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90th Giro d'Italia - GT
Italy, May 12-June 3, 2007
Main Page Results & report Stage Details Next Stage
Stage 1 - Saturday, May 12: Caprera - La Maddalena (Team TT), 25.6 km
Complete live report
Live commentary by Gregor Brown
Live coverage starts: 15:30 CEST
Estimated finish: 18:15 CEST
15:34 CEST
Welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of the 90th Giro d'Italia. Today the riders will face a 24 kilometre team time trial on the northern end of Sardinia.
The Giro d'Italia returns to Sardinia (Sardegna) after 16 years with a twisting, turning windswept test from the northern tip of Sardinia to La Maddalena island, site of an American submarine base. Powerhouse CSC is the logical favourite, but watch Discovery Channel and Quickstep.
15:43 CEST
German team Gerolsteiner is first off on the 24-kilometre run.
Start Times:
15.30 Gerolsteiner
15.35 Predictor-Lotto
15.40 Euskaltel-Euskadi
15.45 CSC
15.50 Milram
15.55 Rabobank
16.00 Saunier Duval-Prodir
16.05 T-Mobile
16.10 Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo
16.15 Ag2r Prévoyance
16.20 Ceramica Panaria-Navigare
16.25 Lampre-Fondital
16.30 Tinkoff Credit Systems
16.35 Crédit Agricole
16.40 Astana
16.45 Cofidis
16.50 Caisse d'Epargne
16.55 Bouygues Telecom
17.00 Quickstep-Innergetic
17.05 Discovery Channel
17.10 Liquigas
17.15 Française Des Jeux
15:48 CEST
Time will be taken on the fifth team rider across the finish line; those first five will be give the same times with the following four team riders to take their times when crossing the line. The last kilometre will be a neutral zone in case of a crash or mechanical.
The sprinters' teams will aim to have good times so that their men can have a chance at the Maglia Rosa over the following sprint stages. Some strong sprinters lining up for this race include Alessandro Petacchi (Milram), Robbie McEwen (Predictor-Lotto) and Graeme Brown (Rabobank).
15:57 CEST
CSC and Milram are two strong teams that are already underway. CSC has Time Trial World Champion Fabian Cancellara and David Zabriskie in its ranks.
15:59 CEST
Saunier Duval is currently in the start house ready to roll. They have two-time Giro Champ Simoni. Supporting the Italian is Riccò and Mayo.
16:04 CEST
Temperatures on the island are 24°C; it is very hot and dusty here. The riders have to cover a wooden bridge in the first section of the course.
Because of the technical aspects of the course many riders are opting to go without aerobars, like CSC, who is currently on a climb.
An update on Gerolsteiner, they are currently down to only five riders.
16:08 CEST
Gerolsteiner hits the finish line. It is the first team across, with a time of 35:10.
16:14 CEST
CSC is following Gerolsteiner's lead and have let four of its riders fall back and are now down to five.
Gerolsteiner's Rebellin is the current leader on the GC.
16:15 CEST
The highest point in this course is at 15 kilometres at 142 metres.
16:18 CEST
Euskaltel is coming in. They are in tatters. On of the riders crashed on the final right-hander. Its riders finish in ones and twos.
16:21 CEST
Ceramica Panaria-Navigare rolls out of the start house.
CSC has taken the lead with a time of 34 minutes and 8 seconds.
Saunier is moving up the day's climb with 6 or 7 riders. It has 10 kilometres to go.
16:26 CEST
Milram crosses with a good time of 35.11. It will not be enough to give it the win but it will put Petacchi close on the overall standings.
16:29 CEST
Lampre has rolled out of the start house. Next is Pro-Conti team Tinkoff Credit Systems.
Acqua & Sapone is riding well for Garzelli.
"There is a lot of wind out there," said Rebellin at the finish. "It went well considering we have a young team.
"We did the climb strong and then dropped some of our riders to finish with five."
16:29 CEST
Rabobank is coming to the finish.
16:33 CEST
Saunier is a team full of climbers with Simoni, Mayo, Piepoli and Riccò but it is doing a great team time trial. We will have its time soon, they are coming to the finish.
The team:
Gilberto Simoni (Saunier Duval-Prodir)
Rubens Bertogliati (Saunier Duval-Prodir)
Raivis Belohvosciks (Saunier Duval-Prodir)
David Cañada (Saunier Duval-Prodir)
Ángel Gómez Gómez (Saunier Duval-Prodir)
Manuele Mori (Saunier Duval-Prodir)
Iban Mayo (Saunier Duval-Prodir)
Leonardo Piepoli (Saunier Duval-Prodir)
Riccardo Riccò (Saunier Duval-Prodir)
16:35 CEST
Saunier comes to the line. Riccò leads.. The riders take the corner with caution... Its time: 35.03.
16:40 CEST
Lampre is using all nine of its riders and is moving closer to the line. It is currently 13 minutes into the test and it will likely drop off some men towards the finish. The idea is to make sure that Cunego has the best time possible.
Italian TT Champion Marzio Bruseghin will power away on the front for Cunego. He is noticeable in his green, white and red jersey.
16:40 CEST
Astana rolls off.
T-Mobile, with Pinotti, comes to the finish.
16:42 CEST
Carlos Da Cruz (Française Des Jeux) will not be with his team when they roll out. The team is already down to eight riders because he injured his foot during the team presentation yesterday.
16:43 CEST
Tinkoff is flying along. At the first time check they are second best, at 10.05.
Acqua & Sapone comes into the finish.
16:46 CEST
Acqua comes in with a a great time of 34.38. Cofidis is now rolling out of the start house.
Cancellara: "It was a very difficult course and we will have to see. We have a young team and we will seek to defend our lead over the coming days."
16:50 CEST
Tinkoff looks strong. The riders are using aerobars on their Colnago bikes that are equipped with Campagnolo.
16:53 CEST
Ag2r Prévoyance comes in with a time of 35.55.
Astana is on the course with two-time winner Savoldelli in its ranks. Team DS Andrea Baffi, an ex-teammate, is guiding the Swiss team.
16:56 CEST
Bouygues Telecom rolls out of the start house while Ceramica Panaria-Navigare comes home with a time of 35.39.
17:00 CEST
Lampre comes in with a time of 34.17. That time will put it in second in the current overall standings.
17:04 CEST
Astana is rolling along well. They are up on CSC at the time check, which will bode will for 'Il Falco' Savoldelli. The only problem is that now it is down to only five riders.
Tinkoff comes to the line. It is also in five. ... The five record a time of 34.42.
17:07 CEST
It is interesting that this year in the Tour de France there will not be a team time trial but that in the Giro, where it is not often seen, there is one.
17:08 CEST
Cofidis is looking smooth. They are 22 minutes into the test and rolling along in a single-file.
Astana is six minutes up the road and nearing the finish.
17:11 CEST
Crédit Agricole is coming to the finish line now. They are leading with two riders, followed by four.
Quickstep is on the course.
17:13 CEST
Pat McQuaid talked today in Italy at the race start in regards to Ivan Basso. We will have news on this in our next edition of news.
Liquigas has left the start house. Astana is 600 metres from the line.
17:15 CEST
Astana set the fastest time with 33.47, compared to CSC's 34.08. Paolo Savoldelli led the team across the line and will now be the virtual Maglia Rosa.
17:19 CEST
Quickstep is using normal road bikes with no aerobars. The team is not fighting for the overall but it still is a strange move because Bettini would like to finish close to the top of the overall to have a chance of taking the Maglia Rosa in the next couple of days.
Discovery and Liquigas are also on the course, the former is 14 minutes into the run.
17:21 CEST
Cofidis is coming to the line. Its leader is Parra, who won two stages in 2005 with Selle Italia. It comes in with a time of 35.16.
17:26 CEST
Discovery is having a hard time on the course as it has already lost Jurgen Van Goolen and Pavel Padrnos. Just now they have dropped Brian Vandborg, who was having a hard time keeping the pace.
It is important to have experience in a team time trial. Marzio Bruseghin showed that by riding two kilometres on the front for his team leader Damiano Cunego.
Caisse comes in with a time of 35.01.
17:29 CEST
Discovery may not being riding that bad; it just passed the 16-kilometre check in second at seven seconds behind Astana.
17:31 CEST
Bouygues comes to the line led by Thomas Voeckler. The French team records a time of 35.45 over the Island course.
17:34 CEST
Liquigas has set the fastest time at the 16 km time check, pushing back the time of Astana.
The team:
Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas)
Enrico Gasparotto (Liquigas)
Vladimir Miholjevic (Liquigas)
Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas)
Andrea Noè (Liquigas)
Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas)
Alessandro Spezialetti (Liquigas)
Alessandro Vanotti (Liquigas)
Charles Wegelius (Liquigas)
17:36 CEST
Quickstep comes home at 1.13 back with a time of 35.01. Paolo Bettini, not in his Road World Champion jersey, lead the Belgian squad over the line.
17:40 CEST
Yaroslav Popovych (Discovery Channel) just crashed on a right-hand turn leading to the finish. The team will have to wait because he was the fifth rider and he is the team's captain. He is also a former wearer of the Maglia Rosa.
The five record a time of 34.27. There were the following at the line...
Yaroslav Popovych
Steve Cummings
George Hincapie
José Luis Rubiera
Matthew White
17:42 CEST
Astana's time was adjusted back to 33.51 but it is still in the lead but Liquigas is approaching the line.
17:46 CEST
Enrico Gasparotto (Liquigas) leads the team in with a time of 33.35. He will likely take the Maglia Rosa for the first day with this time. Danilo Di Luca looks upset but it could just be an expression of tiredness. Was it planned for the former Italian Road Champ to take the lead over the line?
"I was not upset, it is important that we win. We have great team. It is truly beautiful," said Di Luca after crossing the line. "It was great test for the team. ... I am not upset."
17:48 CEST
Enrico Gasparotto (Liquigas): "It was great for the team. I am in great condition and it was planned by the team."
His teammate, Nibali, is likely to take the Maglia Bianca of the best young rider.
17:51 CEST
Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Fondital): "We have a great team and it went well for us. It was a hard course." The team finished with a time of 34.17. "It is hard to ride a perfect time trial. There were no tactics but we just went out to do our work. Who goes well in the climbs led over the ascents and who goes well on the flats led there."
17:52 CEST
Française Des Jeux is the last team to finish for the day. The covered the course in 36.28. Gasparotto will take the leader's jersey.
17:55 CEST
"We organized ourselves well but we are happy because the Giro is long," said Savoldelli, who almost took the race lead today.
18:15 CEST
Thanks for joining Cyclingnews on the first stage of the 2007 Giro. Be with us tomorrow when Gasparotto will start the second stage in the leader's pink jersey.
Provisional Finish
1 Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Liquigas Teams Liquigas 33.35 Astana 33.51 CSC 34.08 Lampre-Fondital 34.17 Discovery Channel 34.27 Acqua & Sapone-Caffè 34.38 Tinkoff Credit Systems 34.42 Crédit Agricole 34.51 Caisse d'Epargne 35.01 Quickstep-Innergetic 35.01 Saunier Duval-Prodir 35.03 Predictor-Lotto 35.06 Gerolsteiner 35.10 Milram 35.11 Cofidis 35.16 T-Mobile 35.23 Rabobank 35.23 Ceramica Panaria-Navigare 35.39 Bouygues Telecom 35.45 Ag2r Prévoyance 35.55 Euskaltel-Euskadi 36.28 Française Des Jeux 36.28
