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91st Milano-Torino - 1.HC
Italy, March 4, 2006
2005 Results Results Past winners
He's back! Astarloa shines bright again with Milano-Torino win
By Tim Maloney, European Editor
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It's been a0 tough few years for talented Basque rider Igor Astarloa, with team changes, contract problems and injuries. In today's 91st edition of Milano-Torino, the Barloworld rider rode brilliantly to win. Astarloa told RAI-TV's Alessandra DiStefano in a post race interview, "Yeah, I said this morning before the race that I wasn't in shape, but it went well for me. Today was only the third race of the season for me; it was hard to win. So I'm very happy about the way things went today. You know, I've had a lot of bad luck and when I crashed last year and broke my wrist, I never really came back from that. So I have to thank my new team Barloworld and team manager Claudio Corti for the faith they put in me."
How it unfolded
It was a star studded field that left Novate Milanese this morning with Ivan Basso (CSC) riding his first race of the 2006 season as well as ProTour winner Danilo DiLuca and Stefano Garzelli (Liquigas-Bianchi) fresh from a three week training stint at altitude in Toluca, Mexico. Milano-Torino is Italy's oldest classic and the 91st edition paid homage to former Giro d'Italia boss Vincenzo Torriani, who died 10 years ago and is buried in Novate Milanese. 167 riders took the start under overcast, cold skies at 11:13. It was a fast start to warm up and as the sun finally came out, a group of 14 riders got a half a minute gap after 60km, but Cofidis chased them down.
Eventually after 81km, two riders, Mazzanti (Androni Giocattoli) and Belohvosciks (Universal Caffé) got away and 15km later, Petito (Tenax) and Duma (Universal Café) bridged as a pallid sun washed the flat fields west of Milano on the way to the final climb over Superga and then down into Torino. The break gained ground quickly and at Asti after 131km, the four fugitives had spumante dreams for a moment with over 4'00 lead. But behind, Milram and Liquigas-Bianchi sensed danger and upped the chase pace. With 50km to go in Cortanze, the gap was still over 3'0, but the chasers put the hammer down and finally the break was reeled in at the base of the Superga climb with 20km to go. The race pace at that point was extremely high with an average speed of 44.5km/h.
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As the gruppo compatto hit the steep first slopes of the Superga climb, there were various attacks by Tour de Haut-Var winner Leo Bertagnolli (Cofidis), youngster Valerio Agnoli (Naturino) and Pellizotti (Liquigas-Bianchi), but it was finally Dean Pidgorny (Tenax) who got away and was soon joined by lanky Colombian climber Soler (Acqua & Sapone). This duo dangled out front up most of the snow lined roads of the Superga climb, but Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) made a brutal counter move and only Pellizotti could stay with him. This move sucked up and spit out Pidgorny and Soler, and at the KOM, the former World Champ from Barloworld and the Liquigas-Bianchi rider were 0'20 ahead of a 20 strong chase group, with the rest of the peloton in tatters as they struggled up the Superga ascent, including ProTour winner DiLuca in his season debut.
At the KOM at the Basilica di Superga with 13km to go, Astarloa and Pellizotti began the tricky descent to Pino Torinese, where in October 1995, Marco Pantani and two other riders crashed into a jeep that pulled out in the final phase of Milano-Torino.
Trofeo Laigueglia winner Alessandro Ballan (Lampre-Fondital) and Mirko Celestino (Milram) were trying to get across at the base of the climb and were 0'06 back, while the big chase group with ever dangerous Erik Zabel was at 0'10.
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At the base of the climb and into Torino with 1km to the finish, the front duo were just 0'05 ahead of Celestino and Ballan, who closed down on the leaders as the manoeuvred for position like a match sprint. Celestino and Ballan caught up with 500m. to go, but Astarloa was just too fast and strong for the others, winning his first Milano-Torino in front of the sparse crowds on Corso Cavallo in front of the Motovelodromo Fausto Coppi, and his first win since last August at the Tour of Burgos.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Fotoreporter Sirotti
- Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas) grins on the start line
- Ivan Basso (CSC) and fan club
- Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas)
- The finish sprint winds up
- Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) takes the win
- Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) hits the line first
- Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) celebrates victory
- Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) gives a victory salute
- Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) is number one again!
- Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) continues to celebrate
- Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) gets congratulated
- Ivan Basso (CSC) rolls home in 24th place
- Igor Astarloa is congratulated by his Barloworld team-mates
- Erik Zabel (Milram) wins the sprint for fifth
- Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) smiles on the podium
- All smiles from the top three.
- Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) salutes the crowd from the podium
- Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) realises he's going to need a bigger trophy cabinet for this one.
- Mirko Celestino (Ita) Team Milram on the podium
- Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas on the podium
- The podium - Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas), Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) and Mirko Celestino (Team Milram)
Images by Roberto Bettini/www.bettiniphoto.net
- Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas)
- Stefano Garzelli (Liquigas)
- Luca Paolini (Liquigas)
- Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) wins Milan-Torino
- Erik Zabel (Milram) takes fifth place
- Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) on the podium
- Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) looking very pleased, as you do.
- The peloton and some splendid North Italian countryside.
- The podium
- Flowers and waves from the podium
- Erik Zabel (Milram)
- Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas)
- Ivan Basso (CSC)
- Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas)
- Ivan Basso (CSC)
- Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas)
- Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas)
- Ruggero Marzoli (Lampre-Fondital) gets a bottle
- Erik Zabel (Milram)
- The peloton rolls through the countryside
- Christian Murro (Ita) Team Tenax Salmilano
- Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas
- Christian Murro (Ita) Team Tenax Salmilano
- Victor Hugo Pena Grisales (Col) Phonak Hearing Systems
- Ivan Basso (CSC)
- Blue skies over northern Italy
- Liquigas and Milram make the pace
- The peloton rolls through the countryside
- Liquigas and Milram on the front again
- Raivis Belohvosciks (Lat) Team Universal Caffe'-C.B. Immobiliare
- Roberto Petito (Ita) Team Tenax Salmilano
- Roberto Petito (Ita) Team Tenax Salmilano
- Charles Wegelius (GBr) Liquigas
- Alessandro Spezialetti (Ita) Liquigas
- Andrea Noe' (Ita) Liquigas
- Luca Paolini (Liquigas) gets some directions from a TV cameraman
- Leonardo Bertagnolli (Cofidis)
- Raffaele Illiano (Selle Italia-Serramenti Diquigiovanni)
- Andrea Tonti (Acqua Sapone)
- Stefano Garzelli (Liquigas)
- Ruslan Pidgornyy (Team Tenax Salmilano)
- Ruslan Pidgornyy (Team Tenax Salmilano)
- Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas)
- Mauricio Soler (Acqua Sapone)
- Ruslan Pidgornyy (Team Tenax Salmilano)
- Igor Astarloa (Barloworld)
Results - 199 km
1 Igor Astarloa (Spa) Barloworld 4.30.36 (44.12 km/h) 2 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas 3 Mirko Celestino (Ita) Team Milram 4 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 5 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram 0.07 6 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Liquigas 7 Luca Mazzanti (Ita) Ceramica Panaria-Navigare 8 Gabriele Bosisio (Ita) Team Tenax Salmilano 9 Andrea Tonti (Ita) Acqua Sapone 10 Sergio Barbero (Ita) Selle Italia-Serramenti Diquigiovanni 11 Mikhaylo Khalilov (Ukr) Team L.P.R. 12 Cristian Gasperoni (Ita) Naturino-Sapore Di Mare 13 Daniele Righi (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 14 Massimiliano Maisto (Ita) Team Universal Caffe'-C.B. Immobiliare 15 Massimo Giunti (Ita) Naturino-Sapore Di Mare 16 Ignacio Gutierrez Cataluna (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems 17 Marco Osella (Ita) Team Androni Giocattoli-3C Casalinghi 18 Steve Zampieri (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 19 Simone Bruson (Ita) Team Universal Caffe'-C.B. Immobiliare 20 Pedro Arreitunandia Quintero (Spa) Barloworld 21 Ruslan Pidgornyy (Ukr) Team Tenax Salmilano 22 Leonardo Bertagnolli (Ita) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 23 Massimiliano Gentili (Ita) Naturino-Sapore Di Mare 24 Ivan Basso (Ita) Team CSC 25 Mauricio Soler (Col) Acqua Sapone 0.31 26 Luca Ascani (Ita) Naturino-Sapore Di Mare 27 Bert Grabsch (Ger) Phonak Hearing Systems 28 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas 29 Stefano Zanini (Ita) Liquigas 1.11 30 Claudio Corioni (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 31 Cristian Moreni (Ita) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 32 Antonio D'aniello (Ita) Miche 33 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team CSC 34 Giuseppe Palumbo (Ita) Acqua Sapone 35 Pasquale Muto (Ita) Miche 36 Matteo Lasurdi (Ita) OTC Doors-Lauretana 37 Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Blr) Ceramica Flaminia 38 Grégory Rast (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 39 Bingen Fernandez Bustinza (Spa) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 40 Krzysztof Szczawinski (Pol) Ceramica Flaminia 41 Jamie Burrow (GBr) OTC Doors-Lauretana 42 Raffaele Illiano (Ita) Selle Italia-Serramenti Diquigiovanni 43 Manuele Spadi (Ita) Ceramica Flaminia 44 Armando Rupa (Ita) Miche 45 Paolo Bailetti (Ita) Team Androni Giocattoli-3C Casalinghi 46 Cristiano Salerno (Ita) Team Tenax Salmilano 47 Leonardo Giordani (Ita) Naturino-Sapore Di Mare 48 Fabio Baldato (Ita) Team Tenax Salmilano 49 Giairo Ermeti (Ita) Team L.P.R. 50 Brian Vandborg (Den) Team CSC 51 Fortunato Baliani (Ita) Ceramica Panaria-Navigare 52 Juan Pablo Magallanes Aranda (Mex) Team Androni Giocattoli-3C Casalinghi 53 Ludovic Turpin (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 54 Luca Paolini (Ita) Liquigas 55 Frédéric Bessy (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 56 Stefano Boggia (Ita) Ceramica Flaminia 57 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Phonak Hearing Systems 58 Roberto Petito (Ita) Team Tenax Salmilano 59 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team CSC 60 Amael Moinard (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 61 Luis Felipe Laverde Jimenez (Col) Ceramica Panaria-Navigare 62 Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Team CSC 63 Fabio Sacchi (Ita) Team Milram 64 Valerio Agnoli (Ita) Naturino-Sapore Di Mare 65 Enrico Poitschke (Ger) Team Milram 66 Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Team Tenax Salmilano 67 Morris Possoni (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 68 Wladimir Belli (Ita) Selle Italia-Serramenti Diquigiovanni 69 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) Acqua Sapone 70 Mauro Facci (Ita) Barloworld 71 Giampaolo Cheula (Ita) Barloworld 72 Sergio Ghisalberti (Ita) Team Milram 73 Andrea Noe' (Ita) Liquigas 74 Mauro Gerosa (Ita) Miche 75 Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) OTC Doors-Lauretana 76 Gene Michael Bates (Aus) Team L.P.R. 77 Alexander Efimkin (Rus) Barloworld 78 Paul Crake (Aus) Naturino-Sapore Di Mare 79 Sascha Urweider (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 80 Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Team Milram 81 Filippo Simeoni (Ita) Naturino-Sapore Di Mare 82 Alejandro Alberto Borrajo (Arg) Miche 2.04 83 Paride Grillo (Ita) Ceramica Panaria-Navigare 2.08 84 Micula De Mattis (Ita) Team Tenax Salmilano 85 Dmitri Nikandrov (Rus) Team Universal Caffe'-C.B. Immobiliare 86 Daniele Contrini (Ita) Team L.P.R. 87 Marcus Ljungqvist (Swe) Team CSC 88 David Mcpartland (Aus) Team Tenax Salmilano 89 Santo Anza (Ita) Selle Italia-Serramenti Diquigiovanni 90 Oleksandr Kvachuk (Ukr) Team Androni Giocattoli-3C Casalinghi 2.24 91 Philippe Schnyder (Swi) Selle Italia-Serramenti Diquigiovanni 3.56 92 Peter Luttenberger (Aut) Team CSC 93 Lorenzo Cardellini (Ita) Team Universal Caffe'-C.B. Immobiliare 94 Daniele Di Nucci (Ita) Team Universal Caffe'-C.B. Immobiliare 95 Daniele De Paoli (Ita) Team L.P.R. 96 Arkadiusz Wojtas (Pol) Miche 97 David Navas Chica (Spa) AG2R Prevoyance 98 Niklas Axelsson (Swe) Selle Italia-Serramenti Diquigiovanni 99 Konstantin Klyuev (Rus) Team Androni Giocattoli-3C Casalinghi 100 Roman Luhovyy (Ukr) OTC Doors-Lauretana 4.11 101 Emanuele Rizza (Ita) Naturino-Sapore Di Mare 102 Fabio Borghesi (Ita) OTC Doors-Lauretana 103 Vladimir Duma (Ukr) Team Universal Caffe'-C.B. Immobiliare 4.50 104 Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 4.55 105 Raivis Belohvosciks (Lat) Team Universal Caffe'-C.B. Immobiliare 106 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 107 Erki Pütsep (Est) AG2R Prevoyance 108 Hubert Krys (Pol) Ceramica Flaminia 109 Roberto Traficante (Ita) Team L.P.R. 110 Ivan De Nobile (Ita) Team Universal Caffe'-C.B. Immobiliare 111 Paolo Bossoni (Ita) Team Tenax Salmilano 112 Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Miche 113 Bo Hamburger (Den) Miche 114 Brett Lancaster (Aus) Ceramica Panaria-Navigare 115 Mirko Allegrini (Ita) Ceramica Panaria-Navigare 116 Alessandro Spezialetti (Ita) Liquigas 5.03 117 Andrea Masciarelli (Ita) Acqua Sapone 118 Donato Cannone (Ita) Team Universal Caffe'-C.B. Immobiliare 119 Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 120 Gianluca Geremia (Ita) Ceramica Flaminia 121 Alessandro Bertolini (Ita) Selle Italia-Serramenti Diquigiovanni 122 Anibal Andres Borrajo (Arg) Team Universal Caffe'-C.B. Immobiliare 123 Emanuale Bindi (Ita) OTC Doors-Lauretana 124 Nicola Scattolin (Ita) Team Androni Giocattoli-3C Casalinghi 125 Diego Genovesi (Ita) OTC Doors-Lauretana 126 Blazej Janiaczyk (Pol) Team Androni Giocattoli-3C Casalinghi 127 Carl Naibo (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 128 Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Acqua Sapone 5.35 129 Daniel Musiol (Ger) Team Milram 6.19 130 Fabien Sanchez (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 6.20 131 Steve Morabito (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 132 David Vitoria (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 133 Simone Masciarelli (Ita) Acqua Sapone 6.42 134 Gabriele Balducci (Ita) Acqua Sapone 135 Maxim Rudenko (Ukr) Ceramica Flaminia 136 Alessio Signego (Ita) OTC Doors-Lauretana 10.03 137 Alessio Ricciardi (Ita) OTC Doors-Lauretana 138 Matteo Bono (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 12.49 139 Massimo Mazzanti (Ita) Team Androni Giocattoli-3C Casalinghi 140 Dario Pieri (Ita) Team L.P.R. 12.52 141 Hugo Sabido (Por) Barloworld 12.54 142 Alessandro Cortinovis (Ita) Team Milram 143 Enrico Degano (Ita) Barloworld 144 Christian Knees (Ger) Team Milram 145 Gabriele Missaglia (Ita) Selle Italia-Serramenti Diquigiovanni 13.02 146 Alessandro Maserati (Ita) Team L.P.R. 147 Raffaele Ferrara (Ita) Team Androni Giocattoli-3C Casalinghi 148 Riccardo Chiarini (Ita) Team Androni Giocattoli-3C Casalinghi 149 Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Team Milram 150 Mauro Da Dalto (Ita) Liquigas 151 Marco Milesi (Ita) Liquigas 152 Paolo Valoti (Ita) Team L.P.R. 153 Simon Gerrans (Aus) AG2R Prevoyance 154 Michele Maccanti (Ita) Team L.P.R. 155 Matteo Priamo (Ita) Ceramica Panaria-Navigare 156 Mads Christensen (Den) Barloworld 157 Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 158 Charles Wegelius (GBr) Liquigas 159 Julien Loubet (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 160 Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance 161 Victor Hugo Pena Grisales (Col) Phonak Hearing Systems 162 Sergio Marinangeli (Ita) Naturino-Sapore Di Mare 163 Maurizio Varini (Ita) Ceramica Flaminia 164 Massimiliano Martella (Ita) Ceramica Flaminia 165 Christian Murro (Ita) Team Tenax Salmilano 166 Ruggero Marzoli (Ita) Lampre-Fondital DNF Diego Nosotti (Ita) Selle Italia-Serramenti Diquigiovanni DNS Nicki Sorensen (Den) Team CSC
Past winners
2005 Fabio Sacchi (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 2004 Marcos A. Serrano Rodriguez (Spa) Liberty Seguros 2003 Mirko Celestino (Ita) Saeco 2002 Michele Bartoli (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 2001 Mirko Celestino (Ita) Saeco-Longoni Sport 2000 Not held 1999 Marcus Zberg (Swi) Rabobank 1998 Niki Aebersold (Swi) 1997 Laurent Jalabert (Fra) 1996 Giovanni Moro (Ita) 1996 Daniele Nardello (Ita) 1995 Stefano Zanini (Ita) 1994 Francesco Casagrande (Ita) 1993 Rolf Sörensen (Den) 1992 Gianni Bugno (Ita) 1991 Davide Cassani (Ita) 1990 Mauro Gianetti (Swi) 1989 Rolf Gölz (Ger) 1988 Rolf Gölz (Ger) 1987 Phil Anderson (Aus) 1985 Daniele Caroli (Ita) 1984 Paolo Rosola (Ita) 1983 Francesco Moser (Ita) 1982 Giuseppe Saronni (Ita) 1981 Giuseppe Martinelli (Ita) 1980 Giovanni Battaglin (Ita) 1979 Alfio Vandi (Ita) 1978 Pierino Gavazzi (Ita) 1977 Rik Van Linden (Bel) 1976 Enrio Paolini (Ita) 1975 Wladimiro Panizza (Ita) 1974 Roger De Vlaeminck (Bel) 1973 Marcello Bergamo (Ita) 1972 Roger De Vlaeminck (Bel) 1971 Georges Pintens (Bel) 1970 Luciano Armani (Ita) 1969 Claudio Micheletto (Ita) 1968 Franco Bitossi (Ita) 1967 Gianni Motta (Ita) 1966 Marino Vigna (Ita) 1965 Vittorio Taccone (Ita) 1964 Valentin Uriona (Spa) 1963 Franco Cribiori (Ita) 1962 Franco Balmamion (Ita) 1961 Walter Martin (Ita) 1960 Arnaldo Pambianco (Ita) 1959 Nello Fabbri (Ita) 1958 Agostino Coletto (Ita) 1957 Miguel Poblet (Spa) 1956 Ferdi Kübler (Swi) 1955 Cleto Maule (Ita) 1954 Agostino Coletta (Ita) 1953 Luciano Maggini (Ita) 1952 Aldo Bini (Ita) 1951 Fiorenzo Magni (Ita) 1950 Adolfo Crosso (Ita) 1949 Luigi Casola (Ita) 1948 Sergio Maggini (Ita) 1947 Italo De Zan (Ita) 1946 Vito Ortelli (Ita) 1945 Vito Ortelli (Ita) 1942 Piero Chiappini (Ita) 1941 Piero Chiappini (Ita) 1940 Pierino Favalli (Ita) 1939 Pierino Favalli (Ita) 1938 Pierino Favalli (Ita) 1937 Giuseppe Martano (Ita) 1936 Cesare Del Cancia (Ita) 1935 Giovanni Gotti (Ita) 1934 Mario Cipriani (Ita) 1933 Giuseppe Graglia (Ita) 1932 Giuseppe Olmo (Ita) 1931 Giuseppe Graglia (Ita) 1925 Adriano Zanaga (Ita) 1924 Federico Gay (Ita) 1923 Costante Girardengo (Ita) 1922 Adriano Zanaga (Ita) 1921 Federico Gay (Ita) 1920 Costante Girardengo (Ita) 1919 Costante Girardengo (Ita) 1918 Gaetano Belloni (Ita) 1917 Oscar Egg (Swi) 1915 Costante Girardengo (Ita) 1914 Costante Girardengo (Ita) 1913 Giuseppe Azzini (Ita) 1911 Henri Pelissier (Fra) 1905 Giovanni Rossignoli 1903 Giovanni Gerbi (Ita) 1894 Luigi Airaldi (Ita) 1874 Paolo Magretti (Ita) Past winners by Mario Stiehl, www.world-of-cycling.com
