33rd Tirreno Adriatico, Hors Category

Italy, March 11-18, 1998


Stage 5, Tivoli - Torricella Sicura, 215 kms:

  1. Rolf Sorensen (Den) Rabobank		      6.04.13
  2. Erik Zabel (Ger) Telekom-ADR
  3. Rolf Jaermann (Swi) Casino
  4. Zbigniew Spruch (Pol) Mapei
  5. Nicola Loda (Ita) Ballan
  6. Claudio Chiappucci (Ita) Ros Mary - Amica Chips
  7. Davide Casarotto (Ita) Scrigno-Gaerne
  8. Germano Pierdomenico (Ita) Cantina Tollo
  9. Andrei Zintchenko (Rus) Vitalicio Seguros 
 10. Pascal Richard (Swi) Casino
 11. Romans Vainsteins (Lat) Kross
 12. Roberto Pistore (Ita) Riso Scotti-MG
 13. Stefano Faustini (Ita) Vini Caldirola
 14. Laurent Brochard (Fra) Festina            
 15. Franco Ballerini (Ita) Mapei
 16. Ermanno Brignoli (Ita) Riso Scotti-MG
 17. Servais Knaven (Ned) TVM
 18. Gianluca Pianegonda (Ita) Mapei			 s.t.
 19. Emanuele Lupi (Ita) Amore e Vita			 0.15
 20. Laurent Desbiens (Fra) Cofidis			 0.18
 21. Vincent Cali (Fra) Casino				 0.20
 22. Mario Manzoni (Ita) Mobilvetta-Northwave		 0.20
 23. Marco Milesi (Ita) Brescialat-Liquigas		 0.42
 24. Marco Vergnani (Ita) Kross 			 0.45
 25. Jan Schaffrath (Ger) Telekom-ARD			 0.45
 26. Jens Heppner (Ger) Telekom-ADR			 0.45
 27. Gianluca Bortolami (Ita) Festina			 0.56
 28. Valerio Tebaldi (Ita) Mobilvetta-Northwave		 0.59
 29. Francesco Frattini (Ita) Telekom-ARD		 1.32
 30. Fabian Jeker (Swi) Festina				 3.23
 31. Fabrizio Bontempi (Ita) Ros Mary - Amica Chips	10.29
 32. Dario Pieri (Ita) Scrigno-Gaerne			10.50
 33. Flavio Vanzella (Ita) La Francaise des Jeux
 34. Gabriele Balducci (Ita) Scrigno-Gaerne
 35. Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Telekom-ADR
 36. Steffen Wesemann (Ger) Telekom-ARD
 37. Pedro Horillo (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros
 38. Alessandro Bertolini (Ita) Cofidis
 39. Jacky Durand (Fra) Casino
 40. Mirco Crepaldi (Ita) Polti
 41. Gabriele Colombo (Ita) Ballan			10.50
 42. Laurent Roux (Fra) TVM-Farm Frites			12.19
 43. Steven de Jongh (Ned) TVM
 44. Luca Sironi (Ita) Vini Caldirola			12.19
 45. Gianluca Pierobon (Ita) Kross			16.48
 46. Mauro Gianetti (Swi) La Francaise des Jeux
 47. Marco Giroletti (Ita) Mobilvetta-Northwave
 48. Jan Svorada (Cze) Mapei
 49. Marc Streel (Bel) Casino
 50. Federico De Beni (Ita) Riso Scotti-MG		16.48

Started 50
Finished 50 

GC after Stage 5

  1. Rolf Sörensen (Den) Rabobank		    23.26.44
  2. Rolf Jaermann (Swi) Casino				0.03
  3. Zbigniew Spruch (Pol) Mapei			0.05
  4. Germano Pierdomenico (Ita) Cantina Tollo		0.05
  5. Laurent Brochard (Fra) Festina			0.05
  6. Roberto Pistore (Ita) Riso Scotti-MG 		0.06
  7. Servais Knaven (Ned) TVM				0.06
  8. Nicola Loda (Ita) Ballan				0.07
  9. Davide Casarotto (Ita)  Scrigno-Gaerne		0.07
 10. Claudio Chiappucci (Ita) Ros Mary 			0.07
 11. Romans Vainsteins (Lat) Kross			0.07
 12. Franco Ballerini (Ita) Mapei			0.07
 13. Stefano Faustini (Ita) Vini Caldirola		0.07
 14. Mario Manzoni (Ita) Mobilvetta-Northwave		0.25
 15. Ermanno Brignoli (Ita) Riso Scotti-MG		0.25
 16. Emanuele Lupi (Ita) Amore e Vita			0.34
 17. Jens Heppner (Ger) Telekom-ADR			0.52
 18. Jan Schaffrath (Ger) Telekom-ARD			0.52
 19. Andrei Zintchenko (Rus) Vitalicio Seguros		1.00
 20. Erik Zabel (Ger) Telekom-ADR			5.59
 21. Gabriele Balducci (Ita) Scrigno-Gaerne 	       10.50
 22. Dario Pieri (Ita) Scrigno-Gaerne		       11.26
 23. Laurent Desbiens (Fra) Cofidis		       11.56
 24. Steven de Jongh (Ned) TVM-Farm Frites	       18.00
 25. Pedro Horillo (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros	       20.17
 26. Alessandro Bertolini (Ita) Cofidis		       22.28
 27. Steffen Wesemann (Ger) Telekom-ARD		       22.31
 28. Mirco Crepaldi (Ita) Polti		               23.09
 29. Laurent Roux (Fra) TVM-Farm Frites		       23.57
 30. Vincent Cali (Fra) Casino			       24.58
 31. Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Telekom-ADR	       25.21
 32. Marco Milesi (Ita) Brescialat-Liquigas	       27.22
 33. Valerio Tebaldi (Ita) Mobilvetta-Northwave	       27.57
 34. Gianluca Pianegonda (Ita) Mapei		       28.14
 35. Gianluca Pierobon (Ita) Kross		       28.26
 36. Gianluca Bortolami (Ita) Festina		       29.25
 37. Fabian Jeker (Swi) Festina
 38. Gabriele Colombo (Ita) Ballan	               36.45
 50. Mauro Gianetti (Swi) La Francaise des Jeux	       56.48

Brief Report

Rabobank's Rolf Sörensen won a contentious sprint from Erik Zabel in the 5th Stage. The photos show the two well clear of the rest of the finishing group and leaning on each other right up against the fence on the left hand side of the road.

Sorensen also took over the GC. He was awarded the final sprint after officials consulted a photo-finish. Zabel also appealed against the decision alleging elbowing from Sorensen. The head of the jury board Roberto Coca Cuellar said on RAI that : "The sprint was not the cleanest but it did not merit disqualification. Sorensen came out of the final bend first, he had the right to choose the racing line."

Rolf Jaermann of Casino moved to second place in the GC at 3 to Sorensen. Sorensen is not enamoured with the prospect of winning the overall race. He has indicated that the expulsion of 129 riders in the "protest" stage by race officials which left only 50 riders still in the race has created a hollow feeling in the race.

A decision is coming today about the fate of the disqualified cyclists. The race organiser Giuseppe Martinelli has said that: "We need to make all the riders understand the seriousness of their act so that it will never happen again....but we won't make the punishment a public act."

Sorensen had attacked constantly during the stage. With only 20 kms left to ride he broke away with 28 other riders. There were a flurry of attacks within this top group but the last of them involving three riders was caught in the last km.