Team Sky's Bernhard Eisel spoke exclusively to Cyclingnews this morning ahead of the 10th stage of the 2012 Giro d'Italia and was in candid mood as he prepared to tackle the spectacular stage up to the historic town of Assisi.
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The hot topic was the crash on stage 9 the previous afternoon, which had seen his close friend and teammate Mark Cavendish take a nasty fall in the finale for the second time in a week. The English sprinter was well-positioned both times to challenge for the stage win, which would have potentially given him four victories instead of the two he has already racked up.
When asked if he was surprised that Cavendish hadn't won more stages, Eisel said, "He has won twice and got wiped out twice by somebody, so we can't expect more than that... it's not healthy if you keep on crashing...the Giro is hard enough without crashes."
Eisel also predicted an Italian victory overall, stating that Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) were well placed as the race approaches the halfway point and that Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago-CSF Inox) could prove hard to peg back as the third week progresses.