Stage 8, San Benedetto del Tronto-San Benedetto del Tronto, 166 kms:1. Erik Zabel (Ger) Telekom-ADR 4.47.13 3. Steven de Jongh (Ned) TVM 2. Mario Manzoni (Ita)Mobilvetta-Northwave 4. Alessandro Bertolini (Ita) Cofidis 5. Dario Pieri (Ita) Scrigno-Gaerne 6. Jacky Durand (Fra) Casino 7. Pedro Horillo (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros 8. Marco Giroletti (Ita) Mobilvetta-Northwave 9. Romans Vainsteins (Lat) Kross 10. Mirco Crepaldi (Ita) Polti 11. Gianluca Pianegonda (Ita) Mapei 12. Fabrizio Bontempi (Ita) Ros Mary - Amica Chips 13. Gabriele Balducci (Ita) Scrigno-Gaerne 14. Roberto Pistore (Ita) Riso Scotti-MG 15. Gianluca Pierobon (Ita) Kross 16. Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Telekom-ADR 17. Gianluca Sironi (Ita) 18. Nicola Loda (Ita) Ballan 19. Rolf Sorensen (Den) Rabobank 20. Andrei Zintchenko (Rus) Vitalicio Seguros 21. Marc Streel (Bel) Casino 22. Claudio Chiappucci (Ita) Ros Mary - Amica Chips 23. Servais Knaven (Ned) TVM 24. Zbigniew Spruch (Pol) Mapei 25. Germano Pierdomenico (Ita) CantinaTollo 27. Mauro Gianetti (Swi) La Francaise desJeux 31. Gianluca Bortolami (Ita) Festina 34. Franco Ballerini (Ita) Mapei 36. Rolf Jaermann (Swi) Casino 39. Laurent Roux (Fra) TVM-Farm Frites 42. Pascal Richard (Swi) Casino Final GC
1. Rolf Jaermann (Swi) Casino 38.27.30 2. Franco Ballerini (Ita) Mapei 0.04 3. Jens Heppner (Ger) Telekom-ADR 1.15 4. Rolf Sorensen (Den) Rabobank 13.15 5. Zbigniew Spruch (Pol) Mapei 13.20 6. Germano Pierdomenico (Ita) Cantina Tollo 13.22 7. Nicola Loda (Ita) Ballan 13.23 8. Claudio Chiappucci (Ita) Ros Mary 13.25 9. Roberto Pistore (Ita) Riso Scotti-MG 13.27 10. Servais Knaven (Ned) TVM 13.27 11. Davide Casarotto (Ita) Scrigno-Gaerne 13.28 12. Romans Vainsteins (Lat) Kross 13.30 13. Stefano Faustini (Ita) Vini Caldirola 13.30 14. Mario Manzoni (Ita) Mobilvetta-Northwave 13.43 15. Ermanno Brignoli (Ita) Riso Scotti-MG 13.48 16. Emanuele Lupi (Ita) Amore e Vita 13.57 17. Andrei Zintchenko (Rus) Vitalicio Seguros 14.18 18. Jan Schaffrath (Ger) Telekom-ARD 14.34 19. Erik Zabel (Ger) Telekom-ADR 19.16 20. Gabriele Balducci (Ita) Scrigno-Gaerne 24.13 21. Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Telekom-ADR 24.37 22. Dario Pieri (Ita) Scrigno-Gaerne 24.49 23. Laurent Desbiens (Fra) Cofidis 27.41 24. Fabian Jeker (Swi) Festina 28.57 25. Steven de Jongh (Ned) TVM 31.23 26. Alessandro Bertolini (Ita) Cofidis 35.51 27. Pedro Horillo (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros 36.15 28. Steffen Wesemann (Ger) Telekom-AR 36.15 29. Mirco Crepaldi (Ita) Polti 36.32 30. Laurent Roux (Fra) TVM-Farm Frites 37.20 31. Vincent Cali (Fra) Casino 38.25 32. Pascal Richard (Swi) Casino 39.56 33. Marco Milesi (Ita) Brescialat-Liquigas 40.40 34. Gianluca Pianegonda (Ita) Mapei 41.37 35. Valerio Tebaldi (Ita) Mobilvetta-Northwave 41.41 36. Gianluca Bortolami (Ita) Festina 42.48 37. Gianluca Pierobon (Ita) Kross 50.44 38. Gabriele Colombo (Ita) Ballan 50.59 39. Luca Sironi (Ita) Vini Caldirola 52.29 40. Marco Vergnani (Ita) Kross 52.41 41. Marco Giroletti (Ita) Mobilvetta-Northwave 59.17 42. Fabrizio Bontempi (Ita) Ros Mary - Amica Chips 1.01.00 43. Flavio Vanzella (Ita) La Francaise des Jeux 1.02.04 44. Francesco Frattini (Ita) Telekom-ARD 1.02.51 45. Jacky Durand (Fra) Casino 1.05.03 46. Mauro Gianetti (Swi) La Francaise des Jeux 1.12.46 47. Marc Streel (Bel) Casino 1.12.52 Brief Report Germany's 27-year old Erik Zabel confirmed that his form has returned just in time for the first round of the World Cup - Milan-San Remo by winning his third stage in the Tirreno-Adriatico and the second in two days. The final stage was pedestrian by any standards. Jaermann tracked Franco Ballerini throughout aiming to stop him gaining the 4 secs he needed. Jaermann's Casino team controlled the tempo all day with 3 or 4 riders always in front of the peloton. Casino was helped in the last kilometers by Telekom, who wanted to setup their sprinter Zabel, without a doubt the fastest of the 50 riders left. Telekom's work for Zabel was effective and he was came out of the right of the peloton to seal the win. Ballerini, even with the bonus seconds up for grabs, didn't try to contest the sprint. The event had a hollow ring to it from the time that officials eliminated the 129 riders who protested over an accident on day 2. Rolf writes: I made it. I won Tirreno - Adriatico and that is a great feeling. The last stage was very quiet and all the riders were empty and so I had no further problems. It's unbelieveble how many friends and colleagues you suddenly have. Even other riders of other teams were very kind to me. They asked me before the start - is it allowed to ride for the bonifications and do i let them go in the finale. |