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Mont Ventoux
Photo ©: Sirotti

Giro d'Italia Cycling News for May 15, 2005

Edited by Jeff Jones & Anthony Tan

Stage 7 wrap-up: The Lampre push

Koldo King for a day, Di Luca best of the rest

The Lampre push
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
Click for larger image

On the steep climb of Sammomme with around 17 km to go in today's seventh stage of the Giro d'Italia, Lampre-Caffita showed that they mean business, as Gilberto Simoni and Damiano Cunego (with help from Selle Italia's now ex-mountains leader Jose Rujano) went to the front and ripped the peloton to shreds. Of the main GC riders, only Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel) and new maglia rosa Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas-Bianchi, who wasn't supposed to be a main GC rider) were able to hang with Simoni and Cunego as they caught the remnants of the day's early break on the run into Pistoia.

All except one rider, that is. Liberty Seguros scored its first win in this year's Giro as Koldo Gil powered away from the break on the Sammomme climb to cross the summit with a 1'00 lead, of which he was able to conserve 20 seconds at the finish. After 179 km in the lead, Gil crossed the line to take the biggest victory of his career, and was a happy man afterwards.

"The Giro is my second tour of three weeks and I believe that this can help me to give a jump in my career," he said. "I have demonstrated that I can win in a big one and I hope that this helps me to raise one more step as cyclist."

Gil said he believed he would win at three kilometres to go, "because behind a very strong group was coming and we were away for many kilometres."

On the team's strategy today, Gil explained, "Manolo Saiz said to us that Abeja, Hruska, Andrle and Baranowski had to be in the greats and that I and Caruso had to watch if a big breakaway went. Because of that, Baranowski and I ended up in front."

After an epic day,
Photo ©: Sirotti
Click for larger image

Having Baranowski in the break helped Gil a lot, he said. "...because he was the one who did the most turns initially and I could save myself for the end. He has made it very easy for me." On the final climb, "Zampieri attacked me, but it was a very hard climb and I knew that he was not going anywhere. When he attacked me for the second time and I saw that was not getting away, I knew that I could go away alone, because I felt good and had good legs."

Along the way, Gil gained the mountains jersey from the "Incredible Hulk", Jose Rujano, but said that it would be difficult to defend. "It will be necessary to see how things go, but the mountain's jersey of the Giro is very hard and it will be difficult to contest it against those who are going for the general classification."

Gil hails from Pamplona, and lives quite close to the great Miguel Indurain, who he named as one of his heroes. "My reference always has been Indurain, because I am also from Navarra, but in the current peloton I like Erik Dekker and Stefano Garzelli a lot. I have a lot of respect for them as riders and as people."

In the other main story of the day, the see-saw battle between Paolo Bettini and Danilo Di Luca for the maglia rosa finally tipped in Di Luca's favour, with the ProTour leader hanging with the Cunego group to ride back into the jersey, while Bettini lost over two minutes. "It's a good climb for my characteristics and I wanted to get the maglia rosa back," explained Di Luca post-stage. "Tomorrow I'll give it my best in the time trial." Bettini was philosophical about losing the top spot on Giro GC. "My goal was to arrive in Pistoia with the maglia rosa and even though I lost it today, I'm happy. Maybe the other day I rode too hard (Stage 5), but now I want to do well on a mountain stage. That's my next goal."

Other favourites such as Dario Cioni and Stefano Garzelli (Liquigas), Ivan Basso (CSC), and Michele Scarponi (Liberty) all lost contact near the top of the climb and finished up 30 seconds behind the Cunego/Di Luca group at the end.

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Basso loses time to GC contenders

The most notable absentee from the first group of 12 riders that crossed the line 20 seconds after stage winner Koldo Gil was Team CSC leader Ivan Basso. His team gave him an armchair ride to the base of the Sammommč climb, putting him in a perfect position up front, but one kilometre from the summit, Basso inexplicably dropped off the pace, eventually losing half a minute to the group containing new maglia rosa Danilo Di Luca.

Explained Basso on the team's website, team-csc.com: "The backside of my left thigh suddenly cramped up. It really took me by surprise, as I'd been able to keep up no problem until then. The team worked hard to split the peloton, and of course I'm disappointed about being dropped.

"I had a puncture just before the penultimate climb and was forced to change my bike. As it turned out, the new bike had a different saddle than the one I'm used to, which is why I got cramps. It was very unfortunate, but at least I wasn't dropped due to lack of strength. When the cramps disappeared, I was able to take some long turns in the pursuing group in order to reduce the gap to the leaders, and I felt very strong. I have to accept the fact that I lost some valuable time today, but this only makes me even more motivated for tomorrow's time trial," he said.

"It was bad luck Ivan getting those cramps, cause right up to that point, everything was going according to plan," added team manager Bjarne Riis. "It was obvious that he was very strong on the Sammommč climb, and that only makes the fact that he was dropped so much worse. It's not a disaster though, and considering the shape he's in, he'll be able to make up for lost time along the way. Already tomorrow will present him with a golden opportunity."

27 year-old Basso goes into tomorrow's stage placed 10th overall, at 1'27 to Di Luca.

Post-stage quotes

By John Trevorrow in Pistoia

Tom Danielson (Discovery Channel, 53rd at 1'49)

Tom Danielson lost contact on the steep Sammomme climb with 17 km to go, but came to the finish in a big group, 1'29 behind the Cunego/Simoni group. "Yeah it was ok," Danielson told Cyclingnews at the finish. "Paolo made the front group and that was the main objective. I had a pain in the knee. As soon as I saw Paolo was OK, I rode in easy."

Brett Lancaster (Panaria, 88th at 9'05)

There was to be no "home" win for Pistoia-based Brett Lancaster today. "No way," he said. "But I felt good and I was doing my bit towards the end of the race. I feel good for the time trial tomorrow."

Pre stage vox-pop

By John Trevorrow in Grosseto

Christian Vandevelde (CSC)

CSC was again on the front of the peloton towards the end of stage 6 on Friday, on the finishing circuits. "That was just to keep out Ivan out of trouble. That's what it's all about now. Today we'll be doing the same, keeping him up the front towards the finish with that steep hill. It's all going well so far."

Stuart O'Grady

We asked Stuart O'Grady about the hectic finale in stage 6. "I got caught behind a couple of crashes," he said. "It was Friday the 13th and I got out of it with all the freckles intact. I was pretty happy in the end, I didn't panic, came back, got a half decent position at the finish, I just haven't got the legs at the moment to be really up there."

How did you feel about seeing your mate Henk off the front? "Big Dreek [Henk's nickname] lobbed off the front with a k to go. It was pretty cunning tactics actually, and Robbie's really something. After I got caught behind Petacchi's split, I got back on as they were stalling a bit. I was inclined to go straight by and saw it was Henk up front. I hesitated for that second, and it was too late. At 500 metres out, I thought Henk was going to get it.

"I'm just feeling better and better as the days go on. It's kind of what I was hoping for. On the first mountain day, I kind of hurt, but it's a pretty good build up for the month of July."

Henk Vogels (Davitamon-Lotto)

We asked Henk (5th yesterday) whether he had a good look at the replay of stage 6: "I'm still a bit in two minds I suppose," he said. "Maybe if Robbie didn't move, I would have won it. But he only moved because he was a bit worried, he felt them coming, and he wanted to get it. It would have been nice to win. But if Robbie hadn't have gone, maybe it would have been Kirsipuu that ran me down."

Brad Wiggins (Credit Agricole)

The British pursuit specialist is riding himself into the Giro, and is looking ahead. "I'm pretty good actually," he told Cyclingnews. "I'm enjoying it so far, we've been going a week now. The time trial tomorrow is my first personal goal. It's a little bit long but it's the same for everybody. I had some tough days in the last few days, but it's pretty good overall. I did the Giro two years ago, but I'm going much better this year and enjoying it much more. I really want to finish this one.

"We've got an Italian in the team [Caucchioli] who finished top five a couple of years ago. He is well placed in the GC, and my job is to look after him. It was also to look after Kirsipuu and Julian Dean in the sprints, but now Julian's out with a broken elbow."

Unfortunately for Wiggins and Credit Agricole, Caucchioli lost 1'29 to Cunego in stage 7 after puncturing before the foot of the final climb.

Baden Cooke (Francaise des Jeux)

Have you got your climbing legs on? "Nup. Not today," was Cookie's quick response.

Gerolsteiner's Friday the 13th

By Susan Westemeyer

27 year-old Robert Förster is currently writing a Giro diary for the website RadsportNews.com, and vividly described two crashes the team suffered on Stage 6 of the Giro, aptly dated Friday the 13th.

"That was Friday the 13th... " Förster began. "In the finale we were all doing well, my legs felt good; I had two teammates in Ziegler and Fothen, both of whom were doing well, at my side. They both ended up finishing in the top 10, that says everything.

"Three kilometres before the finish, I was pretty far forward, in 10th or 15th position. We were riding on the limit. Full speed. Then a tight curve - and everyone in front of me was either braking or already laying on the ground. One of Petacchi's team must have slipped. There I lay there, too - right next to Petacchi.

"My teammate Volker Ordowski came off worse in a crash the first time around the circuit. He looks like a crumbed cutlet. He said, that as he slid over the pavement he could small his own skin burning and thought, oh oh, that won't be good..."

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