Giro d'Italia Cycling News for May 12, 2005Edited by Jeff Jones Stage 4 wrap-upThe way is shut for CookeBy Jeff Jones and John Trevorrow
The fourth stage of the Giro d'Italia was always going to be a challenge for the sprinters, with a sharp climb at 3 km to go, before a technical descent into Frosinone. But at the top of the climb, there was still one pure sprinter left in the small front group containing the maglia rosa: Baden Cooke. The Francaise des Jeux rider, who hasn't had a win yet this season but has been getting closer with each sprint, seemed to be in a perfect position to challenge Bettini on the flat 700 metre run into the line. With around 250 metres to go, Bettini - with Cooke glued to his wheel - started his sprint in the centre of the road. But then, the maglia rosa just kept drifting to the left, and when Cooke tried to pass in the last 100m, Bettini had closed the door. Whether Bettini did it deliberately or unintentionally, it didn't affect the result: Cooke crashed into the barriers, Bettini crossed the line first but was subsequently relegated to last position in his group (4th) for irregular sprinting. That meant the stage win was awarded to Luca Mazzanti (Panaria), while Bettini kept the maglia rosa, and Cooke finished up very sore. Once he heard the jury's decision, Bettini went on the Giro post-race show to watch the replay and exclaimed, "I started my sprint, it was a long sprint and I was riding my line. I moved to the center of the road, then moved left towards the barriers to cover my position. I looked around twice to see if anyone was coming around. I checked again (at 150m) and shifted to my highest gear. That's where my chain slipped...if (Cooke's crash) is my fault, with the rest of the road wide open, I should just leave the Giro now and go home. Grazie e arrivederci."
A very angry Cooke had a different opinion, as he explained to Cyclingnews at the finish: "F***! I f**king got over the hill no worries. None of the sprinters were left, I got on Bettini's wheel, he hit out early, I gave him a length, and I was f***ing absolutely cruising. Dropped it down the gears, ran at him, just about to blow his helmet off as I went past him...and he's just turned left and put me in the barrier. I had it won, I was just about to throw my hands in the air. Instead I did five somersaults down the road!" After throwing a few rather more colourful adjectives in the direction of his Italian rival, Cooke let his frustration of the last 12 months show. "Since I fixed that allergy problem I had with the gluten, I've been a different man ever since. I'm 15-20 percent better. I'm just cruising over the hills, sprinting fast, and it's all just come together, and now that f***head put me in the barrier." When we spoke to him again several hours after the stage, Cooke hadn't calmed down. "I'm still really angry because I needed a win really badly," he said. "After all the things that have gone wrong [Cooke also crashed at 50 km to go], the team worked so hard for me, I got over the hill. I wanted it bad. You think you can win, and when it's there, you're working out how the hands are going to go up. It was all there. I'm really upset. "What really pissed me off was to see Bettini carrying on when they took the stage from him, while here I am, laying on the ground with all my skin off." We asked whether Cooke was restraining himself when he met Bettini after the stage: "It did go through my mind, but I was just so angry," said Cooke. "I'll save that for another time. I know the form's there, so I can definitely win one." As his teammates and compatriots rolled across the line, Cooke gave them his version of events. "You're joking!" said Matt Wilson (FDJ). "Unbelievable," added Matt White (Cofidis). Stuart O'Grady (Cofidis) added, "I don't know how Cookie contained himself. When Bettini came over, he could have just bloody smashed him. That's just bullshit. There are little hooks you can do, but that you can't do. For someone at the top level and as professional as Bettini, that's just not on...I really feel for [Cooke]. That's one that got away." O'Grady also expressed his displeasure at the dangerous finish today. "This Giro's a bit of a joke," he said. "These finishes are ridiculous. They're put on for show. They're dangerous." O'Grady finished 12th, four seconds behind Bettini, and told us, "I was happy with my ride. I haven't got the form to really match it in these hard finishes, but I'm pleased with how I'm going. I'm looking at the big picture for the Tour." Stage 4 Full results
& report More post-race comments
Michele Scarponi (Liberty Seguros, 3rd) Michele Scarponi (Liberty Seguros) latched onto the lead group today and finished third in the stage, which moved him up to seventh on the general classification. "The stage was much more nervous than was expected because, the end was very difficult," said Scarponi. "The team knew since the morning what could happen, and my teammates stayed close to me during the whole race. A fall in the last 30 kilometres cut the group, but Caruso, Hruska and I made it in front. From there I was ahead, because the last descent was very dangerous." Serguei Gonchar's crash at 3 km to go actually caused the split that led to the six man group getting away. "I had to be ahead in order that the same thing didn't happen to me as it did in Tropea," said Scarponi. "In the sprint, I am not very good, but I was lucky, because I almost crashed with Cooke. I saw him, but did not see what happened, because I saw only that I had Mazzanti and Cioni ahead. Then I have seen the sprint and, though Bettini is my friend, the disqualification is just." Scarponi was very satisfied with his own result. "This especially gives me confidence because I have had very good legs. The result is not so important, they are only a few seconds. The Giro begins after this. Tomorrow's stage is very important, because only a group of 30 riders will contest the finish. For me, the Florence time trial next Sunday will be important, without forgetting that every day there can be a surprise."
Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto, 8th) Robbie McEwen lost his points jersey to Paolo Bettini today, and had to work very hard in the finale to finish in the top 10. Cyclingnews spoke to him just after he crossed the line, as he was pulling in big gasps of air. "Today was pretty straightforward. It was really full on coming into the climb. My boys took me to the front before the climb. They started hitting out, but a kilometre from the top they went a bit more. The strongest guys were on the front and the guys behind couldn't descend fast enough. I made up a lot of places under brakes. I came back to the second group, tried to go straight past them from 400m, just hoping the front guys would stop. but it didn't happen. Another day. It'll be a few more days before I get another chance." Later on, we asked McEwen about the incident involving his usual rival Baden Cooke: "I didn't know what happened when I crossed the line. I watched it on TV later. Maybe Baden picked the wrong side, but Bettini was very close to the centre, so what side do you go? He's just done a left turn and went into the barrier. It was that blatant. He should have been disqualified. It doesn't make up for the stage win that Baden should have got. It's just not on."
Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo, 20th)
Alessandro Petacchi, still without a win in his home country Grand Tour, is waiting for an opportunity to show his worth. After stage four, which was taken by Luca Mazzanti (Ceramica Panaria-Navigare) in a controversial sprint finish involving a crashing Baden Cooke and a relegated Paolo Bettini, the Fassa Bortolo super sprinter said, "It was a flat stage, but the finale was hard, at least for me. I climbed that last bit on the 53, it was tough but I stayed with Zabel and McEwen all along." Petacchi finished the stage in 20th position. "The first stages of the Giro are always very nervous," he continued. "The parcours is hard, but I feel very good, better than last year, even if I haven't won yet. The Giro is still long and I'm waiting for the next bunch sprint finish."
Trent Wilson (Colombia-Selle Italia, 149th) One rider who was out of the picture by the time the sprint started was Trent Wilson (Colombia-Selle Italia), who finished in 149th at 4'05 down. He did have a short moment in the limelight when he attacked just as the day's break of Marco Pinotti and Cedric Vasseur was caught. "Ah well, it was just for the TV cameras," said Willo. "I had a bit of a bash, I felt OK, but they were never going to let me go. I knew that."
Ivan Quaranta (Domina Vacanze, 158th) Ivan Quaranta, interviewed by Italian television, said that, "If they strip Bettini today, the day that McEwen won, they should have penalised a lot of riders," adding that "Cooke took the wrong trajectory." Speedplay sponsors Fantasy Grand Tours
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