Bennati blazes to victory

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Yesterday, Liquigas-Doimo stretched out the peloton in a textbook lead-out for their sprinter Daniele Bennati only to have Tom Boonen (Quick Step) spoil the party and overtake the Italian in the charge to the line.

Today, however, the Liquigas train would not be denied as Bennati won the field sprint into Monsummano Terme, speeding to victory with a bike-length lead over Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-Farnese Vini) and Bernhard Eisel (Team HTC - Columbia) on the slightly downhill finish.

The third stage of Tirreno-Adriatico passed through Franco Ballerini's home town and Bennati emotionally dedicated his win to the Italian national coach who died in a rally car accident a month ago.

"It was strange today because I thought about him (Ballerini) all day and several times during the stage I imagined seeing him along the road side. I saw people's faces and I thought it was him but then I quickly realised Franco's not with us anymore. I still can't believe it.

"After the finish I saw his father-in-law Luigi Ricasoli and we both got upset. I gave him the winner's flowers. It's a small gesture but he's going to take them to the cemetery. I still haven't been to see his grave because I've been busy since getting back from the Tour of Oman but I'll go soon."

Petacchi's second place finish showed the Italian has recovered from his crash suffered in training on Monday. "I felt good during the stage and so I decided to have a go in the sprint," said Petacchi. "Hondo was perfect in the way he took me up to Bennati's wheel but today Bennati was the strongest. When I tried to go past him, I didn't have the speed because I was also on the outside of the corner."

Bennati not only earned his first Tirreno-Adriatico stage win today, but time bonuses moved the 29-year-old Italian into the leader's maglia azzura. Overnight race leader Linus Gerdemann (Milram) drops to second, four seconds behind the Italian, and Tom Boonen (Quick Step) holds third, also four seconds back.

While Gerdemann is still in a promising position on general classification, the Milram captain lost two teammates on stage three. Fabian Wegmann crashed with eight kilometres to go and broke his collarbone while Johannes Fröhlinger dropped out due to illness.

"That was a very bitter day for us," said Christian Henn, Team Milram directeur sportif. "In Fabian Wegmann and Johannes Fröhlinger we have lost two very important riders. The next few days would have been something especially for Fabian. Johannes has suffered from his intestinal infection for several days now and today it was just too much."

Defending champion makes his move

The expected field sprint nearly didn't come to fruition as a dangerous 10-rider break escaped the peloton on the descent off the San Baronto, inside of 15 kilometres to go. The peloton crested the summit together after absorbing two riders on the final classified climb of the day: Australia's Cameron Wurf (Androni Giocattoli), the lone remaining rider from the day's early break, and Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel - Euskadi), who tried to bridge to Wurf from the peloton.

On the sinuous descent, however, defending champion Michele Scarponi and Francesco Ginanni (Androni Giocattoli), Stefano Garzelli and Francesco Failli (Acqua & Sapone), Maxim Iglinskiy (Astana), Federico Canuti (Colnago - CSF Inox), Giovanni Visconti (ISD - Neri), Manuele Mori (Lampre-Farnese Vini), and Vincenzo Nibali and Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas-Doimo) separated themselves from the peloton and soon gained a 20-second advantage.

With five kilometres to go the escapees held an 18-second lead on the peloton, but the break started to lose cohesion as work was not being shared equally. Scarponi attacked the break and was joined by Nibali, but the duo were chased down by their fellow escapees.

Soon afterwards, with two kilometres remaining, the 10-man move was absorbed by a hard-chasing peloton and Liquigas once again moved to the head of affairs for Bennati.