1. Alessandro Baronti (Ita) Asics 4.29.23 (38,532 km/h) 2. Filippo Casagrande (Ita) Scrigno s.t. 3. Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) Roslotto s.t. 4. Riccardo Forconi (Ita) Amore Vita 0.03 5. Andrea Noe (Ita) Asics 0.50 6. Paolo Bettini (Ita) MG 7. Giuseppe Di Grande (Ita) Mapei 8. Daniele De Paoli (Ita) Ros Mary 9. Wladimir Belli (Ita) Brescialat 10. Luc Leblanc (Fra) Polti 11. Alexei Sivakov (Rus) Roslotto 12. Giuseppe Guerini (Ita) Polti 13. Ivan Gotti (Ita) Saeco 14. Alexander Chefer (Kaz) Asics 15. Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Mercatone Uno 16. Pavel Tonkov (Rus) Mapei 17. Dario Frigo (Ita) Saeco all s.t. 18. Nicola Miceli (Ita) Aki 1.12 19. Sergei Gontchar (Ukr) s.t. 20. Massimo Apollonio (Ita) Scrigno 4.35
1. Ivan Gotti (Ita) Saeco 70.24.51 2. Pavel Tonkov (Rus) Mapei 0.51 3. Luc Leblanc (Fra) Polti 3.02 4. Alexander Chefer (Kaz) Asics 3.40 5. Nicola Miceli (Ita) Aki 3.45 6. Giuseppe Guerini (Ita) Polti 6.17 7. Giuseppe Di Grande (Ita) Mapei 7.56 8. Wladimir Belli (Ita) Brescialat 8.17 9. Axel Merckx (Bel) Polti 9.42 10. Sergei Gontchar (Ukr) Aki 10.26 11. Marcos Serrano (Spa) Kelme 11.31 12. Leonardo Piepoli (Ita) Refin 11.37 13. Filix Garcia Casas (Spa) Festina 11.58 14. Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Mercatone Uno 13.11 15. Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) Roslotto 13.45 16. Andrea Noe (Ita) Asics 16.30 17. Jose Rubiera (Spa) Kelme 19.07 18. Evgeni Berzin (Rus) Batik 19.14 19. Paolo Bettini (Ita) MG 20.28 20. Alberto Volpi (Ita) Batik 22.26
His compatriot Ivan Gotti retained his race lead of 51 seconds over Russian Pavel Tonkov, finishing 50 seconds after Baronti had outsprinted Filippo Casagrande and Paolo Savoldelli in an all-Italian finish to the 15th leg from Verres.
Riccardo Forconi finished three seconds behind Baronti. He was the fourth survivor of a group of 13 who had escaped 124 kilometers from the finish as incessant rain made roads slippery.
Italy's Ivan Gotti spent a nervous first day in the rain-drenched pink jersey of Giro d'Italia leader on Sunday.
He and his big rival Russian Pavel Tonkov chased in 50 seconds after Alessandro Baronti had given Italy their 10th stage win in the 15th leg from Verres.
Gotti maintained his advantage of 51 seconds over Tonkov with Frenchman Luc Leblanc third, three minutes two seconds in arrears, as the Giro entered its third and final week with cold rain in contrast to the 30 Celsius temperature of six days ago.
Gotti said: ``I was a little afraid. I did not know how my legs would answer when Tonkov attacked but it was very cold. Maybe he did it because he knows that I suffer in the cold.
``I also did not want to race too fast in the descents and take risks on the wet roads. Tonkov had told me 'now the responsibility is yours. Your team has to do all the work'.''
He is also keeping a wary eye on Leblanc. ``Although he lost time on Saturday I don't think he is finished yet,'' Gotti said.
Gotti's big test could be Wednesday's time trial. ``Perhaps wearing the pink jersey will lift me but if I do lose time there are still more mountains to come.''
Baronti, 30 on Wednesday, got his birthday celebrations off to an early start when he came from behind to outsprint compatriots Filippo Casagrande and Paolo Savoldelli after a 173-km race in persistent rain.
It was the second, and biggest, success of his three-year-old professional career.
Baronti and company were the rain-soaked remnants of a 13-strong escape 123 kilometres from the finish. The others were hunted down by Gotti and his pack.
They chiselled away a lead that was more than six minutes as the leaders reached the finish town for the first time with 81 kms to race and the 1,399-metre Mottarone mountain to climb.
Biggest loser among the contenders was Italy's Leonardo Piepoli. Fourth overall overnight he slipped out of the top 10 after quickly falling eight-and-a-half minutes behind with 20 kms remaining.
And from Saturday - Ivan Gotti conquered the mountains, upstaged dominant Pavel Tonkov and won Italian hearts as he donned the Giro d'Italia race leader's pink jersey on Saturday. Gotti's brave attack in the last 34 kilometres of the 240-km 14th stage from Racconigi wrested the colours from Tonkov after the Russian had worn the jersey for 11 days.
Screamed on by thousands lining the mountain roads, Gotti rode the final three kms alone after shaking off fellow Italian Nicola Miceli on the 2,100-metre Il Cristallo, the last of three big climbs.
Tonkov raced in fifth, 1:46 behind Gotti, at this ski resort in the shadow of the Matterhorn, and now has an overall deficit of 51 seconds on the Italian.
Gotti's drive also cracked the challenge of France's Luc Leblanc whose overnight deficit of 41 seconds on Tonkov turned into arrears of 3:02 on the new leader.
As Tonkov and Italian Leonardo Piepoli drew away from the chasing group in the last 10 kms, Leblanc slipped back, having failed on the first mountain to break clear.
When Tonkov reached the ``five kms to go'' marker, the message was painted on the road in pink: ``Gotti in rosa.''
Gotti's only other victory in seven years was on the Aprica mountain in last year's Giro. Then he beat Tonkov by three seconds.
Gotti said: ``My attack was not pre-planned, but I did not like the way the group was racing. It was slow then fast and slow again, so I made my move.
``I was surprised when Pavel did not respond, and as I came to the final climb I knew I could win.
``I will have some problems in Wednesday's time trial, but I want to be in the pink jersey when we arrive in Dalmine on Monday, because that is near my home.''
On Saturday, only four riders could match his onslaught. Among them was Axel Merckx, the son of five- times Giro winner Eddy Merckx. He is seventh overall, 5:52 behind Gotti.
The shake-up at the head of the race ended several hopes, and one pre-Giro contender, Russian Piotr Ugrumov, pulled out before the start in Racconigi. He was fourth in the Giro last year.
Italian rider Alessandro Baronti, from Team Asics, has won the 15th stage of the Giro d'Italia, disputed between Verres & Borgomanero, over 173 km. which turned out to be harder than expected due to the rain and fast tempo that the stage had from the beginning. The bad weather in the form of rain/snow at the start and the rain during the whole stage didn't intimidate the peloton, which after a tough stage 14 in the mountains, rode a fast stage 15.
There were many escape attempts in the first kilometers, none of them fruitful due to the blocking by the leader's team. That was until km. 48.5 at the intergiro, Cipollini was the first one and his acceleration helped to launch the other riders. A group formed which included: Italians Barbero, Forconi, Baronti, Chiesa, Bonetti, Roscioli, Piccoli, Palaun, F. Casagrande, Dotti, Apollonio & Savoldelli, German Werner & Russian Sivakov. None of them were dangerous for Ivan Gotti, the best one was Savoldelli at almost 15 minutes and in a few kilometers they opened a gap of about 4 minutes, even though the rain and cold were more and more intense. From that group, at the start of the climb to Mottarone, a category one, only Filippo Casagrande, Savoldelli, Baronti & Forconi remained, riders which would end up debating the stage victory as they reached the top of the climb with 4 minutes on the leader's group.
They maintained that difference, even though numerous attacks came from the chase group, one of them from Russian Pavel Tonkov who was quickly countered by leader Gotti. In the final section the quartet started their battle and first Casagrande and then Savoldelli, tried to pull away, but it would be Baronti who would impose his higher finishing speed to get his second victory as a professional. The previous one was in 1995 at la Semana Bergamasca.
1. BARONTI ALESSANDRO (Ita - Asic-CGA) km 173 in 4.29'23" (abb. 12"), media 38.532; 2. CASAGRANDE FILIPPO (Ita - Scrigno-Gaerne) s.t. (abb. 8"); 3. SAVOLDELLI PAOLO (Ita - Roslotto-ZG) s.t. (abb. 4"); 4. Forconi a 3"; 5. Noe a 50"; 6. Bettini; 7. Di Grande; 8. De Paoli; 9. Belli; 10. Leblanc; 11. Sivakov (abb. 2"); 12. Guerini; 13. Gotti; 14. Shefer; 15. Garzelli; 16. Tonkov; 17. Frigo; 18. Miceli a 1'12"; 19. Gontchar; 20. Apollonio a 4'35"; 21. Piccoli; 22. Bonetti; 23. Pistore; 24. Podenzana; 25. Garcia Casas a 4'40"; 26. Merckx; 27. Serrano; 28. Petito; 29. Berzin; 30. Chiesa; 31. Rubiera; 32. Secchiari a 7'31"; 33. Roscioli; 34. Paluan; 35. Loda; 36. Volpi; 37. Bugno; 38. Werner a 8'59"; 39. Mazzanti; 40. Piepoli; 41. Gonzalo; 42. Siboni; 43. Bortolami a 11'42"; 44. Finesso; 45. Gonzalez G.; 46. Laddomada; 47. Moos; 48. Gonzalez P.; 49. Bramati; 50. Fontanelli a 17'14"; 51. Pozzi A.; 52. Bettin; 53. Giacomelli; 54. Sacchi; 55. Barbero; 56. Scopsi; 57. Pianegonda; 58. Cenghialta; 59. Dalla Costa; 60. Steinhauser; 61. Pierdomenico; 62. Missaglia; 63. Lanfranchi; 64. Djavanian; 65. Lozano; 66. Spruch; 67. Hvastija; 68. Della Vedova; 69. Calzavara; 70. Tebaldi; 71. Lebreton; 72. Gentili; 73. Dotti; 74. Spezialetti; 75. Sgambelluri; 76. Ouslamine; 77. Jeker; 78. Velo; 79. Frattini C.; 80. Padrnos; 81. Vidal; 82. Lecchi; 83. Brognara; 84. Crepaldi; 85. Baldato; 86. Brasi; 87. Davidenko; 88. Barbagli; 89. Faresin; 90. Tani; 91. Hernandez; 92. Galletti; 93. Fincato; 94. Pellicioli; 95. Cabello; 96. Conti; 97. Traversoni; 98. Santaromita; 99. Bottaro; 100. Patuelli; 101. Puttini; 102. Donati; 103. Vergnani; 104. Gasperoni; 105. Coppolillo; 106. Vatteroni a 19'49"; 107. Schmidt; 108. Zanette; 109. Poser; 110. Wust a 20'31"; 111. Rossato a 20'35"; 112. Edo; 113. Manzoni; 114. Giraldi; 115. Fornaciari; 116. Andriotto; 117. Lietti; 118. Cipollini (abb. 6"); 119. Frattini F.; 120. Cassani; 121. Gualdi; 122. Magnusson; 123. Gallorini; 124. Larsen; 125. Mondini; 126. Leoni; 127. Caruso; 128. Molinari; 129. Cauz; 130. Ouchakov; 131. Bontempi; 132. Calcaterra; 133. Boscardin; 134. Pumar; 135. Peschel; 136. Di Renzo; 137. Konyshev (abb. 4"); 138. Celestino; 139. Aggiano; 140. Alberati a 22'01". Registered for the race: 180. Started the stage: 142. Finished: 140. Retired: 2 (Murtas & Roncancio). GENERAL CLASSIFICATION: 1. GOTTI IVAN (Ita - Saeco) in 70.24'51", media 38.613; 2. TONKOV PAVEL (Rus - Mapei-GB) a 51"; 3. LEBLANC LUC (Fra - Team Polti) a 3'02"; 4. Shefer a 3'40"; 5. Miceli a 4'07"; 6. Guerini a 6'17"; 7. Di Grande a 7'56"; 8. Belli a 8'17"; 9. Merckx a 9'42"; 10. Gontchar a 10'26"; 11. Serrano a 11'31"; 12. Piepoli a 11'37"; 13. Garcia a 11'58"; 14. Garzelli a 13'11"; 15. Savoldelli a 13'45"; 16. Noe a 16'30"; 17. Rubiera a 19'07"; 18. Berzin a 19'14"; 19. Bettini a 20'28"; 20. Volpi a 22'26"; 21. Frigo a 24'20"; 22. Secchiari a 28'17"; 23. Gentili a 29'39"; 24. Forconi a 30'38"; 25. Conti a 32'05"; 26. Gonzalo a 32'29"; 27. Podenzana a 37'29"; 28. Gonzalez P. a 40'50"; 29. Petito a 40'52"; 30. Faresin a 43'43"; 31. Mazzanti a 44'29"; 32. Sgambelluri a 46'06"; 33. Siboni a 46'20"; 34. De Paoli a 46'48"; 35. Paluan a 46'55"; 36. Pellicioli a 47'39"; 37. Velo a 48'33"; 38. Puttini a 48'48"; 39. Jeker a 50'32"; 40. Piccoli a 52'52"; 41. Coppolillo a 53'09"; 42. Donati a 56'55"; 43. Cenghialta a 59'47"; 44. Pierdomenico a 59'55"; 45. Steinhauser a 1.00'08"; 46. Bortolami a 1.01'29"; 47. Loda a 1.01'34"; 48. Gasperoni a 1.01'48"; 49. Calzavara a 1.03'12"; 50. Patuelli a 1.04'; 51. Barbero a 1.09'31"; 52. Sivakov a 1.10'06"; 53. Konyshev a 1.10'09"; 54. Pistore a 1.13'19"; 55. Padrnos a 1.16'05"; 56. Lanfranchi a 1.16'16"; 57. Lozano a 1.17'40"; 58. Spezialetti a 1.18'25"; 59. Ouslamine a 1.18'35"; 60. Dotti a 1.20'; 61. Vergnani a 1.21'15"; 62. Lecchi a 1.23'57"; 63. Laddomada a 1.27'06"; 64. Gonzalez G. a 1.27'15"; 65. Frattini F. a 1.28'03"; 66. Hernandez a 1.28'37"; 67. Fincato a 1.28'41"; 68. Vatteroni a 1.29'45"; 69. Molinari a 1.29'51"; 70. Davidenko a 1.30'01"; 71. Della Vedova a 1.35'32"; 72. Missaglia; 73. Roscioli a 1.35'39"; 74. Hvastija a 1.37'; 75. Finesso a 1.38'47"; 76. Tebaldi a 1.42'23"; 77. Poser a 1.42'54"; 78. Brognara a 1.43'18"; 79. Casagrande Fil. a 1.44'13"; 80. Boscardin a 1.45'32"; 81. Mondini a 1.46'24"; 82. Chiesa a 1.47'11"; 83. Tani a 1.47'23"; 84. Baldato a 1.47'53"; 85. Manzoni a 1.47'58"; 86. Frattini C. a 1.48'19"; 87. Lebreton a 1.48'25"; 88. Gualdi a 1.48'51"; 89. Galletti a 1.50'07"; 90. Lietti; 91. Bonetti a 1.51'03"; 92. Pumar a 1.51'57"; 93. Caruso a 1.53'36"; 94. Crepaldi a 1.53'42"; 95. Baronti a 1.53'49"; 96. Alberati a 1.54'04"; 97. Giraldi a 1.55'57"; 98. Cabello a 1.57'35"; 99. Apollonio a 1.58'08"; 100. Zanette a 1.58'09"; 101. Pozzi A. a 1.58'43"; 102. Celestino a 1.59'15"; 103. Ouchakov a 1.59'42"; 104. Vidal a 2.00'21"; 105. Scopsi a 2.00'48"; 106. Brasi a 2.01'36"; 107. Fontanelli a 2.02'30"; 108. Bugno a 2.02'45"; 109. Barbagli a 2.02'47"; 110. Cipollini a 2.04'14"; 111. Gallorini a 2.04'43"; 112. Bramati a 2.06'35"; 113. Traversoni a 2.08'38"; 114. Sacchi a 2.08'58"; 115. Dalla Costa a 2.10'11"; 116. Werner a 2.10'42"; 117. Moos a 2.11'; 118. Bettin a 2.11'30"; 119. Larsen a 2.12'15"; 120. Edo a 2.14'30"; 121. Wust a 2.17'12"; 122. Leoni a 2.17'16"; 123. Magnusson a 2.17'22"; 124. Andriotto a 2.17'49"; 125. Fornaciari a 2.19'18"; 126. Djavanian a 2.19'35"; 127. Bottaro a 2.20'16"; 128. Spruch a 2.20'29"; 129. Cassani a 2.24'47"; 130. Peschel a 2.26'10"; 131. Pianegonda a 2.26'57"; 132. Bontempi a 2.30'; 133. Calcaterra a 2.31'29"; 134. Schmidt a 2.32'39"; 135. Santaromita a 2.35'35"; 136. Aggiano a 2.37'33"; 137. Giacomelli a 2.45'57"; 138. Di Renzo a 2.52'50"; 139. Cauz 2.54'02"; 140. Rossato a 3.00'09"