News for May 28, 2000

83rd Giro d'Italia

Stage comments

Spaniard Jose Luis Rubiera won today's tough mountain stage 13, from Feltre to Selva Val Gardena by beating Lampre's Gilberto Simoni who didn't seem to be going for the stage win. It was the first Spanish victory in the Giro this year, and they were well pleased with Rubiera's win. Afterwards, Rubiera commented that Simoni almost left him behind on the final climb though.

"The Italian Simoni is a great climber, and when he joined with Blanco and I, he set a high tempo," said Rubiera. "When I was alone with him, I had problems following, especially on the last climb. For that reason, I did not take a turn. I was suffering a lot and I though that I would blow. Luckily, it all turned out perfectly."

"I knew the finish from a couple of years ago. It was the same, and also I believe that I was quite astute. I let Simoni know that the finish was quite tight, and that's why I took the initiative."

Rubiera dedicated the win to his Kelme team, who are one of several contenders for that final Tour de France spot, with the final three wildcard teams being named on May 31. Thus, their performance in the Giro will be quite important, and they will be trying again tomorrow. Rubiera is 8th overall at 1.50, but he doesn't think he'll go for the GC. "Just stage wins from now on," he said.

Casagrande overcomes first challenge

Although he didn't win today, Vini Caldirola's Francesco Casagrande managed to put some time into several of his main rivals: Tonkov, Piepoli, Gotti, Frigo, Di Luca and Noé. True, all (except Di Luca) are still within a minute or so, but it's likely to get worse, not better for them after tomorrow's Gavia stage. Garzelli and Simoni may challenge, but it will more than likely take a combined effort to knock off Casagrande.

Casagrande said yesterday that he was still going to attack, as his lead wasn't big enough. He showed that today, and will likely try and do the same tomorrow, with Garzelli still hovering at 18 seconds. Follow the action from stage 14 on cyclingnews.com, as we bring you live updates, commencing approximately 15:30 CET.

Savoldelli may well ride himself into a podium spot by the finish, but it will be due to his amazing descending skills rather than his prowess on the climbs. Despite being dropped off the chasing group today, he almost single-handedly brought back the leaders going down into Selva Val Gardena.

Pantani seems to be in damage control now, as he finished 64th, 17.32 down. If he manages to recover from bronchitis, he may finish the Giro, otherwise it's more than likely that he'll stop, having shown himself to his fans at least. Garzelli could do with a little more help though, especially as teammate Enrico Zaina left for reasons other than feeling bad it seems.

Moreni retires

Former wearer of the pink jersey, Cristiano Moreni (Liquigas) retired during stage 12 after suffering pain in his left knee. He fell on the descent of San Pellegrino in Alpe on stage 9 and has been struggling since. He hoped that the rest day would fix things up, but it was not to be. He wore the jersey for three days, and did the job for his team, who have lacked Davide Rebellin in top form this year.

Moreni intends to return to racing for the Italian Championships in Trieste, late June.

Cipollini withdraws

It was an up and down Giro this year for Supermario, as the Saeco speedster finally withdrew before the start of today's stage 13. He notched up his 30th Giro stage win in the first week, and wore the pink for a day. However, he was also noticed holding onto a teammate's shorts up a climb, and on another stage was declassified after he moved into Jan Svorada's path in the sprint. He now will try and rest up for the Tour and overcome his breathing difficulties that forced him to withdraw from his home race.

According to his team, he will make his return in the Volta a Cataluña from June 15-22.

Riders talk about the EPO test

When it was announced the other day that a test for EPO would probably be introduced for the Tour de France (and presumably for other races), the riders in the Giro were asked to comment. Marco Pantani said that "it can only benefit the champions, and it is a positive step. I hope that it is all true, because too many times people have that that they have found the solution." With that word of caution, the comments from the other riders and team directors were generally favourable.

Silvio Martinello (Polti), who is also the vice-president of the Assogruppi (association of Italian riders), said "This test is important, especially for the young people. I have had the fortune to be a cyclist for many years, and this is definitely a large step forward. It can help us finally get rid of the halo of doubt that surrounds our victories."

Francesco Casagrande, current leader of the Giro and also a formerly suspended rider, said that good and proper controls were necessary, "If it [EPO] can be found in urine, then it would be the best thing that could happen."

Dario Frigo (Fassa Bortolo) commented that it would be "the end of the cycling lottery," while Ivan Gotti, said that "it was a beautiful new thing. I believe it will change the balance of cycling. The champions will remain the same, but the doubts and suspicions will be gone."

Pavel Tonkov: "Now we can all sleep peacefully. It is definitely good news, but we also want to understand how these controls work, and if they are reliable."

Danilo di Luca supported Pantani, saying that "I don't believe it. It has been spoken of for many years, but we've never found the solution. When the new controls become official, then I will believe, but now I remain skeptical.

Mario Cipollini shared many opinions, saying that "All means that serve to make things clear will be well accepted. Will it change the scale of values? Nobody can say."

However, Wladimir Belli complained, saying that "We cyclists are guinea pigs. We were the first to accept blood controls, but last year half of us were woken at 4 am before Milan-San Remo!"

Team directors were also supportive of the test, saying that "everyone is relieved" (Alain Gallopin, FdJ). "I hope that it will be finalised on June 20."

Saeco's Antonio Salutini also said that it was very good news, and that it proved that the sport of cycling is fighting very seriously against doping. "People don't always realise the dangers of EPO and other prohibited products." These words were also echoed by Teun Van Vliet, director of Farm Frites.

Fassa Bortolo's Giancarlo Ferretti described it as "the end of slavery for us and the cyclists."

Former Giro winner and President of the International Association of cyclists, Francesco Moser, said that the test may be too quickly introduced. "Before riders accept these new controls completely, they must have firm guarantees. To make it ready for the Tour de France could be too soon. It would perhaps be better to test them during the race, but not use it for a drug control yet. However, we are also tired of being the subject of experiments. If the tests work, then they must be carried out in all sports."

Finally, there was a word of caution from professor Giovanni Tredici, the Giro d'Italia's race doctor. "If they are confirmed, these tests will represent a decisive step in the fight against doping. However, I have heard mixed reports from that French laboratory [Châtenay-Malabry]. It was the same lab that came under fire for the issue of nandrolone doping in French soccer players."

White injured

Top South African cyclist Nicholas White, HSBC Cycling Team, and his girl friend Diane were both injured after being struck by a car whilst training near Johannesburg. Diane was caught below the car and had to stay in hospital at least overnight while Nicholas came off with some stitches to his knee. It is unsure whether he will be able to start in the national championships this weekend. White is a good climber and a valuable member of the team, one of South Africa's major cycling teams. He was sixth overall and best South African rider in the Vodacom Rapport Toer (Class 2.4) in February.