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86th Giro d'Italia - Grand Tour
Italy, May 10-June 1, 2003
Main Page Stage Profile Start List Results
Stage 13 - May 23: Pordenone-Marostica, 155 km
Complete Live Report
Start time: 13:15 CEST
Estimated finish time: 17:00 CEST
Welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 13 of the Giro d'Italia. Today's route from Pordenone to Marostica will serve as a fast transitional stage following yesterday's battle on the Monte Zoncolan, and before tomorrow's finish atop the Alpe Di Pampeago. Today's stage features one InterGiro sprint, coming just 25km into the race, and one GPM climb at Salita della Rosina (km 124).
Yesterday's winner on the Monte Zoncolan, Gilberto Simoni, begins another day in the Maglia Rosa, 44 seconds ahead of Stefano Garzelli. It's a warm, sunny day, and the crowds are out in force.
14:30 CEST
The race began today at a relatively calm pace, as riders took time in Sacile
(km 10) to honour deceased Fassa Bortolo rider Dennis Zanette, a native of the
town. Sacile is also the adopted hometown of Biagio Conte. Fans displayed posters
for both men throughout the town.
Moreno Di Biase took the InterGiro sprint today, which will keep him in the lead of that competition ahead of Team fakta's Magnus Bäckstedt. Di Biase and Bäckstedt are the smallest and largest riders in the Giro, respectively, making for an interesting contrast in the InterGiro battles.
The top three at the InterGiro were Di Biase, Jan Svorada, and Bäckstedt.
14:45 CEST - 55 km / 100 to go
The pace is picking up now, and the peloton is stretching out as a few riders
make brief, unsuccessful attempts to break clear.
Two riders have already abandoned today, both from the Tenax team: Mirko Marini and Mauro Zanetti.
15:05 CEST - 67 km / 88 to go
A group of 15 riders has moved clear with a small advantage, around 25".
Cyclingnews spoke to Fassa Bortolo's Marzio Bruseghin before the race today. Bruseghin was the first rider to reach the Zoncolan after a solo break yesterday, and today the race passed near his home as it passed through the InterGiro sprint. As Bruseghin joked with Cyclingnews "I'd like to just turn and go home but I don't think I can today."
15:14 CEST - 75 km / 80 to go
The peloton is once again all together as the race hits the town of Montebelluna.
The race is continuing at a fairly quick pace, and is already ahead of schedule,
despite the slow start and tribute to Zanette.
15:26 CEST
Things are fairly stable in the bunch as the race enters the third hour. The
average speed for the first two hours of racing was just over 39 km/h. Although
this is not a day of any serious climbing, the route takes in three climbs of
the Salita della Rosina over a finishing circuit, and this could help soften
things up if a strong break can form.
15:40 CEST - 94 km / 61 to go
The Lotto-Domo team is currently leading the peloton, though the pace is steady
and the attacks from the last hour have calmed down a bit. At the other end
of the race is Marco Pantani, surrounded by several Mercatone Uno teammates.
No problems for the Pirate, he appears to be sitting comfortably and stretching
his legs a bit.
15:48 CEST - 98 km / 57 to go
In the next 10 km, the race will enter the fiishing circuit, where riders may
choose to attack on the climb, or even between climbs. The peloton is bunched
up, taking up most of the wide road. Race leader Gilberto Simoni is slowly moving
up in the group, well protected by his Saeco teammates.
15:56 CEST - 105 km / 50 to go
The field has now entered the finishing circuit, under the control of Fassa
Bortolo, but still at a modest pace. The race is passing through the medieval
town of Marostica, where to the right of the parcours is the giant chess board
which once a year hosts the human chess match.
Due in part to the more narrow streets, the peloton is now beginning to stretch out. Lotto-Domo and Fassa Bortolo are still up front, keeping an eye out for eventual attacks.
16:02 CEST - 111 km / 44 to go
Team fakta's Norwegian champion Kurt Asle Arvesen has decided he will be the
first to attack on the first trip up the climb of Salita della Rosina. Arvesen
has a small gap, and he's looking good. Meanwhile, a Gerolsteiner rider has
been stopped by a mechanical problem.
Arvesen is being pulled back by Fassa Bortolo, who can think realistically of a victory for Alessandro Petacchi. The climb is not too serious, and the final summit is still 8.5 km from the finish, so the sprinters have a chance.
16:13 CEST - 122 km / 33 to go
Dario Frigo (Fassa Bortolo) was the first rider in line to lead the peloton
down the descent as Fassa Bortolo remains in control. The descent is quite quick,
with enough turns to keep the bunch on its toes.
Through Marostica once again, and the field is together across the finish line. Two more laps remain of this finishing circuit, as Lampre moves to the front to join Fassa Bortolo in the pace-setting.
16:19 CEST - 123 km / 32 to go
The pace is steadily speeding up as the riders exit Marostica in a long line.
Lampre has six riders lined up single file at the head of the field. Jan Svorada
has already been somewhat active today, and may be thinking of a stage victory.
16:26 CEST
On the second climb of the Salita della Rosina, and this time there are GPM
points on offer. Three riders have moved clear: Fredy Gonzalez (Colombia-Selle
Italia), Fortunato Baliani, and Gonzalez's teammate Rafaelo Illiani. They have
6" advantage.
Marco Pantani and his Mercatone Uno teammates have moved to the head of the field.
Gonzalez and Baliani move ahead to fight out the GPM sprint, as Illiano is absorbed by the Mercatone Uno-led field. Gonzalez gets the sprint, and lets Baliani know with a few pointed fingers that he didn't appreciate Baliani complicating his sprint.
16:28 CEST - 127 km / 28 to go
Gonzalez sat up after the sprint, but Baliani has decided to go it alone and
press ahead on the descent. Pantani's faithful teammate Roberto Conti ended
up taking third in the GPM points, and the team continues to lead the field,
now on the descent.
16:34 CEST - 131 km / 24 to go
Baliani has been joined on the descent by Michele Gobbi (De Nardi-Colpack),
and the two are working together. With two climbs down and one to go, the Salita
della Rosina is not causing much damage in the field. A field sprint is a real
possibility.
16:37 CEST - 138 km / 17 to go
Double stage winner Robbie McEwen could be looking at his last chance for a
stage win today, if he does in fact pull out of the race as (he) predicted.
The field has just passed through the finish line, so there's just 15km to go and one more climb.
Jimmy Casper (FDJeux.com) has found himself off the back of the field, so he won't be contesting the sprint. However, it's his teammate Bernhard Eisel who has given FDJeux their best sprint results thus far, and Eisel could be a factor still.
16:40 CEST - 141 km / 14 to go
Marco Pantani and his Mercatone Uno teammates are still at the head of the race,
perhaps inspired by the Pirate's strong performance yesterday on the Zoncolan.
This is not a stage for Pantani to win, but he may be gaining confidence and
more interested in staying up front with the leaders.
Will Giovanni Lombardi have a go for Domina Vacanze in the absence of team leader Mario Cipollini?
16:43 CEST - 143 km / 12 to go
Julian Winn (Team fakta) has launched a storming attack on the lower slopes
of the climb, but the pace is extremely high and Mercatone Uno is not going
to let him go easily. Massimo Codol is leading the Mercatone train.
Petacchi is still in the lead group, as are all of the GC favourites, of course.
McEwen, however, is losing ground on the climb. He'll have some time to recover, but staying in contact with the lead group will be critical.
Garzelli attacks! Who other to begin the chase than race leader Gilberto Simoni. Pantani is clawing his way back as well... he's on. Popovych is joining the train, and the fight is on. A minute ago this was looking like a sprinter's stage, but that could be changing quickly.
16:46 CEST
Pantani leads the group over the summit, along with Frigo, Garzelli, Simoni,
Popovych, and Scarponi. Now Frigo attacks on the false flat following the 'summit'
of the climb.
16:49 CEST - 150 km / 5 to go
Lombardi did get over with these leaders, and Domina Vacanze have three riders
in the lead selection. Frigo is still ahead, with one rider coming up to him.
Several riders have just crashed, including a Saeco rider and one from Tenax (Pozzi).
Frigo is up front with Georg Tochnig (Gerolsteiner), and the two are pushing to the finish.
16:52 CEST - 152 km / 3 to go
Gasparre (De Nardi-Colpack) has launched a counter attack, and is rapidly bridging
up to the two leaders. Petacchi is in this lead group, so Fassa Bortolo will
not chase Frigo, particularly since they have another (fast) card to play.
Mercatone Uno and Saeco are leading the chase, and suddenly Fassa Bortolo has moved up too. So much for not chasing their own.
16:54 CEST - 154 km / 1 to go
Gasparre has decided to attack again, seeing that Frigo had stopped pulling
through. Rather quickly Fassa Bortolo has reeled in the break, and Gasparre,
and Frigo jumped right on the front of the Fassa train.
16:55 CEST - Finish
Gabriele Colombo launches the sprint for Domina Vacanze, along with Bennati.
But it's Alessandro Petacchi who comes through for a very fast finish. Petacchi
began his sprint from a fair distance out, but easily overtook Bennati, while
Garzelli hung on and gained valuable bonus seconds in the general classification.
Unofficial 1 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 3.38.58 2 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Domina Vacanze-Elitron 3 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Vini Caldirola-SO.DI 4 Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) Vini Caldirola-SO.DI 5 Lorenzo Bernucci (Ita) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 6 Matteo Carrara (Ita) De Nardi-Colpack 7 Gerhard Trampusch (Aut) Gerolsteiner 8 Paolo Lanfranchi (Ita) Ceramiche Panaria-Fiordo 9 10 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago General classification after stage 13 1 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Team Saeco 60.59.16 2 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Vini Caldirola-SO.DI 0.36 3 Andrea Noe' (Ita) Alessio 2.23 4 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago 3.00 5 Francesco Casagrande (Ita) Lampre 4.14 6 Raimondas Rumsas (Ltu) Lampre 4.20 7 Georg Totschnig (Aut) Gerolsteiner 4.42 8 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Alessio 4.49
