First Edition Cycling News for May 28, 2005Edited by Anthony Tan & Jeff Jones Stage 18 wrap-up: Basso back to his bestThe final podium to be decided...
Five days ago on the road to Livigno, it appeared Ivan Basso was down for the count. A lingering stomach problem saw him lose almost three-quarters of an hour in a single stage, and knock him out of contention for overall race honours. When his directeur-sportif Bjarne Riis asked him if it wouldn't be better to abandon the race, Basso said at the time he just couldn't - "it would be better to climb in the ambulance." He also told the Dane, a former winner of the Tour de France, he already had set his mind on a stage win. Whether or not Riis believed in that statement at the time, one can only speculate. But after his stage win to Limone Piemonte, and again yesterday, Basso's actions spoke even louder than his words. In yesterday's 34 kilometre race against the clock, the 27 year-old was the fastest at each time check, and by the finish in Torino, a city busily preparing itself for the 2006 Winter Games, Basso sent a chill down many a spine as he finished nine seconds clear of Vladimir Karpets (Illes Balears) and 20 in front of team-mate Dave Zabriskie to claim his second successive stage win. "Today represents more than a stage victory. It is a milestone in my career," said a delighted Basso. "Previously, time trials have always been my Achilles heel, but now I have evolved to the extent that I'm able to win in this discipline. I have taken a great leap forward both physically and mentally, and all the hard work I've done together with Bjarne, has yet again paid off. I still have a lot to learn as a rider, but at least now I can say, that I'm moving in the right direction." Added an equally ecstatic Riis: "Ivan is developing into a complete rider, and the victory today is going to mean a great deal to him in the future. "He pedaled to perfection in this time trial, and once again showed how great a time trial rider he has become. Now he's managed to retaliate for the second time, and from the way he's riding at the moment, it's possible he might just go for a hat-trick in the tough stage tomorrow." Basso said, "Tomorrow the finestere is going to be the hardest climb of the Giro. its a tough climb, constantly all the way. And it's close to the finish, so it's going to make a big difference, it's going to open up big gaps. It's going to be a very spectacular stage, because it comes straight after a climbing stage and time trial. So it's something quite special that will keep the race open right to the end. " Maglia rosa Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel) rode very well to finish fourth, just 23 seconds behind Basso, and was the best of the contenders. Gilberto Simoni (Lampre-Caffita), Serguei Gonchar (Domina Vacanze) and Juan Manuel Garate (Saunier Duval) were also very solid, all finishing in the top 10 and all holding onto their second, fifth and sixth positions overall respectively. Savoldelli said that taking 1'11 out of Simoni was what he expected. "I took about two minutes on the other time trial stage, which was 45 km, so it was more or less the same order. I took it fairly steady on the first stretch because I didn't want to kill myself on the climb, so I had something left in order to give everything in the final stretch." As for tomorrow's crucial stage to Sestriere, "Tomorrow is going to be a hard race from the start, like the other day. The pressure's going to be on the first time up Sestriere to try to weaken the opponents. I think someone at the top of the classification will try to jump away on the Colle delle Finestre. I'll ride on the defensive as I always do and try to lose as little time as possible." Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas-Bianchi) and mountains leader Josè Rujano Guillen (Selle Italia-Colombia) did okay, but not great, placing 14th and 16th, with Paolo Bettini (Quick.Step) the day's biggest surprise packet in ninth. As a result of a largely unchanged leaderboard, today's penultimate stage from Savigliano to Sestriere bears even more weight; if Simoni, Rujano, Di Luca and Garate want a piece of pink, they must ride on the offensive, and take the challenge to Il Falco Savoldelli. Stage 18 Full results
& report Gibo ain't giving up
After yesterday's time trial, it was perfectly clear two-time Giro champion Gilberto Simoni (Lampre-Cafitta) isn't giving up the race without a fight. The 33 year-old rode well enough to finish in the top 10, but concedes making up a two minute-plus deficit on the maglia rosa of Paolo Savoldelli will be difficult, though not impossible. "The worst-case scenario was to lose more than a minute [to Savoldelli]," said Simoni post-stage. "Savoldelli demonstrated he is really strong, but for what it's worth, I don't give up. Ever since we left Reggio Calabria, I have been chasing the [overall] win, and tomorrow, I hope the margin of 2'09 that separates me from Savoldelli is reversed." Selle Italia-Colombia: "The final verdict will come tomorrow"
Selle Italia-Colombia's mountain goat Josè Rujano finished almost two minutes off the winning time of Ivan Basso (Team CSC), and is now exactly three minutes off the race lead of Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel), but directtore sportivo Gianni Savio isn't concerned, explaining his reasons after the stage. "Marco Bellini [assistant directtore sportivo] and I decided that Rujano should not use a disc wheel to avoid taking excessive risks. It may have cost us 10 seconds or more, but we are content with his result and believe the final verdict will come tomorrow; the team is convinced that Josè can do very well." The decision may have been a wise one, as Rujano's team-mate Philippe Schnider fell on the tricky descent of the Colle della Superga, but fortunately was not too badly hurt, suffering only minor abrasions. Post stage commentsBy John Trevorrow in Torino
Dave Zabriskie (CSC, 3rd at 0'20) Dave Zabriskie was happy with his ride when we congratulated him afterwards. "Thanks man. Yeah, I felt good today." Do you think it's good enough to win? "I suppose we'll see, won't we?"
Rory Sutherland (Rabobank, 27th at 2'51) Rory Sutherland finished in 47'56 and sculled a can of soft drink before we spoke to him. "Ouch. Ouch. It was a pretty hard time trial. I dunno how you're supposed to feel after 18 days. I think everyone's going to hurt out there, no matter what you do. I just said to myself, 'Just keep going, try not to fall still'. If you go back a gear, keep it steady on the climb, and don't punch over it, you could end up losing quite a bit of time. "It's bloody hot out there. It's hard for everyone. You can't do more than your best and it definitely wasn't a day off for me. I think it [my time] should be alright. I was hoping to do about the same as the first time trial, or maybe a bit better, top 35. It would be fantastic to get a top 20, but you have to be realistic about these things." We told Rory about Zabriskie's ride of 45'25: "Woah! If I'm within two and a half minutes of Zabriskie, I'll be pretty happy." [Sutherland finished 2'31 behind Zabriskie, and 2'51 behind Basso]. Afterwards, we spotted Rory eating a hamburger with the lot. We asked him how he felt after knowing his time. "I'm quite content," he said. "As I said earlier, you don't know what to expect. I've gotta stay realistic with all the good riders to come. I gauge myself on [Thomas] Dekker and I came in within a minute of him. So that makes me a bit happier. Especially as a neo-pro in the third week of a grand tour. "I can leave with a bit of confidence from the race. I'm interested to see what the times are at the end. I'll be over the moon if I get in the first 30. And the first 20 would be a real bonus." We also asked Rory about Ivan Basso's ride. "I think Basso's 20 seconds up, but he could lose some of that time because I just saw him take a bidon from one of the guys he passed. So he'll lose 30 seconds, if not more. He could maybe lose the time trial because of that." Apparently not, as Basso's time held.
Matt White (Cofidis, 61st at 4'24) Matt's ride of 49'29 was one of the fastest at the time. It took a while before he cooled down enough for us to talk to him. "Yeah I've got good legs," he said. "But we needed a time for the teams classification. We've got a couple of sick boys, and everyone else was crook so I had to have a go. I think I got the quickest time so far." White was just riding his ordinary road bike with clip-on handlebars. "If they took times for the top to the bottom [of the climb], I reckon I'd be the fastest. I knew the descent from Milano-Torino so I didn't bother with a disk wheel. It was too dangerous."
Christian Vandevelde (CSC, 73rd at 4'43) Vandevelde was impressed with Zabriskie's ride. "He just never ceases to amaze me, that's for sure." Vandevelde thought it might be the winning time, saying, "Savoldelli will go fast, especially on the downhill. He's the only guy that could give Dave a run for his money. Or Ivan."
Michael Barry (Discovery Channel, 95th at 5'19) "We've got our work cut out for us tomorrow so I saved a bit today. Just save as much energy as possible. It's a really good time trial circuit for Paolo. The descent's tricky and he's a great descender. There's only a couple of bits of the climb that are steep, but it's a course that will suit him...I hope that Paolo will take a bit of time out of Simoni and Jose."
Charles Wegelius (Liquigas, 97th at 5'21) "It was really hot and you can't take it too easy with the heat, it could be the end of the Giro. people say it's just a time trial and you have to look after yourself, but it's still a stage of the Giro. Hopefully Danilo can use the hill to make up some time." Are you happy with your ride? "Yeah, as long I'm still in the race."
Mark Renshaw (Francaise des Jeux, 106th at 5'36) "I just got into a rhythm, made the time limit alright. I didn't feel really good at the start, my legs were a bit heavy. Had a bit of a go on the descent, and got the heart rate up. "Yesterday I was just glad to get through. I was in a lot of trouble early on, but got myself in the right group. After the first climb, I was yo-yoing in and out of the convoy for a while. It's looking good for Milan now."
Brett Lancaster (Panaria, 112th at 5'44) "I just got myself into a rhythm. I just decided to take it easy today." How's the bronchitis going? "It's not going anywhere. I'm stuck with it for the tour. You can't get rid of these things if you're digging deep every day. After the tour, I'll relax and maybe party a bit."
Antonio Cruz (Discovery Channel, 139th at 6'46) "It was better than the last time trial. In the last one, I couldn't get on top of it. In this one, I got the heart rate up, I got on top of the gear, and got into a good rhythm."
Trent Wilson (Colombia-Selle Italia, 142nd at 7'02) "Went out real easy, hit the hill, took it easier, lit it up on the descent, nearly crashed. Then just rode the big dog home, rolling it over. Did 52 minutes, that should be fine."
Henk Vogels (Davitamon-Lotto, 149th at 7'26) Henk was in a lot of pain after the finish from his right ankle. "Ankle's f***ed," he said. "My right ankle has been compensating for my left ankle. It's the first time it's really flared up, so who knows?" He also saw Cadamuro on the descent when he came through. "He was just lying on the ground, and it doesn't look good. Looks like he really hurt himself. He started 15 minutes in front of me and he was still laying there, waiting for an ambulance." Can you get through tomorrow? "Ach, you never know, do you? I'm in the hurt box."
Russell Van Hout (Colombia-Selle Italia, 150th at 7'33) Russell Van Hout rode across the finish line with part of his clip-on bar in his hand, as it came off five km to go. He threw an obscene gerund in the direction of his team mechanic, before remarking, "Our mechanic's the best, eh? He's a wanker! I just had a nice tempo, It was a good roll down for me. But with five kilometres to go, my bar came off. I was holding that in one hand and my brake in the other, so I nearly lost it on one corner. "The winner will do about 45 minutes, I reckon. I don't care if I finish last, as long as I get inside the time limit."
Jason McCartney (Discovery Channel, 153rd at 8'02) Jason didn't look too out of breath when we spoke to him after his ride. "Someone crashed on the descent, I hope he's OK," said McCartney, referring to Simone Cadamuro. "I think it's a good course for Paolo. It seems quite tricky. I think he can definitely make some time on that descent. As for the challengers, "Hopefully Paolo can take a couple of minutes out of them today. We'll see tomorrow." Liquigas-Bianchi head StatesideAlong with Team CSC, Liquigas-Bianchi will another ProTour team sending a full line-up of riders Stateside to contest the Wachovia Cycling Series. The team is scheduled to compete in all three races, including: the Wachovia Invitational in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on May 31; the Wachovia Classic in Trenton, New Jersey on June 2; and the Wachovia USPRO Championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 5. Team: Kjell Carlström, Daniele Colli, Matej Mugerli, Luciano Pagliarini, Marco Righetto, Marco Zanotti Team manager: Mario Scirea. A little on Liberty's René AndrleStarting out his sporting life as a hockey player, Liberty Seguros' Czech rider René Andrle soon realised he was a better cyclist, and at 10 years old, he was sent to a special cycling school to further develop his talent. Now aged 31 and currently riding the Giro d'Italia in support of Michele Scarponi, Andrle is entering his fifth year under the direction of the same team manager, Manolo Saiz. Through his compatriot, friend, and fellow team-mate Jan Hruska, he was offered a place at ONCE at the beginning of 2001 after two seasons with local team Wüstenrot-ZVVZ, and has been with Saiz ever since. "With Hruska, I had more possibilities of going to Spain, but also I did it because I liked ONCE a lot and all the leaders that it had, like Jalabert, Zülle, Olano... " Andrle remembers. "For me, riders like Beloki or Olano were gods. When I came from my country, I already was satisfied doing my first Giro [in 2001] and being able to ride together with Abraham [Olano]." The 2005 Giro marks his second participation in the race, and when asked to compare the differences between the two, Andrle says the first time was harder for him due to his inexperience and the stress that comes with riding a Grand Tour. "But this year is also hard because of the length and the mountain stages. Now we ride in a different form - there are more foreigners in the bunch and we go faster; we've noticed the arrival of the ProTour," he says. Although he has moved back to his home country, Andrle previously spent two seasons living in Spain, one year in Tarragona and another in Benidorm with his wife, Radka, and children David and Ella. "I live in Lanskroun, in a region that looks much like the Basque Country, 35 kilometres from the Polish border and in the region where Dariusz Baranowski lives [also with Liberty Seguros]." Speaking a little more about this year's Giro, Andrle says: "Of all the big tours that I have done, the first days it was difficult for me to get used to the speed, but I have not gone badly" - another reflection on the positive impact of the ProTour - and feels fresh for the today's final mountain stage, even though it is not his forte.
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