86th Giro del Piemonte, Cat 1.2

Report

The Giro del Piemonte is the traditional curtain-raiser for the Tour of Lombardy on Saturday, the final classic for the season and the final round of the World Cup, already safely won by Italian Michele Bartoli.

Both Marco Serpellini and Daniele Nardello found themselves fighting out the finish together. But Serpellini learned the lesson from Milan-Turin when he was too cautious at the end and took too low a line on the velodrome and was outsprinted by the two Swiss riders Niki Aebersold and Oskar Camenzind who took a higher line. This time he had the courage to go high on the bends of Motovelodromo and attacked the finishing line with speed - enough to win the race from Nardello and 36-year old Stefano Colagé.

Marco Serpellini and Daniel Nardello are nearly twins. They are both 26 years of age and were both born in the month of August - Daniele on the 2nd and Marco on the 14th. They were both in the Italian team for the Junior Worlds at Middlesbrough in 1990 when under the guidance of Antonio Fusi, Serpellini won the Junior World Road Championship. He missed the Worlds this year after coming 9th in the Vuelta and winning the Tour of Portugal.

He explained to the press that: "Fusi acted in good faith. I knew that Bartoli and Tafi were the two supported riders and the others would be selected to do the work for them. But they would also have to be in top condition. I am disappointed not to have been selected and that an Italian did not win. But I am not about to make any trouble nor create any controversies. I am concentrating on the Tour of Lombardy, which is raced over the roads that I know very well. Victory would be my dream."

The exclusion of Serpellini from the World's team was dictated more by tactics rather than physical considerations.

The win today at more than 45 km/h average speed restores the status of the Brescialat-Liquigas rider. In order to win he had to have the courage to lose. He told the press: I did not want another placing. I only wanted to win. I gave it everything."

Serpellini has an accounting degree from University and is the third child of 4. He is 1.88 cms and 76 kgs and has been cycling since he was 14. Before that he was a national ski champion. "I trained on the bike during summer and my father Giuseppe, who was a good amatuer, urged me to take it more seriously."

He turned professional in 1994 with Lampre-Panaria. He said: "There was Fondriest and Tonkov, and they were three important years, because with them I learned the trade. And now I can put what they taught me into practice." In 1999 Serpellini will return to Algeri and Saronni in the new team Lampre-Daikin, which also will have Oskar Camenzind on its books.

The race today was a succession of attacks and the riders sat on 50 km/h for long periods. In the first km, there was a breakaway of 8 riders including Denis Lunghi (a strong performer in the Under-23 road race in Valkenburg). In the first hour the average speed was 49.150. Oskar Camenzind attacked on the climb of Morra but the peloton was complete at the first feed station at Coazzolo (km 104). Another attack went at the 107 kms mark and this included Serpellini and Hotz and later Velo. Valoti was joined them too. At the 127 kms mark, a group with Nardello, Colagé, Jaermann, Conte, Hernandez, Peers and Dario Frigo caught the other 4 and the 11 riders hit the last major climb before Turin, the Pino Torinesse (495 metres) with 8 kms to go. They had a gap of 1.20 on the peloton.

Then the attacks began in earnest. Nardello went and Serpellini closed it down. Then Velo went with Nardello reacting. The attacks continued in the front group and Serpellini, Colagé and Velo were able to open a gap on the descent.

With only 600 meters to go, almost at the doors of the Fausto Coppi Velodrome in Turin, the three escapees were captured by three other riders - Frigo, Nardello and Mario Aerts. On the track lap, Serpellini was able to take advantage of the cement section and launched a comfortable win ahead of Nardello and Colagé.

Turin, 198 kms:

  1. Marco Serpellini (Ita) Brescialat-Liquigas		     4.20.02 (44.996)
  2. Daniele Nardello (Ita) Mapei-Bricobi
  3. Stefano Colage (Ita) Cantina Tollo
  4. Marco Velo (Ita) Mercatone Uno
  5. Chris Peers (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar
  6. Dario Frigo (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale				0.05
  7. Paolo Valoti (Ita) Cantina Tollo				0.23
  8. Franz Hotz (Swi) Post Swiss Team				0.23
  9. Biagio Conte (Ita) Scrigno-Gaerne				0.54
 10. Rolf Jaermann (Swi) Casino					0.57
 11. Salvatore Commesso (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale			1.56
 12. Grzegorz Gwiazdowski (Pol) Cofidis				1.56
 13. Roberto Heras Hernandez (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca		2.07
 14. Glen Magnusson (Swe) Amore e Vita 				2.17
 15. Claudio Chiappucci (Ita) Ros Mary				2.17
 16. Fabio Roscioli (Ita) Asics-CGA 				2.17
 17. Paolo Alberati (Ita) Mobilvetta-Northwave
 18. Valerio Tebaldi (Ita) Mobilvetta-Northwave
 19. Moreno Di Biase (Ita) Riso Scotti 				2.47
 20. Alessandro Varocchi (Ita) Ros Mary
 21. Andrea Patuelli (Ita) Amore e Vita
 22. Andrei Tchmil (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar 			3.00
 23. François Simon (Fra) Crédit Agricole 			4.34
 24. Iñigo Gonzalez Heredia (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros 		6.02
 25. Valentino Fois (Ita) Vini Caldirola 			6.17
 26. Fabian Jeker (Swi) Festina
 27. Fabian De Waele (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar
 28. Roberto Sgambelluri (Ita) Brescialat-Liquigas
 29. Claus Michael Moeller (Den) TVM-Farm Frites
 30. Alain Turicchia (Ita) Asics-CGA
 31. Bo Hamburger (Den) Casino
 32. Frederic Delalande (Fra) Crédit Agricole
 33. Pascal Herve (Fra) Festina
 34. Daniel Schnider (Swi) Team Post Swiss
 35. Jens Voigt (Ger) Crédit Agricole
 36. Cristiano Frattini (Ita) Brescialat-Liquigas
 37. Laurent Roux (Fra) TVM-Farm Frites
 38. Leonardo Fioroni (Ita) Mobilvetta-Northwave
 39. Massimiliano Lelli (Ita) Cofidis
 40. Pascal Richard (Swi) Casino
 41. Oscar Freire (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros
 42. Stefano Checchin (Ita) Mercatone Uno-Bianchi
 43. Stefano Cattai (Ita) Ballan
 44. Rolf Aldag (Ger) Telekom
 45. Riccardo Faverio (Ita) Saeco-Cannondale
 46. Francisco Tomas Garcia (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros
 47. Ivan Basso (Ita) Asics-CGA
 48. Bruno Cenghialta (Ita) Riso Scotti
 49. Felix M. Garcia Casas (Spa) Festina
 50. Gianni Bugno (Ita) Mapei-Bricobi
 51. Fabrizio Bontempi (Ita) Ros Mary
 52. Davide Bramati (Ita) Mapei-Bricobi
 53. M. Martini (Ita) Amore e Vita
 54. Cristian Auriemma (Ita) Scrigno-Gaerne
 55. Luca Gelfi (Ita) Ros Mary
 56. Andrei Kivilev (Kaz) Festina
 57. A. Galletti (Ita)
 58. Nicklas Axelsson (Swe) Scrigno-Gaerne
 59. Vladimir Douma (Ukr) Scrigno-Gaerne
 60. Gianluca Valoti (Ita) Polti
 61. A. Calzolari (Ita)  					s.t

Started: 182
Finished: 61

Past Winners

1906 Giovanni Gerbi (Ita)
1907 Giovanni Gerbi (Ita)
1908 Giovanni Gerbi (Ita)
1910 Vincenzo Borgarello (Ita)
1911 Mario Bruchera (Ita)
1912 Costante Costa (Ita)
1913 Romolo Verde (Ita)
1914 Giuseppe Santhia (Ita)
1915 Natale Bosco (Ita)
1916 Francesco Cerutti (Ita)
1917 Domenico Schierano (Ita)
1918 Ugo Bianchi (Ita)
1919 Costante Girar-dengo (Ita)
1920 Costante Girardengo (Ita)
1921 Giovanni Brunero (Ita)
1922 Angelo Cremo (Ita)
1923 Bartolomeo Aymo (Ita)
1924 Costante Girardengo (Ita)
1925 Gaetano Belloni (Ita)
1926 Alfredo Binda (Ita)
1927 Alfredo Binda (Ita)
1928 Marco Giuntelli (Ita)
1929 Antonio Negrini (Ita)
1930 Ambrogio Morelli (Ita)
1931 Mario Cipriani (Ita)
1932 Giuseppe Martano (Ita)
1933 Antonio Folco (Ita)
1934 Learco Guerra (Ita)
1935 Aldo Bini (Ita)
1936 Aldo Bini (Ita)
1937 Gino Bartali (Ita)
1938 Pietro Rimoldi (Ita)
1939 Gino Bartali (Ita)
1940 Cino Cinelli (Ita)
1941 Aldo Bini (Ita)
1942 Fiorenzo Magni (Ita)
1945 Secondo Barisone (Ita)
1946 Sergio Maggini (Ita)
1947 Vito Ortelli (Ita)
1948 Renzo Soldani (Ita)
1949 Adolfo Leoni (Ita)
1950 Alfredo Martini (Ita)
1951 Gino Bartali (Ita)
1952 Giorgio Albani (Ita)
1953 Fiorenzo Magni (Ita)
1954 Nino Defilippis (Ita)
1955 Giuseppe Minardi (Ita)
1956 Fiorenzo Magni (Ita)
1957 Silvano Ciampi (Ita)
1958 Nino Defilippis (Ita)
1959 Silvano Ciampi (Ita)
1960 Alfredo Sabbadin (Ita)
1961 Angelo Conterno (Ita)
1962 Vito Taccone (Ita)
1963 Adriano Durante (Ita)
1964 Willy Bocklant (Bel)
1965 Romeo Venturelli (Ita)
1966 Rudi Altig (Ger)
1967 Guido De Rosso (Ita)
1969 Marino Basso (Ita)
1970 Italo Zilioli(Ita)
1971 Felice Gimondi (Ita)
1972 Eddy Merckx (Bel)
1973 Felice Gimondi (Ita)
1974 Francesco Moser (Ita)
1977 Roger De Vlaeminck (Bel)
1978 Gianbattista Baronchelli (Ita)
1979 Silvano Contini (Ita)
1980 Gianbattista Baronchelli (Ita)
1981 Marino Amadori (Ita)
1982 Faustino Ruperez (Spa)
1983 Guido Bontempi (Ita)
1984 Christian Jourdan (Fra)
1985 Charly Mottet (Fra)
1986 Gianni Bugno (Ita)
1987 Adri Van der Poel (Ned)
1988 Rolf Gölz (Ger)
1989 Claudio Chiappucci (Ita)
1990 Franco Ballerini (Ita)
1991 Djamolidine Abdujaparov (Usb)
1992 Erik Breukink (Ned)
1993 Beat Zberg (Swi)
1994 Nicola Miceli(Ita)
1995 Claudio Chiappucci (Ita)
1996 Richard Virenque (Fra)
1997 Gianluca Bortolami (Ita)