say that we're going for the overall victory. Perhaps some of the other riders prove to be better than me, but then we'll just have to accept that," said a confident Ivan Basso at Friday's press conference in Reggio Calabria. Especially in the Italian press, the expected duel between Ivan Basso and Damiano Cunego has received a lot of attention. However, the Team CSC captain is not worried about who he is up against. "I don't like to put names on my rivals," said Basso. "My preparation has been perfect, and that's what I've been focusing on since Bjarne and I decided to go for the Giro. I expect a tough race, and it's clear for everyone to see, the course is very brutal. I'm not a climber by nature and I'm not a time trial specialist, but I know I can do both at a very high level. Last but definitely not least, I have a strong team behind me, and all our riders are ready to support me as much as they possibly can." Ivan Basso got his international breakthrough finishing third in last year's Tour de France, where he was the only rider able to keep up with Lance Armstrong in the mountains. "Compared to the Tour, my approach to this race is different. Last year I learned so much, about myself and what it's like to be part of a team. Now I'm able to benefit from all those experiences. I feel more mature than last year, and I'm ready to be a main contender in the Giro d'Italia," said the 27 year-old. Fantasy Giro 2005 game prizes update!
Brought to you by Wilier Triestina, this year's Fantasy Giro d'Italia game marks the third year of fantasy games at Cyclingnews. Wilier Triestina are offering a team Cofidis Le Roi bike for this year's grand prize. Campagnolo is also offering its record component group to the first runner-up. More New Prizes
In addition to the main prizes above we have confirmed the following runners-up prizes. This year we have 3 Atmos Fassa Bortolo Team Issue helmets from Giro, Arione saddles including the team Lampre, Liquigas and Barloworld saddles from fi'zi:k, and specially engraved tools from Park Tool. In addition we have just confirmed the following new prizes - Upland Sports are providing three pairs of DMT shoes, a Coaching package from Ric Stern, and a whole suite of goodies from Bontrager (Race X Lite Aero wheels, Race X Lite OS handlebars, a Race XXX Lite OS Carbon stem and a Race X Lite Pro saddle). Go to the prizes section to find out more.
New FeaturesIn this year's game you will be able to see a full ranking list and the details of who picked which riders and for which stage. You can use the search feature to find your friends teams and see what they have entered. We have also changed the GC points system this year to be in accordance to the UCI's changes to last year's points system. Now only the top 15 GC riders score points. We hope this will even up the points distribution further. Join For Free!You can begin creating your team/s now. You can play the first 5 stages for FREE! We will be adding additions to the startlist on a daily basis. The Tour games are easy to play, all you need to do to manage your own team is select 15 riders from the live start list then select 9 of these riders to race each day throughout the Giro. You score points according to how well each of the riders place each day in the Giro. So try your team today and see if it's for you. It's a great way to follow the Giro. Create your teams now at fantasy.cyclingnews.com/ You can join after the Giro has begunThere is no disadvantage in entering a new team now that the Tour is underway. You have as much chance as any other team manager of winning the Cofidis Wilier Le Roi team bike. For more info go to: fantasy.cyclingnews.com/game/rules.htm#joining The Fantasy Cyclingnews Team
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