46th GP Industria del Marmo - 1.6

Italy, May 12, 2002

2001 Results Results Past winners

Australian team report

By Brian Stephens, AIS U23 coach

The AIS Mapei Agua Australian team competed in the Gran Premio del Marmo in Carrara in Tuscany, Italy. The course included a solid climb right into the area's famous marble quarry to be crossed four times. A very strong field of Italy's best Under 23/Elite teams faced the starter and after the initial 10 km settling period the pace moved to top gear with constant attacks.

For us Aaron Kemps stopped early as he'd started to catch a head cold and he wasn't feeling well. Daniel Mackey also cracked early, feeling the effects of a tough week last week in Germany. Next to strike trouble was David Pell who crashed and broke his bike but was OK himself. He chased to regain the group on the spare bike, but it was just as the race pace lifted again and he didn't make it.

Jonathan Davis was the next to find the climb too tough followed by Dave McPartland who lost contact the second last time up. The last time over the climb finished Simon Gerrans, and 2 of our visiting youngsters, Brendan Cato and Lee Godfrey who both performed quite well in top company.

This left Ashley Humbert and Gene Bates to battle for the finish. They both tried getting clear but everything was shut down and 50 riders sprinted for the finish. Italian under 23 champion, Ezio Casagrande won the race with Gene, always around the mark, running 13th.

Results - 167.4 km

1 Ezio Casagrande (Ita) Site Frezza         3.58.11 (42.169 km/h)
2 Daniel Okrucinski (Pol) Daver 
3 Luigi Giamgelli (Ita) Vellutex 
4 Denys Kostyuk (Ukr) Ukrania 
5 Luca Solari (Ita) Site Frezza 
...
13 Gene Bates (Aus) AIS Mapei Aqua 
43 Ashley Humbert (Aus) AIS Mapei Aqua 
61 Simon Gerrans (Aus) AIS Mapei Aqua

Starters: 184 
Finishers: 67

Past winners

2001 Nicola Pavone (Ita) Italfine
2000 Simone Cadamuro (Ita) San Pellegrino Bortoli Artoni

Past winners courtesy of Mario Stiehl, www.world-of-cycling.com