Luis Laverde (Ceramica Panaria-Navigare) (Image credit: Luc Claessen)
Colombian Luis Felipe Laverde Jimenez (Ceramica Panaria-Navigare) has won the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia, a transitional mountain stage between Aosta and Domodossola. Laverde attacked with Francisco Pérez (Caisse d'Epargne) with 5 km to go, and successfully held off the rest of the 11 man breakaway. Paolo Tiralongo (Lampre-Fondital) took third ahead of Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner). Apart from Sandy Casar, who moved into sixth overall, there was no-one threatening on GC in the break, and Ivan Basso kept his leader's maglia rosa for another day.
The 223 km stage began with the long climb of the Gran San Bernardo, where the break of the day was established after 27 km, 2 km from the summit. The 11 riders were: Francisco Perez Sanchez (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears), Fortunato Baliani and Luis Felipe Laverde Jimenez (Ceramica Panaria-Navigare), Ivan Ramiro Parra Pinto (Cofidis), Sandy Casar (Française des Jeux), Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner), Paolo Tiralongo (Lampre-Fondital), Johann Tschopp and Steve Zampieri (Phonak), Raffaele Illiano (Selle Italia) and Iker Flores Galarza (Euskaltel-Euskadi). CSC was content to let them go, and they gradually built up a 9'31 lead at the top of the day's final climb, the Simplon Pass, which came back to 7'44 at the finish.
Ivan Parra (Cofidis) tried a couple of times to get away in the finale, but was marked by Casar and the rest each time. Then Pérez attacked with Laverde with 5 km to go, and the pair got a gap. Pérez led out the sprint from 200m out, but Laverde passed him immediately to win the stage.
