4th Settimana Ciclistica Internazionale Coppi-Bartali - 2.3

Italy, March 24-28, 2004

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Stage 1b - March 24: Misano-Misano TTT, 10.7 km

Fassa dominates time trial

Marco Velo (Fassa Bortolo)
Photo ©: Sirotti

The Fassa Bortolo team took the second half stage in the Settimana Coppi & Bartali, a 10.7 km team time trial in Misano. The silver team won in a time of 12'55, beating Lampre by just 1 second and Panaria by four seconds. Fassa Bortolo's Marco Velo took over the leader's jersey as a result, and dedicated it to his former teammate Marco Pantani.

"The team's victory gave me this jersey," said Velo. "Now we will take it from day to day. But this jersey I share with Marco: I bound my career to him, I lived with Pantani in his best years. In these parts, here in Romagna, we passed a lot of time together at Marco's house, in training, with his family. So this victory and this jersey I dedicate to the Pirate. I only want to remember Marco with his arms in the air, him taking pleasure from cycling. What happened, happened, let's suppose it was a stone from above. I didn't feel him any more and I saw that from the 2003 Giro; I invited him to my wedding but it was impossible to talk to him then. I married on October 24, I called him many times, but nothing. He had vanished.

Fassa Bortolo
Photo ©: Sirotti

"What has changed with his passing? Pantani was a representative of cycling, I still remember the roar of the fans when he passed through. I still believe in this sport, in San Remo there were so many people. I await the heir of Marco, but he was unique.

"What do I miss about him most? I miss his grim expression, the push that it gave me when I was at his side. I am a rider that will give everything for his captain, yesterday to Marco, today to Petacchi.

Photography

Images by Olympia Photo

Fassa Bortolo en route to victory

Images by Fotoreporter Sirotti

Fassa Bortolo at the start
De Nardi trying to defend Gasparre's jersey
Vini Caldirola in suffer mode
Fassa Bortolo was the fastest team of the day
Saeco powers along
Colnago-Landbouwkrediet in action
Lampre came within one second of winning the TTT
Marco Velo (Fassa Bortolo) in the leader's jersey

Results

1 Fassa Bortolo                              12.55
2 Lampre                                      0.01
3 Panaria                                     0.04
4 Saeco                                       0.05
5 Alessio-Bianchi                             0.06
6 Domina Vacanze                              0.09
7 Barloworld                                  0.10
8 LBK                                         0.13
9 Vini Caldirola                              0.18
10 Acqua&Sapone

General classification after stage 1b

1 Marco Velo (Ita) Fassa Bortolo           2.21.22
2 Gustav Erik Larsson (Swe) Fassa Bortolo
3 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
4 Mauro Facci (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
5 Alberto Ongarato (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
6 Massimo Codol (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
7 Mariano Piccoli (Ita) Lampre                0.02
8 Sergio Barbero (Ita) Lampre
9 Daniele Righi (Ita) Lampre
10 Michele Scotto d'Abusco (Ita) Lampre