Hruska the best for Liberty

Czech time trial specialist Jan Hruska finished ninth in stage 8, 1'34 behind winner Zabriskie, and was the best of the Liberty Seguros-Würth crew. But Hruska wanted more. "The parcours was not adapted to my abilities, because it had many changes of pace on the climb," he said. "Initially I was a bit uneven, with heavy legs, but then I managed to get into it. I believe that I could have gone slightly quicker on the climb and the descent, but it was better not to risk anything than to win seconds."

Team leader Michele Scarponi didn't perform as well as he would have liked, as he took some time to get going, struggling on the climb. "I had blocked legs and there I lost more time than I expected," said Scarponi.

Team manger Manolo Saiz expressed the same opinion, but he maintained a positive outlook on the race. "To have lost time in yesterday's stage and at least one more minute of what was expected today, Scarponi exits the Giro's first week, which was very dangerous for our interests, very well."

Saiz pointed out that Scarponi is only a minute from top favourite Cunego, and almost the same time as Simoni, although he realised that there is a lot of racing to come. " We still have all the mountains and there we are going to see many things. It will be necessary to wait until the second rest day to do the next assessment, when very important stages have already passed."

Joseba Beloki did not ride a good time trial today either, finishing 151st at 7'25. "No, I did not dispute it," he said, "Although before the beginning the Giro, I was thinking that I might do it. It was a complicated and demanding parcours, it was necessary to be very focused into race if you wanted to do it well. I preferred going calmer, but after this week I feel well enough, and I expect to be able to do something from here to the end, because I have good sensations."