Giro d'Italia Cycling News for May 29, 2005Edited by Anthony Tan & Jeff Jones Stage 19 wrap-up: Courage under fire - Savoldelli saves the dayRujano: "better than I could have ever dreamed"
Totally isolated and left behind by the lead group with 40 kilometres to go, it seemed Paolo Savoldelli's time in the maglia rosa was facing certain death. However, a combination of guts, courage and cramping saw the race eventually swing back in his favour, and barring disaster, 'Il Falco' will fly into Milano tomorrow afternoon to claim overall victory in the 88th Giro d'Italia. "I don't feel like one of the great champions of the Giro, because the old champions used to attack on the climbs and make a big difference to the show. I'm more of a regular rider, and I have to calculate a lot, because I know what my limits are," said a pragmatic Savoldelli to Cyclingnews. "I was afraid at the beginning of the climb [Finestre], because the pace was going so fast. I didn't think I was going to make it. I went at my own pace. I was very careful to eat and drink enough on the climb, the most important thing was not to have a crisis. Now I'm going to the Tour de France to help Lance Armstrong. Today's penultimate stage of the Giro lived up to all expectations plus more, the never-before used climb of the Colle delle Finestre with its 9.2 kilometre-long section of unpaved road murder for the riders but a treat for the spectators, who witnessed one of the greatest offensives ever seen in the history of the race.
Gilberto Simoni (Lampre-Caffita), Josè Rujano (Selle Italia-Colombia) and Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas-Bianchi) gave it their all in their attempt to knock Il Falco Savoldelli from his perch, but in the end, the incredible effort took its toll on all but one, as mountain man Rujano rode away to a much-deserved stage victory in Sestrières. Said Rujano to Cyclingnews: "It was so fast on the Finestre. It was too hard to attack, so we decided to wait for the final climb. It's been a great Giro. To finish with the King of the Mountains, winning a stage, it's better than I could have ever dreamed." Rujano added that he got his first bike when he was nine years old, and his hero was Marco Pantani. At the top of the Finestre, 33 year-old Simoni must have surely thought victory was his as he climbed his way into the maglia rosa virtuale. But one thing he did not foresee was both he and Di Luca becoming the victim of cramps on the final ascent to Sestrières, which ultimately cost him the race. As a result, the top five at the start of today's stage - Savoldelli, Simoni, Rujano, Di Luca and Garate - all held their positions on the classifica generale, and tomorrow's procession to Milano will be without stress for all bar the sprinters. Stage 19 Full results
& report Three times the charm for Selle Italia-Colombia
With three superb stage wins, the mountains classification and most likely third place overall, Selle Italia-Colombia has proven itself more than worthy of its place at the Giro, and can go home satisfied with its best ever performances. "I am very happy with this result; I dedicate this victory to all my family and to all Venezuelans," said Josè Rujano. Added direttore sportivo Gianni Savio: "With the pace set by Di Luca and Simoni on the Colle della Finestre, it was impossible to attack; Marco Bellini and I therefore decided that Rujano should not pull [turns], and wait for the final climb of Sestriere, where we would show our cards. "I am very happy with this Giro and my boys have legitimised our invitation from the organisers. The podium place of Rujano has made history for us and for all of South American cycling. Another thing that has made me enormously happy and enthusiastic is the people that have showed [their affection] to us in these days, for creating a spectacle on the climbs, winning three beautiful stages of the Giro d'Italia." Wilson survivesTrent Wilson (Colombia-Sella Italia) was called upon early in stage 19 to help his team set up the stage for Rujano, and for the tired Aussie, it was nearly the end. "It was a really hard day," Willo told Cyclingnews' John Trevorrow after the finish. "Three guys were up the road early. The team made us swap off, because they were confident that Jose could win, so they didn't want anyone up the road. Me and Russ and a couple of CSC cats chopped off for about 30 or 40 km. "When we started the climb, we got in our own little group with us two and Henk and a few others. We nearly got on down the other side. But they made a barrage in the convoy, which dropped all the cars in between and we just couldn't get on. We chased, got in the gruppetto, and I was really in trouble. I actually saw the grim reaper cross the road. Matty White is a legend. He gave me a couple of pushes when the grim reaper was around and it just saved me." What do you think of Jose Rujano? "The bloke is sensational." We also asked Willo's teammate and maglia nera (last rider on GC) Russell Van Hout what he thought of the stage. "Ditto," was the very tired response from Russ. Basso pays the price; CSC satisfied with threeAfter the previous two stages of the Giro, it appeared Team CSC's Ivan Basso was headed towards a hat-trick of wins, but after the conclusion of yesterday's stage to Sestriere, the 27 year-old admitted he simply ran out of strength. "I actually had quite a good feeling in my legs for a long time, but when the attacks started to get serious on Finestre, I could feel that today I had to pay the price for the two previous victories," said Basso. "But OK, we tried, and the team made a brilliant effort along the way. It would've been perfect with a hat-trick, but today, I just didn't have enough strength left." "It developed into a beautiful stage, and it was a shame we didn't get to play a bigger part," added team manager Bjarne Riis. "Ivan wasn't 100 percent today. It would've been great to take four stage wins home with us, but given the circumstances, we should be satisfied with the three." Savoldelli's biggest victory already achieved
Even before the epic stage to Sestrieres, Paolo Savoldelli's Discovery Channel team were quietly optimistic two minutes and nine seconds would be enough to see 'Il Falco' flying in Milano today. "I think today's stage meant a lot for Paolo," said team manager Johan Bruyneel in a team statement after Savoldelli finished the Stage 18 time trial in fourth place, 23 seconds behind Basso, but more importantly, over a minute ahead of his most serious rival, Gilberto Simoni (Lampre-Cafitta). "My guess was he needed to take a minimum of one minute from Simoni and he did even better. I didn't think he would be in this position, but to take 1'11 out of Simoni means Paolo's not finished and he has something left. It was huge for his morale." Assistant directeur sportif Sean Yates outlined the team's reasons behind their muted confidence: "He had to make hay while the sun shines. Simoni is a specialist in the mountains but when it all adds up, it's better to be a strong time trial rider and a reasonable climber than a super climber and a weak time trialist," he said. Bruyneel added that regardless of the outcome, Savoldelli has already tackled his most significant milestone: "One thing he [Savoldelli] said was his biggest victory has already been achieved - and that's back to being a super bike rider after two years of a lot of problems. Being on this level again is his biggest victory and everything else is a bonus." After what happened yesterday, it appears Bruyneel and Yates' words have held true, with just 119 kilometres remaining before Savoldelli claims his second Giro d'Italia.
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