Despite relinquishing the maglia rosa on Stage 13, Team CSC's star rider Ivan Basso said his less than expected performance was largely a result of enduring stomach troubles for the entire stage, and given the circumstances, he doesn't consider his losses to be all that bad.
"It was a very difficult stage for me. I felt sick and had a stomach ache right from the start, but I hoped it would get better as the stage went on. Well, it didn't and I really suffered on the last climb," said Basso on the team's website, team-csc.com.
"I tried to limit the damage, and compared to how bad I felt, the time loss wasn't too bad. I've always known you can't take anything for granted in a race like this, and anyone can have a bad day for one reason or another, and today it was my turn. Now, I'm hoping for a speedy recovery, so I can attempt to recapture the jersey," he said.
"Today was a really bad day for us, but compared to his troubles, the time loss is more than bearable," said team manager Bjarne Riis.
"He really suffered out there today, and I'm actually surprised he didn't lose more time. This is a good sign, and there's no doubt he's still in great shape. We're hoping for him to get better soon, because we have a tough stage ahead of us tomorrow."
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