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88th Giro d'Italia - PT
Italy, May 7-29, 2005
Main Page Results & report Stage Details Previous Stage Next Stage
Stage 2 - May 9: Catanzaro Lido - S.M. del Cedro, 182 km
Commentary by Jeff Jones, with additional reporting from John Trevorrow
Complete live report
14:23 CEST
Welcome back to the Cyclingnews
observation dirigible, the Hindenburg IV, which as you can tell from
the commentary, is now being powered completely by hot air. It's a bit less
flammable than hydrogen anyway.
Today we are hovering over the southern
part of Italy again, between Catanzaro Lido and Santa Maria Del Cedro, where
the second stage is unfolding beneath us. Today's stage is fairly flat, with
just the small climb to Catanzaro to conquer in the first 15 km. When the riders
reach Santa Maria Del Cedro, they will do a finishing circuit of 13.8 km, giving
the sprinters a chance to view the approach to the line before they do it at
65-70 km/h.
14:33 CEST 66km/116km to go
The stage started
at 12:36 with all 196 riders present. It was a fairly steady roll out from Catanzaro
Lido until the first climb, where Rafaele Illiano (Colombia-Selle Italia) took
the points ahead of mountains leader Thorwald Veneberg (Rabobank) and Bram Schmitz
(T-Mobile). As it's the only climb today, it means that Veneberg will keep the
jersey.
Just 30.5 km were covered in the first hour, so we're back
to standard Italian racing style. Then at km 34, Philippe Schnyder (Colombia-Selle
Italia), Freddy Bichot (Francaise des Jeux), Roy Sentjens (Rabobank), and Bram
Schmitz (T-Mobile) attacked. A few kilometres later, they were joined by Moreno
Di Biase (Colombia-Selle Italia), and Intergiro leader Sven Krauss (Gerolsteiner),
and the break was formed.
After 41 km, the six leaders had 2'00 on
the peloton, and increased that to 3'00.
14:38 CEST 68km/114km to go
As the six leaders
pass through Falerna (km 65), they have extended their gap to 5'25 over the
peloton, which will probably give them a bit more space. The Intergiro today
is at Paola (km 112), so Sven Krauss will be gunning for that.
14:48 CEST 71km/111km to go
Well, obviously the
sprinters' teams are nervous about letting a break get too much of a lead today,
so the gap has not increased that much in the last 6 km. It now stands at 5'34
after 71 clicks. The riders are hugging the western coastline of Italy all day
today, and it looks pretty nice out there.
14:58 CEST
The weather today is once again fine
and sunny, with a light wind blowing at the riders backs from the south. The
temperature is around 23 degrees celsius, but warmer out in the sun of course.
15:02 CEST 85km/97km to go
The six leaders have
averaged 34.35 km/h in the first two hours, and are now getting towards the
halfway point of this stage.
15:07 CEST 87km/95km to go
The front sextet have
lost about half a minute of their gap, and it's now down to 5'05. That's extremely
manageable for the sprinters' teams, who don't want any surprises today.
15:11 CEST
Race leader Paolo Bettini (Quick.Step)
has a pair of pink rimmed sunglasses on today, to match his pink jersey.
15:13 CEST 90km/92km to go
We're still with six
leaders: Schnyder and Di Biase (Colombia-Selle Italia), Bichot (Francaise des
Jeux), Sentjens (Rabobank), Schmitz (T-Mobile), and Krauss (Gerolsteiner). The
peloton is now just 3'12 behind them, riding at a fairly solid tempo. The break
is working well though, and should stay away until the Intergiro.
Fassa, Cofidis, Domina and Lotto all have men working in the peloton.
15:16 CEST 92km/90km to go
Race leader Bettini
is riding towards the front of the peloton in the company of Moreni and Pozzato.
He doesn't have pink shorts on, just the standard Quick.Step blue. He looks
a bit like an inverted Lampre rider.
15:18 CEST 95km/87km to go
Cofidis' bunch worker
is Thierry Marichal, who also did this job yesterday. Nick Gates is up there
for Lotto, and it looks like Gustov for Fassa Bortolo. Then a host of Lampre-Caffita
riders. They're forcing the break to work pretty hard, but the gap is being
maintained at 3'10.
15:22 CEST
The peloton is fairly stretched at
the moment with five riders from five teams working in front. Belgian champion
Tom Steels is in sixth wheel - he might be able to do something in today's sprint.
In the break, Di Biase and Schnyder have a chat to each other.
15:24 CEST
The Quick.Step team car is also painted
in pink and blue today. Very subtle.
15:27 CEST 97km/85km to go
Panaria's sprinter
Paride Grillo is cruising at the back of the peloton in the company of Matt
White. It's pretty easy at the back, as there's no crosswind.
The
gap is three minutes and holding.
15:29 CEST 107km/75km to go
The leaders pass
fans waving banners in memory of Marco Pantani, who died in February 2004 but
is certainly not forgotten.
15:33 CEST 100km/82km to go
Danilo Di Luca, clad
in his white ProTour leader's jersey, goes back to the team car for a drink
and a chat.
The front six are rolling over quite well, but are slowly
losing the battle against the peloton, which has 10 men in single file on the
front. The gap is 2'40 now, as they start the climb up to the Intergiro.
15:35 CEST 110km/72km to go
They're 1 km from
the Intergiro in Paola, descending a little now into the town.
15:35 CEST
Di Biase crashes on a corner!
15:36 CEST
That eliminates one competitor for
Krauss. Di Biase is quickly back on his bike and chasing. He's got a big graze
on his right forearm and right thigh.
15:38 CEST 112km/70km to go
Di Biase gets some
"mechanical assistance" from the team car and finds the break again. Well, just
Krauss, who is dropped. Not sure if he won the Intergiro.
15:40 CEST 114km/69km to go
It looked like the
cause of Di Biase's crash was some oil or fuel on a corner. The peloton comes
up to the Intergiro, with Zanini(?) taking seventh place ahead of Gates.
Krauss is definitively dropped, meaning that there are five leaders now: Philippe
Schnyder and Moreno Di Biase (Colombia-Selle Italia), Freddy Bichot (Francaise
des Jeux), Roy Sentjens (Rabobank) and Bram Schmitz (T-Mobile).
15:41 CEST
T-Mobile's Bram Schmitz is the biggest
rider in the break, well over six feet tall. He's doing a lot of work, so I
guess we should call him "Stoker". Sorry.
The results of the Intergiro:
1. Krauss, 2. Schmitz, 3. Schnyder.
15:42 CEST
Krauss is back with the break! Nice
riding. 3'00 back to the peloton.
15:43 CEST
Now it's Di Biase's turn to go off
the back of the break, asking for the doctor's assistance for his injuries.
15:45 CEST 116km/66km to go
Di Biase gets some
disinfectant and water for his wounds from the doctor. That's going to annoy
him for a few days.
A heart rate update: Jaan Kirsipuu is doing it
easy, sitting on 124 of a max of 190. That's how cruisy it can be in the peloton.
15:48 CEST
Cristian Moreni (Quick.Step) does
a few stretches in the bunch, or maybe he's practicing aerobics.
Kirsipuu's HR is now 115, same as Dario Cioni (whose max is 185). Gotta love
the draft of the peloton. That's basically recovery pace.
15:49 CEST
Somehow I don't think the riders
in front are doing it quite so easy. They're more likely working at 75-80% of
their maximums.
Gates, Gustov and Codol have the leaders pegged at
2'32.
15:51 CEST 119km/63km to go
The leaders pass
through the feed at Marina di Fuscaldo. Both Colombia-Selle Italia riders grab
musettes. Krauss is looking for one too. Schmitz doesn't seem to want one.
15:54 CEST 121km/61km to go
The peloton passes
through the feed zone with plenty of riders grabbing bags in the chaos, going
on both sides of the thin multicoloured line of soigneurs.
'Stoker'
Schmitz is now chatting to the T-Mobile car.
15:56 CEST
The pace has eased in the peloton
as riders unpack their late lunch. The break still has 2'30, with the same six
riders (Schnyder, Di Biase, Bichot, Sentjens, Schmitz and Krauss.
16:00 CEST 124km/58km to go
Freddy Bichot (Francaise
Des Jeux) is the best placed rider on GC in the break, having started the day
in 50th place at 39 seconds. But the leaders only have 2'18, so Bichot won't
have long in the virtual pink.
Krauss suffers as they go uphill again.
The big German is tired from his efforts yesterday.
16:02 CEST 127km/55km to go
The leaders navigate
a fairly short climb up to Acquappesa, which has several hairpins as it ascends
above the coastline for a while. Krauss is hanging on, to his credit.
16:07 CEST 134km/48km to go
The peloton is now
snaking its way up the climb, led by Massimo Codol and Volodimir Gustov (Fassa
Bortolo). Nick Gates is also there. The tempo is not savage, but it's solid.
Kirsipuu (16bpm7/87%) and Cioni (151bpm/81%) are working a bit harder!
For those interested (and there are a lot), selected riders have transponders
on their bikes to transmit the HR data to us here in the Hindenburg IV.
Bichot gets a bit of a gap, but sits up and the break reforms. Krauss is still
there.
16:10 CEST
Schmitz looks good as he rolls through
for his turn in the break. The tall Dutchman has been one of the main motors
today. Sentjens is also looking good.
Christophe Brandt is also helping
the chase behind.
Crash! One of the Euskaltel riders is down and
it looks like Alberto Lopez de Munain. He's not moving.
16:11 CEST
Lopez de Munain was on the right
hand side of the road when he clipped a Saunier rider's wheel and slammed into
the barrier. He's lying face down, and his face is bleeding. Hopefully he'll
be OK. He's definitely out of the race.
16:12 CEST
Lopez de Munain is being looked after
by the doctors and will get taken away in an ambulance soon. He hit the barrier
with the right side of his face. Not good.
16:15 CEST
The Euskaltel man is now on his back
and is being prepared for the stretcher, gently.
16:17 CEST
Lopez de Munain is conscious and
can move a bit as he is finally placed into the ambulance. Let's hope his injuries
aren't too serious.
16:19 CEST 142km/40km to go
Meanwhile, the situation
in the race has not changed too much, and we still have six leaders: Philippe
Schnyder and Moreno Di Biase (Colombia-Selle Italia), Freddy Bichot (Francaise
des Jeux), Roy Sentjens (Rabobank), Bram Schmitz (T-Mobile), and Sven Krauss
(Gerolsteiner). The gap is still 2'00.
16:23 CEST 144km/38km to go
38 km left and the
break is down to 1'45. They haven't given up of course, as it's good for their
sponsors.
16:25 CEST 146km/36km to go
Schnyder passes a
can of coke to his teammate Di Biase. He's going to need it with 36 km to go
now.
16:28 CEST 148km/34km to go
It's down to 1'40
with 35 km to go, which means Bichot has 1 minute of his virtual maglia rosa
left. All the time, it's Fassa's Gustov and Codol, Lotto's Nick Gates, and Domina's
Alessandro Vanotti chasing. Steels is in fifth wheel. A good place to be for
the Belgian sprinter, who has been suffering from a urinary tract inflammation
in the past few days, so he's not at his best.
16:31 CEST 150km/32km to go
Vanotti does a strong
turn in the peloton, as Di Biase does likewise in the break. Then Bichot attacks,
with Schnyder on his wheel. Bichot thinks he's got a flat and sits up. The break
reforms.
16:33 CEST
Schmitz is 195cm tall, or nearly
6'5". Jeez. And only 77kg, according to T-Mobile's website. He towers over the
rest of the break.
Looks like Krauss has been dropped again.
16:36 CEST 154km/28km to go
It's now down to
1'10 as the break approaches Santa Maria Del Cedro. They do have to do a 13.8
km circuit before finishing.
16:38 CEST 155km/27km to go
Kirsipuu and Cioni's
heart rates are back to 130, as it's flat.
Cofidis has now got a
couple of men in front working, including Matt White. The gap is under a minute.
16:40 CEST 156km/26km to go
The break won't survive
for much longer. Krauss has been caught, and the rest have just half a minute.
It started at km 34 and will finish with about 25 km to go.
Schnyder
pulls out of the break first.
16:41 CEST 157km/25km to go
Bichot does the usual
thing and attacks with 25 km to go. The others more or less let him go. He's
only got 22 seconds.
Schnyder actually punctured, that's why he pulled
off.
16:43 CEST 159km/23km to go
Bichot is now trying
to hold off 194 riders behind him but is finding it hard. Schmitz, Di Biase
and Sentjens are caught, leaving just Bichot in front.
Quick.Step
is now working.
16:44 CEST 160km/22km to go
Bichot explodes and
the peloton led by Nuyens and Garrido blasts by him. Bettini looks good in pink,
next to Basso.
16:46 CEST 163km/19km to go
The pace has lifted
now as the bunch races towards the finishing circuit.
16:47 CEST 164km/18km to go
It's still Quick.Step
setting tempo, stretching out the peloton in a long line. Bettini is up in 10th
wheel, sheltered by his teammates.
16:49 CEST 165km/17km to go
There are also a
few CSC riders working, protecting Ivan Basso. Mads Christiansen (Quick.Step),
Michael Blaudzun (CSC) to their turns. Steels is still near the front, very
watchful. His teammate McEwen is moving up.
16:51 CEST 168km/14km to go
The bunch races up
the finishing straight for the first time. It's a pretty straightforward sprint,
with no nasty corners. 1 lap to go!
16:51 CEST 169km/13km to go
The speed is now
up to 55 km/h as the sprinters teams start to wind it up. Well, it's still Quick.Step
with three men riding hard. Francaise des Jeux is moving Baden Cooke up.
16:53 CEST
Vasseur is up there for Cofidis.
The bunch takes a right hander onto a narrower road, and it stretches out again.
They go under 15 km to go (must be a discrepancy somewhere with the route map)
at 58 km/h.
16:54 CEST 169km/13km to go
Aitor Gonzalez (Euskaltel)
moves up on the outside. Everyone is fighting for position as Quick.Step leads
them with four riders and Vasseur. Grillo gets in the way of Peron, who gives
him a mouthful.
Kirsipuu is up to 172/90%.
16:56 CEST
They're going uphill now with Nuyens
and Christiansen leading, then Blaudzun and Vasseur. The road twists a little,
but it's not too technical.
16:57 CEST 171km/11km to go
Nuyens powers on
the front of the peloton, then pulls off. Bettini is in 20th wheel. Blaudzun
now in front, with another teammate on his wheel, then Vasseur and Basso. They're
nearly at the top of the hill.
16:58 CEST
It's all CSC now as they start the
descent into Santa Maria Del Cedro. A few Liquigas jerseys are moving up. Blaudzun
still leading.
16:59 CEST
Blaudzun pulls off as Vasseur takes
over on the twisty descent. Nice roads though.
17:00 CEST 173km/9km to go
It's very fast and
strung out as the peloton crosses a bridge. The CSC boys are still on the front.
Di Luca is up there, and Bettini. Fassa Bortolo is waiting...
17:01 CEST
Under 10 km to go and some riders
are being shelled. Steels is dropped. Three CSC riders in front, led by Frank
Schleck.
17:02 CEST 175km/7km to go
Quaranta has been
dropped. No surprises again. He needs a downhill stage to get to the finish
with the bunch.
17:03 CEST
It's not only Quaranta - about 30-40
riders are off the back after that short climb.
17:04 CEST 176km/6km to go
CSC continues to ride
tempo with Schleck in front and Basso in third wheel.
17:04 CEST
Behind CSC, Fassa has lined out its
men with Petacchi ready. McEwen is up there in the purple points jersey, looking
for Petacchi's wheel.
17:05 CEST 177km/5km to go
It looks like the
chase peloton has bridged the gap.
Di Luca nearly squeezes himself
into a barrier. He's on Bettini's wheel in 8th or 9th.
17:05 CEST
Schleck pulls off and Peron takes
over at 5 km to go.
17:06 CEST 178km/4km to go
The road is starting
to flatten out a bit now as we approach 4 km to go. Petacchi is in about 12th
or 13th.
17:07 CEST 179km/3km to go
Kirsipuu is on 179/190max,
while Cioni is on 161/185max. Jaan is working harder :-)
Now Fassa
gets to the front and really strings it out. Kirsipuu loses position.
17:08 CEST 180km/2km to go
It's 60 km/h as Bruseghin
hammers until 2.5 km to go. Then the rest of the Fassa train takes over. Bettini
is next to Petacchi. Then Zabel and O'Grady behind. T-Mobile also brings Pollack
up.
17:09 CEST
It's now Baldato leading with about
1.5 km. Another two Fassas, then Petacchi and Bettini. Vogels is up there as
FDJ starts to lead out Cooke.
17:09 CEST
Velo gives a Credit Agricole rider
a push. And now here's Quaranta!!!!
17:10 CEST 181km/1km to go
1 km to go and it's
Tosatto winding it up. Then two more Fassas, then PEtacchi. Kirsipuu comes up
with McEwen on his wheel. Petacchi is blocked a bit.
17:11 CEST 182km/0km to go
Velo leads out for
Petacchi. It's a messy sprint. All across the road....McEwen wins the stage!!!!!!!
And takes the jersey. Incredible to beat Petacchi in that sort of finish. An
Illes Balears rider was second, it looks like.
17:13 CEST
McEwen got a great lead out from
Kirsipuu and waited, waited. When he jumped, Galvez tried to get around him
but he couldn't, and took second. Forster was third, then Petacchi, who was
closed in.
17:21 CEST
McEwen is now the leader in the general
classification and the points classification. And probably a few of the other
minor classifications.
Krauss will keep the Intergiro jersey, while
Veneberg will hold onto the mountains jersey. That's all from us today - we'll
be back with stage 3 tomorrow!
Results
Provisional 1 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 4.34.47 2 Isaac Galvez Lopez (Spa) Illes Balears 3 Robert Forster (Ger) Gerolsteiner 4 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 5 Baden Cooke (Aus) Francaise Des Jeux 6 Francisco J. Ventoso Alberdi (Spa) Saunier Duval-Prodir 7 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Cofidis-Le Credit Par Telephone 8 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Rabobank 9 Paride Grillo (Ita) Ceramica Panaria-Navigare 10 Uros Murn (Slo) Phonak Hearing Systems 11 Rony Martias (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 12 Volodymyr Bileka (Ukr) Discovery Channel-Pro Cycling Team 13 Olaf Pollack (Ger) T-Mobile Team 14 Ivan Quaranta (Ita) Domina Vacanze 15 Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Credit Agricole 16 Aurélien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems General classification after stage 2 1 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 9.45.14 2 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick.Step 0.18 3 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 0.22 4 Isaac Galvez Lopez (Spa) Illes Balears 27 5 Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) Discovery Channel-Pro Cycling Team 0.30 6 Marco Velo (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 0.33 7 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Caffita 8 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Quick.Step
