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85th Giro d'Italia (GT)
Italy, May 11-June 2, 2002
Stage profile Results Live coverage Next stage
Prologue - May 11: Groningen ITT, 6.5 km
JC Dominguez one better that Rik Verbrugghe
By Jeff Jones
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Spaniard Juan Carlos Dominguez has given his Phonak team a perfect start in the Giro d'Italia, winning the prologue in Groningen by just one second from pre-race favourite Rik Verbrugghe. In good conditions, Dominguez clocked 8'12 for the 6.5 kilometres to average 47.5 km/h, an excellent ride considering there were 17 corners to negotiate. In third place was Paolo Savoldelli (Index-Alexia), another prologue specialist who has finished as high as second on GC in the Giro.
The prologue in the Dutch town of Groningen was well attended, providing some form of relief to the nation after the shocking death of radical politician Pim Fortuyn last week. The airwaves have been dominated by that event, and no doubt will be for some time to come. However today it was 'Gironingen Day', and that was cause for celebration.
Early leader in the race was Rabobank's Grischa Niermann. Although German, Niermann was quite popular due to the nationality of his team. His time of 8'22 stood for a while until Austrian Matthias Buxhofer (Phonak) went two seconds better, and no-one could beat him.
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As the riders continued to roll in, Buxhofer's time was starting to look quite good, perhaps even a podium finish which would be a great result for his team who are in their first Giro d'Italia. As the clock wound down, riders such as Dario Frigo, Serguei Gontchar and Paolo Bettini couldn't better it, while the GC favourites Francesco Casagrande and Stefano Garzelli finished in the 8'30s.
Then came Rik Verbrugghe. The fire-topped but otherwise cool and calm Belgian won this stage last year, and meant to do it again. He rode extremely well and was clearly satisfied with his time as he crossed in 8'13, eight seconds quicker than Buxhofer. There were still a few riders to come though, including Mario Cipollini, Michael Boogerd and Gilberto Simoni.
Cipollini was clad in a tiger-striped skinsuit, with a bike to match and it looked as though he meant business. A good time in the prologue would set things up for him to take the pink jersey in the early stages, provided he was sprinting well. Unfortunately for the Lion(?) King, Cipollini's rear wheel developed what looked like a slow leak, and he had trouble controlling it around the corners. His time of 8'27 wasn't bad considering.
Another rider who had a bad ride was CSC's Tyler Hamilton, who was on target for a time in the 8'20's when he slipped on some paint around a corner and crashed heavily into a barrier. He hurt his hand, and went onto finish in 8'46. Hopefully the injury is nothing serious, as he's considered a GC contender.
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After Cipollini finished, it was the turn of Juan Carlos Dominguez to come sprinting to the line. The Spaniard who's no slouch in a time trial, and has won several stage races, surprised more than a few observers by going under Verbrugghe's time. 8'12 was going to be very hard to beat, considering there were not too many behind him.
That turned out to be correct, as Boogerd came through in 8'25 for an eventual 9th place, and Simoni who was riding two 650c wheels, finished in a respectable 8'46. The defending champion was quite positive with his result, saying "I gave it my all. What more do you want?"
Dominguez also surprised the Italians, who had no Phonak sticker to put on his pink jersey on the podium. An unfortunate oversight, and one that his team manager was not too happy about. "I guess they didn't really think that I was going to win," smiled Dominguez who described himself as "Very, very happy. I gave it all my force."
"The general classification might be tough for me in a big Tour," he added. "I won a lot of one week races, but I've never really gone well in a Grand Tour. Usually in the last week I croak."
His team will have the task of defending the jersey when the Giro travels from Groningen to Münster tomorrow, over a distance of 215 kilometres. It's not a tough stage, and he should have no problems in staying in pink, provided Phonak can control the race sufficiently.
Photography
Photos by Fotoreporter Sirotti
- Giro director Carmine Castellano - with UCI president Hein Verbruggen (R) under the Martinitoren in Groningen
- Mario Cipollini (Acqua e Sapone) - lines up at the starting gate looking very striped.
- Juan Carlos Dominguez (Phonak) - checks to see if everything's there before he starts
- Dario Frigo (Tacconi) - contemplates the start
- Stefano Garzelli (Mapei) - listens to the countdown
- Marco Pantani (Mercatone Uno) - concentrates at the start
- Pavel Tonkov (Lampre) - gets ready to roll
- Gilberto Simoni (Saeco) - the last rider off
- A Rabobank rider - starts to the appreciation of the crowd
- Prologue winner - Juan Carlos Dominguez (Phonak) flies round a corner
- Rik Verbrugghe (Lotto) - was fast, but not fast enough in the prologue
- Defending champion Gilberto Simoni (Saeco-Longoni Sport) - was happy with his prologue
- Local hope Michael Boogerd (Rabobank) - rode well to finish in eighth place.
- Francesco Casagrande (Fassa bortolo) - did not lose too much time
- Mario Cipollini (Acqua e Sapone) - in his tiger skin tights and matching bike
- Pavel Tonkov (Lampre) - did not have a great ride, and finished 141st
- Stefano Garzelli (Mapei) - had a respectable ride today
- Ivan Gotti (Alessio) - rides during the prologue
- Marco Pantani (Mercatone Uno) - focuses during the prologue in Groningen
- Julio Perez Cuapio (Panaria) - did not lose too much time today.
- Fernando Escartin (Team Coast) - concentrates on getting around a corner
- Juan Carlos Dominguez - smiles as the first pink jersey wearer.
- A happy Juan Carlos Dominguez - with his team manager Urs Freuler after the presentation (they found a Phonak sticker at last)
Results
1 Juan Carlos Dominguez (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems 8.12 (47.56 km/h) 2 Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Lotto-Adecco 0.01 3 Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) Index Alexia 0.04 4 Matthias Buxhofer (Aut) Phonak Hearing Systems 0.08 5 Frank Hoj (Den) Team Coast 0.09 6 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner 0.10 7 Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank 8 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 0.12 9 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Team CSC Tiscali 0.13 10 Torsten Hiekmann (Ger) Team Telekom 0.14 11 Robbie Mcewen (Aus) Lotto-Adecco 12 Oscar Pereiro Sio (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems 0.15 13 Mario Cipollini (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Cantina Tollo 14 Marc Streel (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 15 Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) Tacconi Sport-Emmegi 16 Cadel Evans (Aus) Mapei-Quick Step 17 Juan Manuel Garate (Spa) Lampre-Daikin 0.17 18 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step 19 Jan Boven (Ned) Rabobank 20 Massimo Strazzer (Ita) Phonak Hearing Systems 21 Fabio Sacchi (Ita) Saeco-Longoni Sport 22 Robert Hunter (Rsa) Mapei-Quick Step 23 Cristian Moreni (Ita) Alessio 0.18 24 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step 25 Massimo Codol (Ita) Lampre-Daikin 0.19 26 Aitor Gonzalez Jimenez (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 27 Michele Bartoli (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 0.20 28 Dario Frigo (Ita) Tacconi Sport-Emmegi 29 Sven Teutenberg (Ger) Phonak Hearing Systems 30 Mariano Piccoli (Ita) Lampre-Daikin 0.21 31 Francesco Casagrande (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 32 Isaac Galvez Lopez (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 33 Kurt Van De Wouwer (Bel) Lotto-Adecco 0.22 34 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 35 Andrea Noe' (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step 36 Andrea Peron (Ita) Team CSC Tiscali 37 René Haselbacher (Aut) Gerolsteiner 38 Dario David Cioni (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step 39 Gianni Faresin (Ita) Gerolsteiner 40 Lorenzo Bernucci (Ita) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 0.23 41 Gabriele Missaglia (Ita) Lampre-Daikin 42 Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) Team Coast 43 Francisco Leon Mane (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 44 Maximilian Sciandri (GBr) Lampre-Daikin 0.24 45 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Rabobank 46 Daniele De Paoli (Ita) Alessio 47 Sergio Barbero (Ita) Lampre-Daikin 48 Angel Vicioso Arcos (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 49 Milan Kadlec (Cze) Lampre-Daikin 0.25 50 Alexandre Moos (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 51 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 52 Ief Verbrugghe (Bel) Lotto-Adecco 53 Wladimir Belli (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 54 Christophe Detilloux (Bel) Lotto-Adecco 55 Denis Bondarenko (Rus) Formaggi Trentini 0.26 56 Daniele Nardello (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step 57 Serhiy Honchar (Ukr) Fassa Bortolo 58 Stefan Van Dijck (Ned) Lotto-Adecco 59 Malte Urban (Ger) Team Coast 60 Igor Astarloa (Spa) Saeco-Longoni Sport 61 Danilo Hondo (Ger) Team Telekom 62 Marc Lotz (Ned) Rabobank 63 Ruggero Marzoli (Ita) Formaggi Trentini 0.27 64 Hernan Dario Munoz (Col) Colombia-Selle Italia 65 Dmitri Konyshev (Rus) Fassa Bortolo 0.28 66 Kai Hundertmark (Ger) Team Telekom 67 Daniele Contrini (Ita) Gerolsteiner 68 Steve Zampieri (Swi) Tacconi Sport-Emmegi 69 Davide Bramati (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step 0.29 70 Torsten Schmidt (Ger) Gerolsteiner 71 Aart Vierhouten (Ned) Lotto-Adecco 72 Gabriele Colombo (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Cantina Tollo 73 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Cantina Tollo 74 Fortunato Baliani (Ita) Colombia-Selle Italia 75 Stephan Schreck (Ger) Team Telekom 0.30 76 Vladimir Miholievic (Cro) Alessio 77 Fernando Escartin (Spa) Team Coast 0.31 78 Renzo Mazzoleni (Ita) Team Colpack-Astro 79 Matthias Kessler (Ger) Team Telekom 80 Raphael Schweda (Ger) Team Coast 81 Thierry Marichal (Bel) Lotto-Adecco 82 Alessandro Spezialetti (Ita) Saeco-Longoni Sport 83 Massimo Apollonio (Ita) Tacconi Sport-Emmegi 84 Kurt Van Lancker (Bel) Lotto-Adecco 0.32 85 Lars Michaelsen (Den) Team Coast 86 Leonardo Giordani (Ita) Team Colpack-Astro 87 Rolf Sorensen (Den) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 88 Michael Rasmussen (Den) Team CSC Tiscali 89 Sergiy Matveyev (Ukr) Ceramiche Panaria-Fiordo 90 Paolo Fornaciari (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step 91 Biagio Conte (Ita) Saeco-Longoni Sport 92 Denis Zanette (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 93 Marius Sabaliauskas (Ltu) Saeco-Longoni Sport 94 Carlos Contreras (Col) Colombia-Selle Italia 95 Daniele Righi (Ita) Index Alexia 0.33 96 Yuri Mitlushenko (Ukr) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 97 Addy Engels (Ned) Rabobank 98 Uros Murn (Slo) Formaggi Trentini 99 Bert Grabsch (Ger) Phonak Hearing Systems 100 Tyler Hamilton (USA) Team CSC Tiscali 101 Simone Bertoletti (Ita) Lampre-Daikin 102 Oscar Cavagnis (Ita) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 0.34 103 Peter Wrolich (Aut) Gerolsteiner 104 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Saeco-Longoni Sport 105 Mauro Gerosa (Ita) Tacconi Sport-Emmegi 106 Graeme Brown (Aus) Ceramiche Panaria-Fiordo 0.35 107 Francisco J. Lara Ruiz (Spa) Team Coast 108 Ellis Rastelli (Ita) Gerolsteiner 109 Alessandro Bertolini (Ita) Alessio 0.36 110 Fabiano Fontanelli (Ita) Mercatone Uno 111 Saulius Ruskys (Ltu) Gerolsteiner 112 Igor Pugaci (Mda) Saeco-Longoni Sport 113 Serguei Yakovlev (Kaz) Team Telekom 114 Fredy Gonzalez (Col) Colombia-Selle Italia 0.37 115 Mykhaylo Khalilov (Ukr) Colombia-Selle Italia 116 Matteo Gigli (Ita) Team Colpack-Astro 117 Georg Totschnig (Aut) Gerolsteiner 118 Antonio Rizzi (Ita) Formaggi Trentini 119 André Korff (Ger) Team Coast 0.38 120 Domenico Romano (Ita) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 121 Ralf Grabsch (Ger) Team Telekom 122 Santiago Perez Fernandez (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 123 Fabrice Gougot (Fra) Phonak Hearing Systems 124 Geert Verheyen (Bel) Rabobank 125 Martin Derganc (Slo) Acqua & Sapone-Cantina Tollo 126 Gian Mario Ortenzi (Ita) Mercatone Uno 127 Vladimir Duma (Ukr) Ceramiche Panaria-Fiordo 128 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Team Colpack-Astro 129 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 0.39 130 Guido Trenti (USA) Acqua & Sapone-Cantina Tollo 131 Mathew Hayman (Aus) Rabobank 132 Daniel Clavero (Spa) Mercatone Uno 133 Ivan Gotti (Ita) Alessio 134 Julio Perez Cuapio (Mex) Ceramiche Panaria-Fiordo 135 Juan D. Ramirez (Col) Colombia-Selle Italia 136 Mario Scirea (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Cantina Tollo 0.40 137 Mauro Zinetti (Ita) Index Alexia 138 Denis Lunghi (Ita) Team Colpack-Astro 139 Joaquim Castelblanco (Col) Colombia-Selle Italia 140 Roberto Conti (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Cantina Tollo 0.41 141 Pavel Tonkov (Rus) Lampre-Daikin 142 Saja Gajicic (Yug) Formaggi Trentini 143 Dario Andriotto (Ita) Index Alexia 144 Alessio Galletti (Ita) Saeco-Longoni Sport 0.42 145 Jens Heppner (Ger) Team Telekom 146 Mauro Radaelli (Ita) Tacconi Sport-Emmegi 147 Angelo Furlan (Ita) Alessio 0.43 148 Danny Jonasson (Den) Team CSC Tiscali 149 Manuel Beltran (Spa) Team Coast 0.44 150 Michele Colleoni (Ita) Team Colpack-Astro 151 Mario Manzoni (Ita) Index Alexia 152 Francesco Secchiari (Ita) Mercatone Uno 153 Luca Mazzanti (Ita) Mercatone Uno 154 Bo Hamburger (Den) Index Alexia 155 Francisco Cerezo Perales Francisco (Spa) Team CSC Ti 0.45 156 Cayetano Julia Cegarra (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 157 Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Alessio 158 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Tacconi Sport-Emmegi 159 Giovanni Lombardi (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Cantina Tollo 160 Paolo Lanfranchi (Ita) Index Alexia 161 Faat Zakirov (Rus) Ceramiche Panaria-Fiordo 0.46 162 Zoran Klemencic (Slo) Tacconi Sport-Emmegi 163 Marco Pantani (Ita) Mercatone Uno 164 Volodymyr Bileka (Ukr) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 165 Luis Laverde Jimenez (Col) Formaggi Trentini 0.47 166 Thorwald Veneberg (Ned) Rabobank 167 Oscar Mason (Ita) Saeco-Longoni Sport 168 Yauheni Seniushkine (Blr) Ceramiche Panaria-Fiordo 169 Andrei Mizourov (Kaz) Mercatone Uno 170 Moreno Di Biase (Ita) Formaggi Trentini 171 Cédric Fragniere (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems 0.48 172 Manuel Calvente (Spa) Team CSC Tiscali 173 Mauro Zanetti (Ita) Alessio 174 Vladimir Smirnov (Ltu) Team Colpack-Astro 0.49 175 Marcelino Garcia Alonso (Spa) Team CSC Tiscali 176 Hector Mesa Mesa (Col) Formaggi Trentini 177 Miguel Angel Meza (Mex) Team Colpack-Astro 0.50 178 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Alessio 179 Domenico Gualdi (Ita) Formaggi Trentini 180 Juan De Los Angeles (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 0.51 181 Ivan Quaranta (Ita) Index Alexia 182 Enrico Degano (Ita) Ceramiche Panaria-Fiordo 0.52 183 Filippo Perfetto (Ita) Ceramiche Panaria-Fiordo 184 Cristian Gasperoni (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Cantina Tollo 0.53 185 John Freddy Garcia (Col) Colombia-Selle Italia 186 Roberto Sgambelluri (Ita) Mercatone Uno 187 Ruben Alverio Marin (Col) Colombia-Selle Italia 188 Riccardo Forconi (Ita) Mercatone Uno 0.55 189 Sergiy Adyeyev (Ukr) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 0.56 190 Eddy Serri (Ita) Index Alexia 0.57 191 Gustavo Otero Gomez (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 0.59 192 Ruggero Borghi (Ita) Tacconi Sport-Emmegi 1.00 193 Jan Schaffrath (Ger) Team Telekom 1.05 194 Nicola Chesini (Ita) Ceramiche Panaria-Fiordo 1.10 195 Hidenori Nodera (Jpn) Team Colpack-Astro 1.11 196 Jesus Manzano Ruaño (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 1.12 197 Jimmi Madsen (Den) Team CSC Tiscali 1.16 198 Gorazd Stangelj (Slo) Fassa Bortolo 5.31 Fair play 1 Ceramiche Panaria - Fiordo 0 2 Colombia - Selle Italia 0 3 Fassa Bortolo 0 4 Formaggi Trentini 0 5 Gerolsteiner 0 6 Index Alexia 0 7 Kelme - Costa Blanca 0 8 Lampre - Daikin 0 9 Landbouwkrediet - Colnago 0 10 Lotto - Adecco 0 11 Mapei - Quick Step 0 12 Mercatone Uno 0 13 Phonak Hearing Systems 0 14 Rabobank 0 15 Saeco - Longoni Sport 0 16 Tacconi Sport 0 17 Team Coast 0 18 Team Colpack - Astro 0 19 Team Csc - Tiscali 0 20 Team Telekom 0 21 Acqua&Sapone - Cantina Tollo 30 22 Alessio 30
