COMUNICATI
STAMPA DALLA CORSA
Giro
Stage 20: It's Basso Again!
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Ivan
Basso transita sotto il monumento dedicato
a Pantani ©Bettini
Photo
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May
27, 2006 - Team
CSC's Ivan Basso put an exclamation point on the
final hard day of the 89th Giro d'Italia, winning
his third stage Saturday and all but securing overall
victory with just one easy day left.
Basso
dropped two-time champion Gilberto Simoni (Saunier
Duval) with about four kilometers to go in another grueling,
seven-hour battle across the most difficult mountains
of the three-week Giro.
Basso
held up a picture of his brand-new baby boy, Santiago,
as he slipped across the line at the end of the four-climb,
211-kilometer 20th stage from Trento to Aprica.
With
the victory, Basso widened his lead to nearly eight
minutes, one of the largest winning differences in Giro
history.
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Ivan
Basso con la figlia Domitilla ©
Photo Andrea Magnani
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Gibo:
a great rider, disappointed.
27/05/2006
- What
a fantastic show! Stage 20 of the Giro, from Trento
to
Aprica, was impressive. It featured the Gavia
climb, the Cima Coppi and the Mortirolo
climb.
Ivan
"the Terrible" Basso (CSC) took one
more stage victory, just ahead Gilberto Simoni,
who crossed the finish line with a bitter state of another
stage win escaping him. Gibo showed his strength and climbing
skills, he worked together with Basso to leave
rivals behind.
The
whole SAUNIER DUVAL-PRODIR team were quite active,
once again. Basso, however lifted the pace, and
Simoni could no longer hold his wheel. Too bad
for Gibo, who had dreamt of grabbing at least this
stage victory in this edition of the Giro. He looked disappointed
after crossing the finish line, unable to conceal his
sadness. Gilberto´s performance was spotless during
the last three weeks, but there was someone who was stronger
than him, someone "out of this world," as Gibo
himself has defined Basso.
At
Passo di Gavia, a bunch of riders broke away to
fight for the mountains classification and pay homage
to Fausto Coppi.
Juan
Manuel Gárate (Quick Step-Innergetic), yesterday´s
victor, was the first to reach the top. Then, the pink
jersey group formed, counting 25 men who included Simoni,
Piepoli and Lobato. The efforts of the SAUNIER
DUVAL-PRODIR men were formidable: they toughened the
course, managing to slim down the leading group to fifteen.
Basso also sped up the pace, and only Gibo succeeded
in catching his wheel. The Eddo descent was another difficult
stretch, for chasers José Enrique Gutiérrez
and Damiano Cunego are very good on descents. Gibo
took the bull by its horns and his efforts in working
with Basso were generous indeed. Both men took
the last climb together and they stayed together until
Basso lifted his pace, sprinting to fight for victory
in a finale in which either had to win.
Be
that as it may, SAUNIER DUVAL-PRODIR will finish
their Giro with positive results and holding their heads
high, as a noble team, always up front, who picked two
stage victories (Piepoli´s feat) and a larger-than-life
Simoni on the podium (3rd).
Cunego
3° all'Aprica
Ancora
una prova generosa da parte di Damiano Cunego nella
penultima tappa del Giro d'Italia, la Trento-Aprica
di 211 km che ha portato i corridori sul Passo del
Tonale, in cima al Gavia, al Mortirolo
e infine all'Aprica.
Cunego ha conquistato un prestigioso terzo posto,
alle spalle del vincitore Ivan Basso e di Simoni:
Damiano ha tentato di perdere meno terreno possibile dalla
coppia di testa sulle rampe del Mortirolo, lottando
con grinta e tenacia, e di guadagnare secondi su un attardato
Savoldelli. La salita finale è stata affrontata
da Cunego in compagnia di Gutierrez Cataluna,
con Damiano che è riuscito a vincere lo sprint
per il 3° posto di tappa e strappare il 4° posto
in classifica generale a Savoldelli.
Damiano
Cunego ha già programmato la settimana che
seguirà il Giro d'Italia. Il capitano della
Lampre-Fondital parteciperà alle seguenti gare:
- lunedì 29 maggio, circuito a Carate Brianza
- martedì 30 maggio, circuito a Broni
- giovedì 1 giugno, circuito ad Arona
- venerdì 2 giugno, cronoscalata del Mottarone,
poi in serata gara tipo pista a Torino.
Another good performance by Damiano Cunego in the
20th stage of Giro d'Italia, the Trento-Aprica
of 211 kms with the climbs of Passo del Tonale,
Gavia, Mortirolo and Aprica.
Cunego obtained a prestigious third place, behind
Basso and Simoni: Damiano tried to limit
the gap from Basso and Simoni on Mortirolo
and also tried to gain as much seconds as possible on
Savoldelli in late. Then Damiano covered the final climb
with Gutierrez Catalunia: Lampre-Fondital's captain
won the sprint for the 3rd place and obtain the 4th place
in the overall standing.
Damiano
Cunego already knows his appointments for the next
week. He will take part in the following races:
- Monday the 29th of May, circuit in Carate Brianza
- Tuesday the 30th of May, circuit in Broni
- Thursday the 1st of June, circuit in Arona
- Wednesday the 2nd of June, time trial of Mottarone climb,
and then in the evening race "tipo pista" in
Turin.
Aprica,
2006-05-27 - Das
grosse Kämpferherz des José Enriqué
Gutierrez
Noch einmal, bis praktisch in die letzten Kehren des Passo
del Montirolo kämpfte Gilberto Simoni,
in der 20. Etappe des Giro von Trento nach Aprica
(211 km), um Phonak-Captain José Enriqué
Gutierrez (Foto Tim De Waele) den zweiten Gesamtplatz
noch abzujagen.
Doch
Gutierrez quälte sich und widerstand. Und
als er die letzten Kehren hinauf nach Aprica –
Sieger Ivan Basso vor Simoni – bewältigte,
wusste Kike, dass er es geschafft hatte. «Aber ich
bin hundemüde, der heutige Tag hat alles gefordert»,
gestand der Spanier.
Stage
20: Trento to Aprica, 211 km / 131 mi
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by Cathy Mehl
It’s
time to say goodbye to the mountains in the 89th Giro
d’Italia, as Stage 20 took the cyclists up and
over three high passes today before the final shorter
uphill climb to the finish in Aprica. Saying goodbye
rarely comes without some sorrow, and there were plenty
of riders feeling a little sorry for themselves as they
had to get up and over the passes before the homestretch
into Milan on Sunday. It was the second seven-hour day
in the saddle for the 150 cyclists still left in the race
and the peloton was definitely showing signs of wear.
But
in the end, Ivan Basso (CSC) continued his dominance
of this year’s Giro and claimed his third stage of
the race in a time of 6:51’15”, with Gilberto
Simoni (Saunier-Duval) coming in 2nd at 1'17"
behind. Perhaps racing for newborn son Santiago Basso
provided a special motivation that others could not
match. Whatever the guiding force, Basso made it
clear that he deserved to win the 2006 Giro and wear the
Maglia Rosa.
A
long early morning transfer (that riders were none too
happy about) had the beginning pace creeping along in
the initial kilometers. An early break included Discovery
Channel’s “Chechu” Rubiera,
but on the slopes of the Passo Gavia further selection
was made. With snow still present on the slopes of the
Gavia, Juan Manuel Garate took the lead
on the climb and popped over the top first to earn the
trophy for the Cima Coppi in this year’s race,
followed by Jose Serpa (Selle Italia) and David
Lopez (Euskaltel). Named after famous Italian rider
Fausto Coppi who won his first Giro in 1940, followed
later by three more wins, each year the prize is awarded
to the first rider who crosses the highest point in the
race and this year was at 2618m (8587 feet) on the Gavia;
a prestigious award for any rider. Also of note in this
area was the win in 1988 by American cyclist Andy Hampsten,
riding for 7-Eleven, who made an epic ride over the Gavia
to secure victory at the Giro in conditions that would
likely cause the race to be cancelled in today’s
peloton.
The
peloton-breaking climb of the day was over the Mortirolo.
Many riders claim this is the hardest climb in cycling,
due to its average 10% gradient, with some sections seeing
18%. Coming at the end of the race, it immediately put
many riders in trouble. CSC and Saunier Duval-Prodir
set the pace as the climb began, but soon a very small
group developed at the front and the day’s final
selection was made. Simoni and Basso pulled
away from the group as Simoni made his last big
push to try and land on the second step of the final podium.
But Phonak rider Jose Gutierrez, although
not a light-on-his-feet climber, somehow found a way to
plod along, minimize his losses, and retain that second
spot on the overall standing.
Huge
crowds were at the top of the climb as the Tifosi were
present in full force, screaming for the Italian riders.
With the steepness of this climb the cyclists had to make
their way slowly through the sea of people, and the fans
had every opportunity to be up close to their to their
favorites. Up and over the top went Simoni and Basso first,
with Piepoli, Gutierrez and Cunego
in the next group back, distancing Discovery Channel's
Paolo Savoldelli from the the leaders by over three minutes.
Once
on the descent, Simoni and Basso continued
to work together, with Gutierrez and Cunego
following them. Further back “Il Falco” was
taking flight, as he soared down the treacherous descent
and tried to hold on to his fourth place GC standing.
Riding alone, Paolo made up time to the leaders, but it
wasn’t enough to hang on to his spot, and Cunego
moved into fourth place overall on the final day of climbing.
Regarded as the best descender in the peloton, Il Falco
was pure pleasure to watch as he tucked over the bars
and easily leaned left, then right, cutting close on the
inside of the curves and making it impossible for even
the motorbikes to keep up.
Once
inside the final 5k, Basso and Simoni worked
together until 2k from the finish when Basso went around
Gilberto for his pull and simply kept going to the finish
line. With that now-famous smile erupting over his face,
Ivan Basso reached inside his jersey and pulled out
a photograph of his newborn son Santiago and held it up
in dedication of the win.
Basso
has much to celebrate, and one has to imagine that riding
fast to the finish in Milan so he can see his son all
that much sooner has to be just as important to him as
wearing the Maglia Rosa. His dominance in the race has
surprised many, but the quiet Italian has gone about his
work and made the Giro his own. “Basso! Basso!”
chants came from the crowd as Ivan gave the crowd two
thumbs up from the podium and Italy crowned a new champion.
For
DC, Chechu Rubiera had a good day in the mountains
and came in 13th place on the day’s stage. However,
sinusitis and a fever last night finally got the better
of Tom Danielson and he was unable to start today.
With only two stages remaining, it had to be a huge disappointment
to Tom to not make it to Milan.
Tomorrow
will be a final ceremonial stage with a sprint finish
into Milan as the 89th edition of the Giro d’Italia
comes to a close and Ivan Basso will be crowned
the victor, and a very deserving champion indeed…
Gerolsteiner-Sextett
mit Ambitionen auf die Schlussetappe
Auch
die Verantwortlichen und Fahrer aus dem Team Gerolsteiner
erkennen die Dominanz von Ivan Basso (Italien/CSC)
beim 89. Giro d'Italia an. "An
ihm führt derzeit kein Weg vorbei hier. Er ist das
Nonplusultra", erklärte Christian
Wegmann zum Mann im Rosa Trikot. Der Italiener hat
am Samstag die schwere 20. Etappe über 210 Kilometer
von Trento nach Aprica als Solist gewonnen
und steht nach seinem dritten Tageserfolg vor dem Gesamtsieg
bei der ersten dreiwöchigen Landesrundfahrt der ProTour-Saison.
Aber auch der Sportliche Leiter der Eifel-Equipe konnte
derweil zufrieden sein, "denn
nach dem erwartet schwierigen Tag heute, gehen wir mit
sechs Mann auf die Schlussetappe."
Vor dem Gerolsteiner-Sextett und dem Giro-Peloton stehen
am Sonntag nun also noch 140 Kilometer, ehe das Ziel in
Mailand erreicht ist. "Wir
haben die Jungs soweit durchgekriegt, den Rest schaffen
wir auch noch", sagte Wegmann.
Und, die Rennfahrer aus der deutschen ProTour-Mannschaft
nehmen den letzten Akt nicht ohne Ambitionen in Angriff.
So ist im Finale einmal mehr mit einer Sprintankunft zu
rechnen. Eine Angelegenheit für Robert Förster
und Stefan Schumacher also.
Coppia
d’assi al Dolomiti Stars:
Giro
d’Italia e Granfondo
Dopo
l’impresa di Juan Manuel Garate a Falcade-Passo
San Pellegrino, domani debutta sulle Dolomiti bellunesi
la 1a Gran Fondo Giro d’Italia - Dolomiti Stars.
991
gli iscritti, tra cui Freddy Maertens e Massimiliano
Lelli.
Speciali
TV a cura di Rai Sport e SKY Sport
27
maggio -
Una platea immensa ha seguito, ieri, l’impresa di
Juan Manuel Garate, che si è imposto sul
traguardo di Falcade-Passo San Pellegrino, al termine
della 19a frazione del Giro d’Italia. Sulla
salita finale l’affluenza del pubblico, cospicua
già da giovedì notte, è stata stimata
in 40.000 spettatori; 50.000 persone in tutta l’area
Dolomiti Stars hanno assistito alla corsa, dominata
dalla fuga di 155 chilometri di un gruppetto di 12 uomini,
tra cui il campione di Spagna.
Mentre
la carovana rosa prosegue la marcia verso Milano, nel
Dolomiti Stars è ora il turno dei cicloamatori,
che domani (domenica 28 maggio) daranno vita ad un’inedita
granfondo. 991 appassionati di ciclismo, provenienti da
ogni parte del mondo, parteciperanno alla prima edizione
della Gran Fondo Giro d’Italia - Dolomiti Stars,
che si correrà sulle stesse strade su cui poche
ore fa si sono affrontati i campioni in lizza per la maglia
rosa. Al via anche alcuni partecipanti d’eccezione,
tra cui l’ex-iridato Freddy Maertens e l’ex-pro
Massimiliano Lelli.
«Siamo
molto soddisfatti per l’accoglienza che ha avuto
il Giro d’Italia nel nostro territorio -
commenta Sergio Pra, presidente di Dolomiti
Stars -. Il ciclismo tira,
e molto: lo hanno confermato le migliaia di persone che
si sono riversate nell'Agordino, non solo a Passo San
Pellegrino, ma anche sul Pordoi, sul Fedaia e lungo tutte
le strade del Dolomiti Stars. Due ali di folla in festa:
questa è una grande vittoria di tutto il comprensorio
che presiedo». Renzo Minella,
responsabile marketing del Dolomiti Stars, aggiunge
a proposito della Gran Fondo Giro d’Italia - Dolomiti
Stars: «La granfondo
rappresenta il botto finale di una tre giorni esaltante
all’insegna del ciclismo interpretato ai massimi
livelli. L’evento amatoriale
- continua Minella -
va a completare l’investimento di Dolomiti Stars
nel mondo delle due ruote, nell’ottica della
promozione dell’offerta turistica estiva delle Dolomiti
bellunesi: i primi risultati positivi sono già
tangibili, basti pensare che da giovedì scorso
gli hotel in tutto il consorzio sono al completo».
La
Gran Fondo Giro d’Italia - Dolomiti Stars, organizzata
dal consorzio turistico bellunese in collaborazione con
Rcs Sport, prenderà il via alle ore 7.30 nella
piazza principale di Arabba. Due i percorsi in programma:
il percorso lungo, di 170 km, condurrà attraverso
le località di Arabba, Colle Santa Lucia,
Selva di Cadore, Passo Staulanza, Zoldo
Alto, Dont, Passo Duran, Agordo,
Cencenighe Agordino, Canale, Falcade,
Passo San Pellegrino, Moena, Canazei,
Fedaia, Rocca Pietore, Digonera,
Arabba. Il percorso breve (110 km) si snoderà
tra Arabba, Colle Santa Lucia, Selva di Cadore, Passo
Staulanza, Zoldo Alto, Dont, Passo Duran, Agordo, Cencenighe
Agordino, Alleghe, Caprile, Digonera, Arabba.
Le
fasi salienti della granfondo saranno trasmesse in televisione:
domenica 4 giugno su Sky Sport 2, a partire dalle ore
14.45; copertura garantita da Rai Sport, in chiaro, su
Rai Tre, e su Rai Sport Satellite.
