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99th Milano-Sanremo - HC
Italy, March 22, 2008
Complete live report
Live commentary by Susan Westemeyer and Bjorn Haake
10:00 CET
Hello readers, the Cyclingnews
live coverage continues today with the first real classic of the season – La
Classicissima Milano-Sanremo. It is the longest classic on the calendar,
but that didn't prevent the organisers to add four more kilometres to the regular
294. It wasn't so much to make it even harder for the riders. A re-route had
to be found midway through the course due to an earth slide. The riders will
take in a severe climb this year, le
Mànie. Also, the finish is slightly changed and instead of the traditional
sprint on the Via Roma, the potential escapees will have another kilometre to
go before seeing the finishing banner.
10:27 CET
The riders started in Milano at 9:45
under clear skies and in beautiful weather, with the temperature being a nice
12 degrees centigrade. This was surprising, as it had rained the night before
and the worst was feared. Race director Angelo Zomegnan told Cyclingnews'
Gregor Brown that "I am very pleased that [the good] weather has arrived. It
was nasty last night."
10:36 CET
Italian Alberto Loddo of Tinkoff Credit
Systems was the only non-starter this morning. Hence, there are 199 rides on
their way to the coast. One of the most notable riders backing out of the Primavera
is Riccardo Riccò, who is
not feeling 100%.
10:49 CET
Loddo had to pass on the race today
because he came down overnight with those famous intestinal problems that have
been plaguing the peloton so ferociously this season. He also had a high fever.
11:12 CET 54km/244km to go
In the first hour
the peloton is still together, riding along at close to 50 km/h. Seems like
they are in a hurry and afraid that they would arrive too late, because of the
longer distance. None of the bicycles are equipped with lights and daylight
savings time is not in effect yet in Europe. Last year they were in a hurry
also, averaging over 43km/h for the 294 kilometres. They arrived after 6 hours
and 43 minutes. One of the 'slower' races in recent years was Erik Zabel's win
in 2001. He took 7h23'13 and for the 287 kilometres back then this was an average
of 38.852 km/h.
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11:18 CET
When Cyclingnews' Gregor Brown
checked out the start area this morning, he noticed Enrico Gasparotto taking
it all in and looking around everywhere. Gasparotto confirmed that "It's beautiful.
I am happy to be here," before adding "you know it's my birthday today?" Yes,
Enrico, Happy 26th Birthday from the entire Cyclingnews staff. There
is another birthday to celebrate of a 'rider' associated with the race. It is
Mario Cipollini, who is turning 41 today, but unfortunately for him, he is not
riding in the race. You will remember that there was a lot of back-and-forth
lately about him and Rock Racing or maybe riding with Tinkoff – but he finally
decided to hang up his cleats and said that his active career is over.
11:28 CET
Gasparotto was going well in Tirreno-Adriatico
and at one point took over the leader's jersey. He will have the liberty to
go for an attack on the Poggio. Team-mate Baden Cooke can go on the Cipressa
and Robert Hunter will be the designated sprinter, should there be a bigger
group arrival.
11:30 CET 56km/242km to go
There has been some
activity in the field. A group of four has split and quickly pedaled up an advantage
of nine minutes. We will get confirmation on who the four are. We do know that
Raivis Belohvosciks (Saunier Duval-Scott) of Latvia is in there.
11:36 CET
Well, there is some good news for
the Americans. Slipstream rider William Frischkorn rider is in the group. Slipstream
has had a good spring so far, doing well in some of the Belgian races. They
also got a ninth overall in Tirreno. The aerodynamic moustaches are doing their
job! Their good racing has
netted them a spot in the Tour de France!
12:02 CET
Well, we have a reader from Chile
following the race. Francisco's favourite for today's race is Fabio Baldato.
Baldato wears number 132 today and rides for the Lampre squad. Chile also is
currently having their national championships. On the first day it was Robinson
Núñez, who landed a surprise win in the time trial event. He did the 40 kilometres
in 54'16 and won ahead of José Medina (54'51 and Luis Sepúlveda (55'14).
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12:05 CET 76km/222km to go
The front group with
Filippo Savini (CSF Group Navigare), Nicola D'Andrea (Miche-Silver Cross), Raivis
Belohvosciks (Saunier Duval-Scott) and William Frischkorn (Slipstream Chipotle
- H30) have an advantage of 16'05 now. The first two hours were raced at an
average speed of 43 kilometres an hour. So far, there have been no major obstacles.
The first difficulty of the day is the Passo del Turchino, but it won't come
for another 70 kilometres.
12:14 CET
We also have Jesse following from
Darfur, where he is doing humanitarian work. It's nice to know that people go
to countries where help is desperately needed. Jesse is cheering for Slipstream
and happy with the current situation. And hoping for a top-5 for the team. They
definitely have the legs to back it up!
12:22 CET
Cyclingnews' Ben Atkins is
favouring Philippe Gilbert today. A Belgian in Italy? Yes, indeed. Atkins may
not be allowed to go betting on this result, though, as he has some insider
knowledge. He talked to Gilbert at
the team launch and the Française des Jeux rider told him that despite
being from Liège, he's not quite enough of a climber to take on the likes
of Valverde and Di Luca in la Doyenne. He's a lively chap in the last few kilometres.
Sometimes it works: Het Volk, and sometimes he just gets caught: Paris-Tours
and last year's Milano-Sanremo (ah, what an attack it was with Riccardo Riccò!).
Atkins points out that so far this season he's won the mountains in the Tour
down Under, overall in Mallorca and Het Volk. He had a quiet Paris-Nice, but
"watch him fly up the Poggio!"
12:43 CET
One supporter from Denmark is making
Fabian Cancellara (CSC) his favourite. And he is not alone! Cancellara was in
fact endorsed by one of his biggest rivals, defending champion Oscar Freire.
The relaxed-looking Rabobank rider told Cyclingnews' Gregor Brown before
the race that "Cancellara is the most dangerous. For me, it will be hard, as
I am going to be watched very closely [by his rivals]." The Spaniard added that
"a sprint this year will be harder. It seems like there aren't too many teams
who can put together a lead-out. Petacchi's team didn't look too strong in Tirreno."
Not everybody thinks that the Swiss rider can be victorious, though. Cancellara
himself stated that after Tirreno that "I don't consider myself a favourite
for this race - after all it almost always ends up being a sprinters' finish,"
he explained. "But of course should the opportunity arise we'll play our cards
as best we can."
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12:57 CET 115km/183km to go
There are still so
many kilometres left as other races are long! The gap of the four riders on
the front has slightly declined. It is just over 13 minutes, with the difficulties
still to come. The Turchino, le Mànie. Then all the capi, before the finale
with the Cipressa and the Poggio. Of course Graham from the UK points out sometimes
the major obstacle may not be the uphills, but strong crosswinds in the Po Valley
that can blow the race apart and points to the 1990 Primavera, where
favourites Kelly and Fignon were left behind by eventual winner Gianni Bugno.
Today, though, it seems relatively calm. And it is even sunny. Sometimes, the
start in Milano may be rainy and when they pass the Passo del Turchino the sun
comes out, serving as a boundary between northern Italy and the Mediterranean.
But today, very few clouds are out. The bad weather went further north. In Germany
there was 50cm of snow in some areas, making for a white Easter.
Current race situation
- Filippo Savini (CSF Group Navigare), Nicola D'Andrea (Miche-Silver Cross), Raivis Belohvosciks (Saunier Duval-Scott) and William Frischkorn (Slipstream Chipotle - H30)
- Peloton at 13.10
13:09 CET
There are two Argentineans at the
start, the Richeze brothers. Reader Carlos hopes for a bunch sprint and that
his compatriots, Ariel Maximiliano and Mauro Abel, can win it then! They both
have already conquered races this season. Mauro won the ninth
stage of the Tour de Langkawi, while Maxim took out the second
stage of the Tour de San Luis.
13:14 CET
The opinions about how the changed
finish may effect any breakaway attempt differ widely. Some say a break will
be reeled in because there is another kilometre added from the end of the descent
of the Poggio until the line, while others point out that the end is now more
technical, with the lead-out trains having more trouble to get organised. When
Alessandro Petacchi looked at the finish a few weeks ago, he joined those who
said a break will be caught, but otherwise thought the finish was a little too
flat. He prefers the slight uphill on the Via Roma.
13:17 CET
Ok, this is an interesting question.
Who has got the lucky number 13? Drumroll, please... And the winner is: Frenchman
Renaud Dion (AG2R La Mondiale). We will see if we can spot if he turned his
number upside down, like some riders do (Cancellara!). If you want to get a
complete list of the riders on the start, check out our
updated start list.
13:19 CET 130km/168km to go
Rabobank is now at
the front of the peloton. Under their guidance, the lead of the four men in
the break continues to diminish slightly. It is currently 11'36.
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13:22 CET
The riders have passed the first (of
two) feed zones and the Passo del Turchino and the coast aren't too far away
now. Probably why the Dutch team is getting anxious. It's always to see the
ocean!
13:36 CET
The riders have been in the saddle
for almost three hours already. And the race hasn't even started for most riders.
All the favourites sit tight in the bunch.
13:47 CET
Filippo Pozzato (Liquigas) is sporting
a new Rasta look. Together with his new, fashionable cycling shoes, he makes
up for the fact that the "Fashion King" Mario Cipollini didn't make it to the
start today.
13:49 CET
The lead of the group at the halfway
point was down to 10'55. They are not losing much time, but steadily. It will
be hard for them to hang on. But they give their teams some exposure and of
course make the other teams work hard for their money.
Current race situation
- Filippo Savini (CSF Group Navigare), Nicola D'Andrea (Miche-Silver Cross), Raivis Belohvosciks (Saunier Duval-Scott) and William Frischkorn (Slipstream Chipotle - H30)
- Peloton at 10.55
13:53 CET
Danilo Di Luca looked nervous at the
start. But when asked by Cyclingnews' Gregor Brown he replied "No, I
am calm. I will try something at the Poggio."
13:57 CET
Another rider looking for a sprint
is Danilo Napolitano (Lampre). His recent second
place has given him "morale," as he told Gregor Brown from Cyclingnews.
He will the Lampre man "if there is a sprint." His team-mate Alessandro Ballan
"will be the one we ride for, so he can make an attack."
14:17 CET
Aussie-German Heinrich Haussler (Gerolsteiner)
told Gregor Brown that "the team will make its presence felt at the front. Expect
a very active race from Gerolsteiner." The team will hope that Davide Rebellin
can attack at a timely moment and take his high morale from his recent win of
Paris-Nice over the border to Italy. Nice is only a stonethrow away from Sanremo.
OK, well, a far throw, but having ridden his bike from Paris to Nice, it's close
for Rebellin. Haussler added that "if there is a sprint, I will get my chance."
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14:22 CET 178km/120km to go
The riders are now
in the provincia di Savona. They have passed the ascent and descent of the Turchino
without major difficulty. The lead of the four front runners has slightly increased
again and is now 11'35. It's still Rabobank at the front, but they have been
joined by Milram. It's normal that the teams of the favourites are expected
to reel in the break.
14:39 CET 204km/94km to go
Bernhard Kohl has
attacked on the new climb of the le Mànie. He is riding ahead of the peloton,
but still far from the break.
14:41 CET
Lampre has taken over the front. We
feel the tension rising as the 2008 Milano-Sanremo is about to enter the finale!
14:45 CET
14:48 CET
Under the pressure of the peloton
and the attack from Kohl, the gap of the front quartet has been reduced into
single-digit margins. It is now 8'45.
Current race situation
- Filippo Savini (CSF Group Navigare), Nicola D'Andrea (Miche-Silver Cross), Raivis Belohvosciks (Saunier Duval-Scott) and William Frischkorn (Slipstream Chipotle - H30)
- Peloton at 8.45
14:53 CET
"I will try to stay up front to help
Tom [Boonen] and [Paolo] Bettini," noted Spaniard Carlos Barredo (Quick Step)
at the start of Milano-Sanremo to Gregor Brown. He is assigned to watch out
for any early escape groups that form, to make the Quick Step presence felt.
"If a group departs it will be my job to go with them while our sprinters stay
behind. I will need to do my work, in this team we have a lot of great riders.
However, I have a good head and I even have my own chances to win."
Barredo's positive outlook was surely helped by his stage win in the Paris-Nice
this last week. "I was upset the first two days, and I did not have luck with
the rain. I was also upset because I wanted to race for the classification,
but in the end I took a stage, a beautiful stage win." Brown asked "So France
is a good country for you, can we expect a win in the Tour de France?" Barredo
replied "I don't know. I am only thinking for this month right now, and then
the Ardennes [Classics]. Then we will see for the Tour de France," he noted
with a grin. "The Tour will be special for me. I don't know if I will try for
the classification, but first I will go for the stage win."
14:56 CET
The break and the peloton are on the
descent. The gap is melting like snow in the sun, it is now 4'30.
15:03 CET
"Paris-Nice was a bit of a beating,"
confirmed Tyler Farrar, William Frischkorn Slipstream's team-mate. "I think
I came out of it okay and today should go well. It is great to be here in Milano.
It is another confirmation [with the Tour selection] that we have arrived. We
have beautiful weather here, and hopefully will do something special today."
His work will be to help in the finale for the team's Kiwi rider. "My work is
to try to help Julian Dean at the end of the race. I know the final pretty well,
I lived in Monaco for a year and trained in the Sanremo area; however, I never
raced this race before. It will be the first time, which will certainly be different
than training.
"I am excited to be here and doing this race, to take
part of it. The dangerous finale is normal, it is bike racing. Just because
it is Milano-Sanremo does not change it too much, but it's just a harder race."
15:05 CET
We only have three riders in the lead
now, not sure right now which one has dropped out. Behind them, Quick Step,
Liquigas and Lampre are leading the charge of the peloton.
15:07 CET
It's Nicola D'Andrea (Miche-Silver
Cross) who has lost contact with his fellow escapees.
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15:08 CET
None other than Paolo Bettini is leading
the peloton down through a hairpin curve. The guys are serious about this race
now....
15:14 CET
And the leaders' advantage is slipping
away faster and faster, it's down to 2.30. D'Andrea is apparently only a little
bit ahead of the peloton now.
15:15 CET
"The sun is nice here," said Belgian
Philippe Gilbert (Française des Jeux) to Gregor Brown, who made one of the finale
attacks in last year's race. "My condition is good, I will see how it is going
at the end of the race this year."
Gilbert thinks the new climb will
make its presence felt. "This year, with the new climb Mànie, the finale may
change a little. I will see after the Turchino how many riders are in the bunch,
and how many of my team-mates and sprinters are there."
There are
a lot of in-form attacking riders that the winner of Het Volk will watch. "There
are a lot of good riders, sure. Cancellara is going well, and I think Ballan
and Pozzato will be dangerous. My morale is very good after Het Volk. I am not
under pressure and I want to win."
15:17 CET 226km/72km to go
The three leaders
have just gone through the second (and last) feeding zone. Hope they picked
up something yummy and comforting. Oops, and there is the peloton in the feeding
zone already, won't be long now!
15:18 CET
Right now the riders are going by
the greenhouses that are so typical for this region. It is known for its beautiful
flowers.
15:20 CET
Frischkorn is stretching after a pull
at the front. The leading three have been out racing for a ling time, for 200km
already. A long day so far, and they aren't done yet!
15:21 CET
Team High Road's Kim Kirchen of Luxembourg
drops back to the team car for a short chat with Directeur Sportif Valerio Piva.
15:23 CET
The three in front are still working
well together. They may have picked up a little time while the peloton devotes
itself to the goodies they collected in the feeding zone, but they can't really
expect to make it through to the end alone.
15:24 CET
Several riders of the peloton are
taking a natural break, while David Millar is having trouble opening his sports
bar. But with his teeth he eventually manages to untangle the wrapper and get
to his food. An ingenious man lets nothing come between him and his sports bar!
15:26 CET
Belohvosciks doesn't have space for
his third bottle on the bike, so he stuffed it in his back pocket.
The pace for the first hour was about 50 km, and for the second it dropped to
43, which is about where it has stayed since then.
15:28 CET
The "Three musketeers" in front have
a cliff on one side of the road and can look down to the water on the other
side -- but they would be well advised to keep their eyes on the road.
15:31 CET
"This year, the climbs will
be harder," stated Oscar 'The Cat' Freire to Gregor Brown of Cyclingnews.
The Spaniard is a two-time winner of Sanremo and a three-time World Champion.
He noted the weakness of Alessandro Petacchi's team in Tirreno-Adriatico. "In
Tirreno, I did not see good [sprinters'] teams for pulling. It will be very
difficult to control the race in the last part. In Tirreno, Milram was not very
good, although they have good attacking riders." Number one on Freire's list
is Swiss Fabian Cancellara (Team CSC). "I will watch Cancellara, he can do everything.
He is going so well."
Overall, Freire was happy to be departing for
another Milano-Sanremo under clear skies. "In Milano, it is beautiful today.
We expected very bad weather, but now it is very beautiful."
15:31 CET
And there is Renaud Dion of AG2R,
who is wearing number 13. We speculated earlier if he's superstitious – and
the answer is 'No' as he is wearing it right-side up.
15:35 CET 233km/65km to go
It's a little hard
to tell the kilometres here, so we have to guess every now and then.
Donato Cannone of NGC Medical has taken off out of the peloton and has built
up a very small lead.
Current race situation
- Filippo Savini (CSF Group Navigare), Raivis Belohvosciks (Saunier Duval-Scott) and William Frischkorn (Slipstream Chipotle - H30)
- Peloton at 2'30
15:37 CET
Things were going to slowly for some
in the peloton, and a handful of riders pick up the tempo. They don't get away
but at least they managed to get everyone moving at a decent speed again.
15:38 CET
The peloton just drove by the statue
of a policemen drawing his gun......
15:39 CET
And there's the ocean right over to
the left of the riders. No time for the guys to look over and ogle the girls
in their bikinis today, though. For that matter, there are no girls in their
bikinis on the beach today, it's still a little chilly for that.
15:41 CET
No one team has taken over the lead
of the peloton, we see a whole variety of jerseys there at the moment.
15:43 CET
Ivan Rovny of Team Tinkoff has decided
to take his chance. He has built up a decent lead in a short time.
15:44 CET
William Frischkorn is paying for his
work today. He is doing some fancy stretching exercises on his bikes, probably
trying to work out some cramps.
15:45 CET
The front group is passing the hometown
of Mirko Celestino. We wonder whether they will stop by for a quick visit? Nah,
probably not.
15:48 CET
The three in front still have a lead
of 3.30 over the peloton, with Rovny probably about halfway between the two
groups.
15:50 CET
There's Alessandro Petacchi, tucked
safely in the middle of the peloton. Next to him is Andrea Moletta of Gerolsteiner,
who crashed last year so dramatically.
15:51 CET
Napolitano and McEwen had lost the
contact with the peloton earlier, in the climb of le Mànie. But they managed
to catch up in the descent. But what does it mean for their conditioning of
the final climbs of the Cipressa and the Poggio?
15:52 CET
The lead is under 3 minutes, now at
2.55 as the peloton passes through Capo Cervo, in Mimoso.
15:54 CET
Oscar Freire is well-placed in the
peloton, alongside a team-mate. He surely wouldn't mind taking another win here.
15:56 CET 253km/45km to go
Rovny is still ahead
of the peloton, but they have him in their sights.
15:59 CET 258km/40km to go
The three leaders
are still 2.30 ahead of Rovny, who is slightly ahead of the peloton. But we
can expect that to fall rapidly, as they have just started up the Capo Berta,
a steep climb, which hurts after over 250 kilometres.
16:02 CET
We see lots of pink-and-blue Lampre
jerseys in the head of the pack, as they start to go up up up, too. Bernhard
Kohl is taking his chances and has jumped out, ahead of Rovny. A Liquigas rider
has gone with him.
Current race situation
- Filippo Savini (CSF Group Navigare), Raivis Belohvosciks (Saunier Duval-Scott) and William Frischkorn (Slipstream Chipotle - H30)
- Peloton at 2.30
16:03 CET
They're not getting away, though.
But there is a lot of suffering going on at the back of the peloton now. Gert
Steegmans of Quick Step is having a tough time and may be about to drop off.
16:05 CET
1'30 left for our three riders in
front, as Bernhard Kohl leads the peloton up the climb. He is followed by a
big Milram rider, but then again, most riders look big next to Kohl.
16:07 CET
The three leaders ride through the
narrow streets of Oneglia, where there are lots and lots of people out watching
the race.
Back in the peloton, Kohl has pushed the tempo again and
is a few meters ahead. The peloton is strung out single file behind him.
16:13 CET
48 seconds -- that's all that separates
the three leaders from the onrushing peloton now. Those three have put in a
lot of kilometres in the lead today, and can be proud of their performances.
16:14 CET
Mario Cipollini is talking to RAI
and explains the whole deal of not being at the start line today, despite the
race director, Angelo Zomegnan, doing everything possible. Asked about his tip
for today's winner, he said "Cancellara or Hushovd."
16:15 CET
San Lorenzo al Mare is where the three
leaders are now, and it will probably be the last place where they can maintain
that lead.
16:19 CET 275km/23km to go
Five Team High Road
riders are at the front of the peloton. Are they trying to set things up for
young sprinter Gerald Ciolek?
No, not if Paolo Bettini has anything
to say about it. The World Champion has pulled away, although he is now towing
a High Road rider behind him.
16:20 CET 276km/22km to go
It's Thomas Lövkvist
of High Road, another one of the team's speedy youngsters, who has taken off
with Bettini.
16:21 CET
And Jose Ivan Gutierrez of Caisse
d'Epargne has decided to give chase, as they all make their way up the Cipressa.
Lövkvist is letting Bettini do the lead work.
16:23 CET
Gutierrez has nearly caught Bettini
and Lövkvist. The next to jump out of the peloton is Francisco Vila of Lampre.
No, looks like Gutierrez hasn't made it up to the other two.
16:26 CET
Davide Rebellin is the next attack,
with five other riders, oops, three of whom just all went down.
16:27 CET
Axelsson and Rebellin have caught
up with Bettini and Lövkvist. The attacks out of the peloton are coming fast
and furious now.
16:28 CET
Paolo Savoldelli is giving chase now.
If he gets up to the front, then look out for him on the descent -- that is
his specialty.
16:30 CET 278km/20km to go
The two who went down
were Egoi Martinez and Carlos Barredo. They touched wheels and crashed. They
both got up quickly but lost their momentum.
And Savoldelli has caught
up with the leaders now.
16:31 CET
A Cofidis rider just took himself
out on the descent, taking too many chances and running into the barrier. Ouch!
16:32 CET
It was Tristan Valentin of Cofidis,
who seems to be injured, as he is sitting on the side of the road and not attempting
to get up and keep on going.
16:33 CET
The descent has blasted the peloton
and we see lots of little groups now.
16:34 CET
Some big names are in one of those
little following groups: Zabel, Petacchi, Hincapie.....
16:36 CET
The five in front are working well
together and will do their best to keep the peloton at bay. Who is the best
sprinter in that little group?
16:37 CET 283km/15km to go
The peloton has formed
again and is giving furious chase, only 32 seconds behind the leaders. Liquigas
is leading the charge.
16:38 CET 286km/12km to go
Enrico Gasparotto
(Barloworld) was in the little group behind the leaders in the descent of the
Cipressa. But the birthday boy will really be looking to give it a go on the
Poggio
Current race situation
- Paolo Bettini (Quick Step), Thomas Lövkvist (High Road), Niklas Axelsson (Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli), Paolo Savoldelli (LPR Brakes) and Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner)
- Peloton at 0.10
16:41 CET 288km/10km to go
The lead has shrunk
dramatically, and it looks like the peloton will catch them on the way up the
Poggio. It's only a few seconds.
16:42 CET
That was it, as Liquigas leads the
procession past the escapees. Who will be the next to jump away, or will the
sprinter teams be able to hold things together?
16:43 CET
It's Alessandro Bertolini who jumps
first!
16:44 CET
He has a few meters lead over two
or three other riders, as they climb, and they in turn have about 100 meters
lead over the peloton.
16:46 CET
Pellizotti, Kroon and a rider we haven't
yet identified are giving chase. Behind them the peloton is doing its best,
too, to catch them all.
It's Rafael Illiano.
16:48 CET
Davide Rebellin, Gasparotto and Ballan
are leading the charge. They have caught the three ahead of them. And who is
that with them? Fabian Cancellara!
16:49 CET
They are going down now, on those
dangers narrow and sharp curves.
16:50 CET 293km/5km to go
And down they continue
to go, with the peloton totally splintered now.
16:51 CET
The leading group is about 12 strong
now, with more and more coming up from the peloton. Will we see another mass
sprint today?
16:52 CET 295km/3km to go
Three riders, including
Rebellin and Pozzato, have a slight lead.
16:53 CET
Hushovd, Freire, Cancellara are all
in the next following group. But it comes back together
16:54 CET
Inigo Landaluze Intxaurraga (Euskaltel)
gives it a go. But it is Cancellara himself who counters.
16:54 CET
The Swiss rider has an incredible
lead quickly! Will the others be able to rejoin him?
16:55 CET
It will be hard to get Mr. Chronoman.
The group behind is trying, while Zabel leads the peloton to get Petacchi back
into contention. But they are too far back and they don't have a Cancellara
to pull....
16:55 CET 297km/1km to go
Cancellara has done
it! He has used his time trial skills to pull away from everyone.
16:55 CET
He wins with five seconds ahead of
a Liquigas rider. What a performance by the World Champion!
17:02 CET
So a time trialist has given the sprinters
the one-up today! Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara of Team CSC has proved that
he can use his abilities in a number of ways and race situations. It looks like
this will be his year!
Thanks for joining us for the Primavera.
Let's hope the rest of the season can live up to this exciting opener!
