18ª
tappa
Giro: Basso vince ancora
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Torino
27.05 17:33 -
For the second day in a row, Team CSC's Ivan Basso
took a beautiful stage victory in the Giro d'Italia.
Basso won Friday's 34-kilometer time trial between
Chieri and Torino, while team mate David
Zabriskie finished third. Paolo Savoldelli
(Discovery Channel) increased his lead to more than two
minutes on Gilberto Simoni (Lampre) in the general
classification.
Today
represents more than a stage victory. It is a mile stone
in my career. Previously time trials have always been
my Achilles heel, but now I have evolved to the extent,
that I'm able to win in this discipline. I have taken
a great leap forward both physically and mentally, and
all the hard work, I've done together with Bjarne,
has yet again paid off. I still have a lot to learn as
a rider, but at least now I can say, that I'm moving in
the right direction, said a happy Ivan
Basso.
Basso
won the stage nine seconds ahead of Vladimir Karpets
(Illes Balears), while Zabriskie came in third
20 seconds later.
Ivan
is developing into a complete rider, and the victory today
is going to mean a great deal to him in the future. He
pedaled to perfection in this time trial and once again
showed, how great a time trial rider he has become. Now
he's managed to retaliate for the second time, and from
the way he's riding at the moment, it's possible he might
just go for a hat trick in the tough stage tomorrow,
said Bjarne Riis.
Team
CSC put five riders among the 25 best in the last
time trial of the Giro.
Diciottesima
tappa Giro d'Italia, Simoni decimo
Torino,
27 maggio -
Oggi la seconda cronometro di questo Giro ha visto la
vittoria di Ivan Basso. Gilberto Simoni
ha fatto una buona cronometro, è arrivato decimo
a 134 da Ivan Basso. All'arrivo
ha perso però 111 su un super-Savoldelli
da cui è distante ora, in classifica generale,
209.
-"L'ipotesi peggiore
ha commentato Gilberto
dopo larrivo - era quella
di perdere oltre un minuto. Savoldelli si è
dimostrato veramente forte ma, per quanto mi riguarda,
non mollo. E' da quando siamo partiti da Reggio Calabria
che sono costretto a rincorre e spero che domani il margine
di 2,09 che mi separa da Savoldelli sia invertito.
Domani, dunque, 19a e penultima tappa da Savigliano
al Sestriere con l'inedito colle delle Finestre.
Ci si aspetta una grande tappa e il verdetto finale
Rujano
cronometro in rimonta nella salita di Superga
Torino
27/05/2005 - Josè Rujano la maglia
verde del Giro d'Italia ha disputato una buona
cronometro finendo al sedicesimo posto a 1'59'' dal vincitore
Ivan Basso. Il "Pollicino" di
casa Selle Italia si è difeso benissimo
nel tratto in salita guadagnando su tutti i diretti avversari
per il podio del Giro. Nel solo tratto della salita di
"Superga" il corridore venezuelano ha guadagnato
: 18'' su Savoldelli, 27'' su Simoni, 49''
e su Di Luca.
Rujano
in mattinata aveva visionato il tracciato in compagnia
di Marco Bellini e Ivan Parra. Prima della
cronometro Josè ha riposato in un Hotel di Chieri
messo a disposizione dalla squadra per consentirgli di
riposare al meglio in vista dell'importante appuntamento.
Rujano
è stato l'unico tra gli uomini di testa a non montare
la ruota posteriore
lenticolare, una scelta precisa che così viene
spiegata da Gianni Savio: "Io
e Marco Bellini abbiamo deciso di non montare la
ruota lenticolare per evitare di prendere eccessivi rischi
in discesa, al massimo avremmo guadagnato 10'', tutto
sommato possiamo essere contenti di questo risultato che
rimanda a domani tutti i verdetti. Sono convinto che Josè
domani potrà fare bene." In mattinata
Philippe Schnider è stato vittima di una
caduta nella discesa del colle di Superga, per
lui solo abrasioni.
BASSO SI AGGIUDICA LA
CRONOMETRO DA CHIERI A TORINO
Torino
27/05/2005 - Per la 18a tappa del Giro dItalia,
è andata in scena una cronometro individuale di
34 km da Chieri a Torino conclusa con la
vittoria di Ivan Basso. Dario Cioni e Danilo
Di Luca si sono classificati rispettivamente 5°
e 14° ed hanno contenuto il distacco dalla maglia
rosa
Paolo Savoldelli.
Dario
Cioni risale in classifica generale dalla decima posizione
allottava, a 652. Buona la prestazione
del corridore Liquigas-Bianchi che parteciperà
anche al Tour de France.
Danilo
Di Luca è sempre quarto, a 308.
Il
team Liquigas-Bianchi continua a condurre la classifica
generale a squadre seguito da Credit Agricole e
Lampre Caffita.
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Savoldelli
increases lead at Giro with two stages remaining
©
Bettini
Photo
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by
Dan Osipow
Torino,
May 27, 2005 -
In the last chance to distance himself from his rivals
prior to tomorrow's decisive final mountain stage of the
Tour of Italy, the Discovery Channel pro cycling
team's Paolo Savoldelli finished fourth in today's
34 kilometer stage 18 time trial and now leads the race
by over two minutes with two stages remaining. Savoldelli,
the race leader since stage 13 six days ago, finished
23 seconds behind CSC's Ivan Basso, who won his
second consecutive stage. Vladimir Karpets of Illes
Balears finished second in the stage, at nine seconds,
while stage eight time trial winner Dave Zabriskie,
also of CSC, placed third, at 20 seconds.
In
the overall classification, Savoldelli gained 1:11
on his closest pursuer, Gilberto Simoni of Lampre,
extending his lead from 58 seconds to 2:09. Third placed
Jose Rujano of Selle Italia lost 1:36 to fall to
three minutes back while former race leader Danilo
Di Luca doubled his 1:36 deficit to fall 3:08 behind.
"I
think today's stage meant a lot for Paolo,"
said Discovery Channel team sports manager Johan
Bruyneel, speaking from his home in Spain. "My
guess was he needed to take a minimum of one minute from
Simoni and he did even better. I think it's a good
sign for tomorrow. Even in the most difficult part of
the stage, he was faster than Simoni. It's definitely
good for his confidence going into tomorrow. Having a
2:09 lead is great, but it's going to be hard tomorrow.
It's a very tough stage and the second to last climb
is just terrible. He will have to be conservative
and if he gets in trouble, he will have to keep his own
pace. I'm excited for him. After yesterday (where Simoni
gained 42 seconds on Savoldelli), I didn't think
he would be in this position, but to take 1:11 out of
Simoni today means Paolo's not finished and he has something
left. It was huge for his morale."
Tomorrow's
final mountain stage, 190 kms in length, takes the peloton
up the climb of Sestrieres twice but also includes
the Colle della Finestre. The climb is 18.5 km
with an average grade of 9.2% with the final 7.9 km on
a gravel road.
"I'm
convinced the Giro will be decided on the Colle
delle Finestre climb," Savoldelli
told Reuters. "It's
the hardest climb of the stage, most suitable for attacks,
and it is where time gaps will open. It's up to Simoni
and Rujano to attack me if they want to win the
Giro. I'll ride on the defensive as I always do and try
to lose as little time as possible."
"He's
feeling confident and isn't nervous,"
Bruyneel said of Savoldelli. "He
said he's where he wants to be and now it just depends
on his legs for tomorrow. One thing he said was his biggest
victory has already been achieved - and that's back to
being a super bike rider after two years of a lot of problems.
Being on this level again is his biggest victory and everything
else is a bonus. That's a good sign for tomorrow. He's
not one to panic - it's Simoni that has to be nervous."
The
team's assistant sports manager Sean Yates echoed
Bruyneel's stance. "He's
quietly confident," Yates said
of Savoldelli. "Barring
disaster, it (the lead) should be enough. He's in a good
position. The way it's panning out, Basso will
try and win again tomorrow so they (CSC) will do a hard
tempo on the climbs and then it should be every man for
himself in the last 30 kms. Simoni is a strong climber
and Paolo isn't a pure climber like him. It's normal Paolo
would expect to lose a bit of time on the climbs but he
also knew he could pull some back in the time trial."
In
the race's three time trials - totaling 80.1 kms including
the opening 1.1 km prologue - Savoldelli has gained
3:26 on Simoni, 6:07 on Rujano, 2:26 on Di Luca
and 2:29 on fifth placed Juan Garate of Saunier
Duval, who trails Savoldelli by 3:13.
"He
has to make hay while the sun shines," Yates
added. "Simoni is
a specialist in the mountains but when it all adds up,
it's better to be a strong time trial rider and a reasonable
climber than a super climber and a weak time trialist."
The
88th Giro then finishes Sunday with a 119 km stage to
Milan.