USA Team High Road goes 1-2 in stage 17; it closed out the Giro d'Italia with four stage wins. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Team High Road was not at first invited to the Giro d'Italia, with the apparent reason being that it was only planning to use the Giro as preparation for the Tour de France. But in the end, the team won four stages, one of three teams to accomplish that feat. Young sprinter Mark Cavendish finally won his first – and second – Grand Tour stage, out-sprinting none other than maglia ciclamino Daniele Bennati (stage four and stage 13). The team also took another sprint, when Cavendish's lead-out man André Greipel shot across the finish line while Cavendish held Bennati back in stage 17.
That wasn't even High Road's only one-two finish. In the closing time trial, Italian National Time Trial Champion Marco Pinotti beat his young team-mate Tony Martin by seven seconds, with Bradley Wiggins just missing an all-High-Road podium by finishing fourth.
Cyclingnews diarist Adam Hansen also put his stamp on the Giro d'Italia. After having to leave the 2007 Giro d'Italia after the second stage due to serious injuries suffered in a crash, he was determined to do better this year. He didn't achieve his desired stage win, but in the eighth stage he was in a group that stayed away for 150 kilometres. When the others sat up and let the peloton absorb them with 15 kilometres to go, the "Crocodile Man" refused to give up and kept on going before finally being overtaken with only three kilometres to go.
