Day 3 is Mr Unpredictable, we saw a large break go, and considering it was fairly likely to succeed we placed David Zabriskie up there to exploit any opportunities that might come along.
The pack however, decided it was too early for a successful break just 3 days in, and the reeled them in before the summit of the 136km false-flat ascent, As such Horner made a small attack to secure the points and the Maglia Verde for another day.
He was caught not long afterwards, but the mass sprint was broken by the short climbs just before the finish, and Cunego wins the day, and with it, the Maglia Rosa.
Stage 4
Today looks built for sprinters, the only opportunity for a breakaway win, is the short 300m of climbing just 5km from the finish line.
The breakaway today was an 11 man group, without a man from Exxon-Duke, we figured that the day was destined for the sprinters, so we decided not to waste our legs.
Sure enough, The break was reeled in with good time, and Cunego managed to outsprint the competition for a second consecutive day, after Horners late attack on the hill was passed in the final sprint.
No major changes in the General Classification though Kiryienka suffered a crash just as the pace was upped, and lost a full 13minutes! Cunego now leads the Giro D'Italia, currently only due to Bonus seconds, but is this the beginning of an Italian Giro domination?
Cunego's dual stage wins also make him leader of the points classément, and Horner leads in the KOM competition.
Edited by baggieboys32 on 02-05-2012 18:29
The hills are here, the first chance to see some large breakups, but will people have the legs to keep it together at this point?
The breakaway was a 12 man group, forming after 25km today, without any major names, perhaps they would be left to fight out the stage win and give some unlikely suspect a ride in the "Rosa"
Not happening. Astana went all out in the chase, and caught the break before the final KOM climb, which brought an early start to the attacks.
First off, was Matteo Carrara, currently donning the Points jersey, La Maglia Rossa.
His attack was covered by the Astana team who kept him within range, clearly Vinokourov was feeling exceptional considering the efforts his team mates were giving!
The next volley was from the big guns, Vino, Horner, Cunego, Scarponi and Sanchéz all gave it a go just before the descent, but even this elite group was unable to open a major gap on the descent, and with just 7km to go, it seemed the remaining men would fight it out in an uphill sprint for the line.
It was a 3rd consecutive stage for the Lampre-ISD team, this time it was Scarponi who took the victory, easily outsprinting the competition, this race is not built for the traditional fast men (Have you noticed? )
Once again my bloody pc crashed, heres a picture of the Stage results, as you can see, Cunego is in Pink, with Scarponi second followed by the Movistar boys, Horner currently sits in 20th overall, 50" down, however once the real climbs come, we will quickly move up the places as the lesser climbers fall away.
The penultimate day of week 1, and the first semi-ascent finish of the race, will the slopes be enough to break up the pack? or just to stop the sprinters once more?
We joined the break today, Scott Zwizanski made his way into the group of 4, and was able to lead over the only KOM checkpoint of the day, he was trying to protect the Maglia Verde, as Travis Meyer was sat just behind Horner, but sadly, the Garmin man took second, enough to take the lead in the KOM competition.
The breakaway opened a gap of 12minutes at peak, and they were not being closed down, it seemed that the pack had underestimated the group, and the 4 would fight for the win today, Scolari of Androni made an attack out of the break, and no one else had the legs to follow with 65km to go.
The pack upped the pace massively in the second half of the race, however, Scolari's attack paid off, the rear group were caught under the flamme rouge, by the peloton, but Scolari could throw his arms high into the air, and celebrate a stage win at the Giro D'Italia!
Chris Horner rode in safely with the peloton today, It was a shame to see Zwizanski unable to follow Scolari's attack, otherwise we could have been the men on the top step of the podium today, celebrating a great victory...
The queen stage of week 1, and what a cracker it promises to be! 97km in length, but most of it climbing, first up, the Serra De La Strada, (10KOM points) and the finishing on the summit of the Monte Vergnine near Naples.
We once again put a man into todays breakaway, Danny Pate was the man for the job, one of our better climbers, so if the break succeeded, he had a good chance of taking the stage win.
The breakaway was allowed to open a decent gap, the pack pushed a slower pace over the Serra De La Strade, saving the legs for fireworks later in the day, Pate was looking strong in the break, and was first over the climb, taking 10points, to make him provisional leader in the KOM.
On the descent, Astana managed to more than halve the gap to the peloton, it was clear that the break as a whole wouldn't make it, so as the peloton came into view, Gustav Larsson attacked from within the breakaway, looking to cling on solo to the top.
The attack was never really a threat however, and as the first attacks came from within the pack, he was caught, Garzelli was the first name to make an attack, with 5km to go, causing the pace in the pack to rise once more.
Garzelli opened a gap of about 25" which he held for a further 2.5km, until Chris Horner made an attack, we knew we couldn't win it in a sprint, so we had to open a gap to the pack before the final dash.
Chris quickly caught Garzelli, and the attack sparked several responses from behind, Sanchéz and Vinokourov both joined the front duo with 1.7km to go, it seemed one of these 4 would take the victory here today.
Horner's attack had been timed perfectly, the response from the rest had been able to join the duo, but there legs were still very much feeling the attack, whilst Garzelli had been solo for much longer against the pack he had little left, and Horner is able to take the stage win here, a great way to finish week 1, and showing good form ahead of the mountain days to come!
Stage Results
1
Chris Horner
Exxon Duke
2h58'52
2
Stefano Garzelli
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
3
Luis León Sánchez
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
4
Alexandre Vinokourov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
5
Michele Scarponi
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
6
Haimar Zubeldia
Team RadioShack
s.t.
7
Marco Pinotti
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
8
Ivan Basso
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
9
Richie Porte
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
10
Matteo Carrara
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Vincenzo Nibali
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
12
Marzio Bruseghin
Movistar Team
s.t.
13
Damiano Cunego
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
14
Peter Velits
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
15
Morris Possoni
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
16
Giampaolo Caruso
Katusha Team
s.t.
17
Amets Txurruka
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
18
Jakob Fuglsang
Leopard Trek
s.t.
19
Steven Kruijswijk
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
20
Iván Velasco
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
21
Rubén Plaza
Movistar Team
s.t.
22
Simon Spilak
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
23
Beñat Intxausti
Movistar Team
s.t.
24
Mikel Nieve
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
25
Leonardo Bertagnolli
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
26
Tejay Van Garderen
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
27
Kevin De Weert
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
28
Emanuele Sella
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
29
Cayetano Sarmiento
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
30
Philip Deignan
Team RadioShack
s.t.
31
Francesco Bellotti
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
32
Przemyslaw Niemiec
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
33
Bruno Pires
Leopard Trek
s.t.
34
Andrea Noè
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
35
Kanstantsin Siutsou
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
36
Andriy Grivko
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
37
Grischa Niermann
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
38
Robert Kiserlovski
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
39
Massimo Codol
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
40
José Rujano
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
41
Giovanni Visconti
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
42
Óscar Pujol
Omega Pharma - Lotto
s.t.
43
Vladimir Miholjevic
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
44
Francesco Failli
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
45
Volodymir Gustov
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
46
David Zabriskie
Exxon Duke
s.t.
47
Riccardo Chiarini
Androni Giocattoli
+ 1'25
48
Christian Knees
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
49
Aitor Pérez Arrieta
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
50
Patrik Sinkewitz
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
51
Christophe Riblon
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
52
Alessandro Bisolti
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
53
Peter Sagan
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 1'33
54
Nicki Sørensen
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
55
Andrey Kashechkin
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
56
Eduard Vorganov
Katusha Team
s.t.
57
Paolo Tiralongo
Pro Team Astana
+ 1'49
58
Alessandro Bertolini
Androni Giocattoli
+ 1'57
59
Michael Albasini
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
60
Luca Mazzanti
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
61
Carlos Betancourt
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
62
Amaël Moinard
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
63
Vasil Kiryienka
Movistar Team
s.t.
64
Yaroslav Popovych
Team RadioShack
s.t.
65
Mario Aerts
Omega Pharma - Lotto
+ 2'05
66
José Serpa
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
67
Ben Hermans
Team RadioShack
s.t.
68
Danny Pate
Exxon Duke
s.t.
69
Gustav Erik Larsson
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
70
José Iván Gutiérrez
Movistar Team
s.t.
71
Ivan Santaromita
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
72
Bauke Mollema
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
73
Rémy Di Gregorio
Pro Team Astana
+ 2'13
74
Pavel Brutt
Katusha Team
s.t.
75
Jorge Azanza
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 2'21
76
Mirko Selvaggi
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
77
Steve Morabito
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
78
Addy Engels
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
79
Davide Malacarne
Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 2'29
80
Andrea Masciarelli
Acqua & Sapone
+ 2'37
81
Aleksandr Kuschynski
Katusha Team
+ 2'45
82
Manuel Cardoso
Team RadioShack
s.t.
83
Xabier Zandio
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
84
Sylwester Szmyd
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
85
Michel Kreder
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
86
Matthew Lloyd
Omega Pharma - Lotto
+ 2'53
87
Hubert Dupont
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 3'17
88
Sergey Lagutin
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
89
Maxime Bouet
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 3'25
90
Scott Zwizanski
Exxon Duke
s.t.
91
Chris Froome
Sky ProCycling
+ 3'33
92
Paul Martens
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
93
Joan Horrach
Katusha Team
+ 4'21
94
Santo Anza
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
95
Juan Mauricio Soler
Movistar Team
+ 4'29
96
Francesco Ginanni
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
97
Andrew Talansky
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
98
Jürgen Van de Walle
Omega Pharma - Lotto
+ 4'37
99
Balint Szeghalmi
Lampre - ISD
+ 4'45
100
Stefan Denifl
Leopard Trek
+ 5'17
101
Roberto Ferrari
Androni Giocattoli
+ 5'25
102
Thomas Rohregger
Leopard Trek
s.t.
103
Johann Tschopp
BMC Racing Team
+ 6'13
104
Adam Hansen
Omega Pharma - Lotto
s.t.
105
Caleb Fairly
Exxon Duke
+ 6'21
106
Christian Meier
Exxon Duke
+ 6'29
107
Evgeni Petrov
Pro Team Astana
+ 13'25
108
Dario Cioni
Sky ProCycling
+ 13'33
109
Oliver Zaugg
Leopard Trek
s.t.
110
Artem Ovechkin
Katusha Team
s.t.
111
Steve Houanard
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 13'41
112
Jack Bobridge
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
113
Rubén Pérez
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 13'49
114
Pablo Lastras
Movistar Team
+ 13'57
115
Emanuele Vona
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
116
Simon Clarke
Pro Team Astana
+ 14'05
117
Luca Solari
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
118
Pierre Cazaux
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
119
Ben Jacques-Maynes
Exxon Duke
s.t.
120
Simon Zahner
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
121
Roman Kireyev
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
122
Kjell Carlström
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
123
Taylor Phinney
Exxon Duke
s.t.
124
Jonas Aaen Jørgensen
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
125
José Joaquín Rojas
Movistar Team
+ 14'13
126
Ruggero Marzoli
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
127
Stuart O'Grady
Leopard Trek
s.t.
128
David Le Lay
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 14'21
129
Dominic Klemme
Leopard Trek
s.t.
130
Grega Bole
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
131
Anthony Ravard
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 14'29
132
Russell Downing
Sky ProCycling
+ 27'25
133
Marc De Maar
Quick·Step Cycling Team
+ 27'33
134
Marco Marcato
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
135
Gorka Izagirre
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 27'41
136
Francesco Reda
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
137
Francisco José Ventoso
Movistar Team
+ 27'49
138
Sep Vanmarcke
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
139
Stephen Cummings
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
140
Tiziano Dall'Antonia
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 27'57
141
Allan Davis
Pro Team Astana
+ 28'05
142
Maarten Wynants
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
143
Geoffroy Lequatre
Team RadioShack
+ 28'13
144
Lieuwe Westra
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
145
Alexander Mironov
Katusha Team
s.t.
146
Maxime Vantomme
Katusha Team
s.t.
147
Joost Van Leijen
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 28'21
148
Robert Hunter
Team RadioShack
s.t.
149
Paolo Longo Borghini
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
150
Davide Viganò
Leopard Trek
s.t.
151
Cameron Meyer
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
152
Pierpaolo De Negri
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
+ 28'29
153
Mikaël Chérel
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
154
Coen Vermeltfoort
Rabobank Cycling Team
+ 28'37
155
Francisco Javier Aramendia
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
156
Julian Dean
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
157
Sébastien Hinault
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
158
Travis Meyer
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
159
Danilo Wyss
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
160
Pablo Urtasun
Euskaltel - Euskadi
+ 28'45
161
Baden Cooke
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
162
Bert Grabsch
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
163
Danilo Napolitano
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
164
John Degenkolb
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
165
Elia Viviani
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
166
Martin Kohler
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
167
Borut Božic
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
168
Christopher Sutton
Sky ProCycling
+ 28'53
169
Robbie McEwen
Team RadioShack
s.t.
170
Vicente Reynès
Omega Pharma - Lotto
s.t.
171
Ramunas Navardauskas
Team Garmin - Cervélo
+ 29'01
172
Kristof Goddaert
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
173
Fabio Sabatini
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
174
Frederique Robert
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
175
Andrea Guardini
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
176
Jens Mouris
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
177
Jens Debusschere
Omega Pharma - Lotto
+ 29'09
178
Michael Matthews
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
179
Marco Bandiera
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
180
Bernardo Colex
Exxon Duke
s.t.
181
Andreas Stauff
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
182
Matthew Wilson
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
183
Kevin Van Impe
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
184
Gert Dockx
Omega Pharma - Lotto
s.t.
185
Grégory Rast
Team RadioShack
+ 29'17
186
Crescenzo D'Amore
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
187
Claudio Corioni
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
188
Jonathan Bellis
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
189
Matthew Brammeier
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
190
Leigh Howard
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
End of week report, and Week 2 introduction to follow shortly
Well, the 97km mountain stage today, finished off the first week of racing in style, the first day for the GC men, and we are proud to say it was Horner who came out on top!
General Classification
After the lightest week of the three, the top end of the GC, is still dominated by those teams who are good TTists, there have been some changes following the last 3 days however, Cunego moves past the Movistar side, into the race lead in front of team mate Michele Scarponi.
Four Exxon-Duke, the first week has been a great success, seeing Horner make use of a good TT and work upwards, his Stage win in Monte Vergnine is enough to move him up to 7th place in the GC!
1
Damiano Cunego
Lampre - ISD
28h15'21
2
Michele Scarponi
Lampre - ISD
+ 8
3
Marzio Bruseghin
Movistar Team
+ 23
4
Rubén Plaza
Movistar Team
s.t.
5
Beñat Intxausti
Movistar Team
s.t.
6
Leonardo Bertagnolli
Lampre - ISD
+ 28
7
Chris Horner
Exxon Duke
+ 30
8
Matteo Carrara
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
+ 41
9
Przemyslaw Niemiec
Lampre - ISD
+ 45
10
Simon Spilak
Lampre - ISD
+ 46
11
Marco Pinotti
HTC - Highroad
+ 49
12
Peter Velits
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
13
Tejay Van Garderen
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
14
Kanstantsin Siutsou
HTC - Highroad
+ 53
15
Alexandre Vinokourov
Pro Team Astana
+ 55
Points Jersey
The course makes it difficult for the sprinters to really make much ground in the Maglia Rossa contest, as demonstrated by the lack of sprinters here in Italy, and only 2 names in the top 15 who have a vicious kick- Allan Davis and Peter Sagan. The Vacansoleil rider, Matteo Carrara still leads in this competition, in front of Lampre duo, Cunego and Scarponi, whilst Horner is best placed for Exxon, in 12th place, with 28 points.
1
Matteo Carrara
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
93
2
Michele Scarponi
Lampre - ISD
87
3
Damiano Cunego
Lampre - ISD
74
4
Alexandre Vinokourov
Pro Team Astana
62
5
Luis León Sánchez
Rabobank Cycling Team
61
6
Peter Sagan
Liquigas - Cannondale
40
7
Vincenzo Nibali
Liquigas - Cannondale
38
8
Allan Davis
Pro Team Astana
37
9
Stefano Garzelli
Acqua & Sapone
35
10
Leonardo Bertagnolli
Lampre - ISD
32
11
Luca Solari
Androni Giocattoli
28
12
Chris Horner
Exxon Duke
28
13
Giovanni Visconti
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
27
14
Marzio Bruseghin
Movistar Team
23
15
Marco Marcato
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
20
King of The Mountains
We are dominating in the mountain competition, Chris Horner took the lead at the first checkpoint, wearing the jersey from day2-day6, before being knocked off the top by Travis Meier. On Day 7 Horner took the victory at the summit to claim 4mountain points, and Pate also picked up 10 on the days first climb, placing him in second, a current one-two for Exxon-Duke in the race for the Maglia Verde.
1
Chris Horner
Exxon Duke
11
2
Danny Pate
Exxon Duke
10
3
Travis Meyer
Team Garmin - Cervélo
7
4
Rubén Pérez
Euskaltel - Euskadi
6
5
Andrea Masciarelli
Acqua & Sapone
6
6
Ivan Santaromita
BMC Racing Team
6
7
Riccardo Chiarini
Androni Giocattoli
4
8
Scott Zwizanski
Exxon Duke
3
9
Stefano Garzelli
Acqua & Sapone
3
10
Maxime Bouet
AG2R La Mondiale
3
Under 25 Jersey
The youth classification will be hard fought this year, several of the next generation of climbers are present, such as Sagan, Kiserlovski, Spilak, Van Garderen etc. Currently, the jersey is held by the best TTing Team, Movistar with Intxausti, but as the mountains continue, expect to see VG and Kisso coming forwards!
1
Beñat Intxausti
Movistar Team
28h15'44 (1)
2
Simon Spilak
Lampre - ISD
+ 23 (2)
3
Tejay Van Garderen
HTC - Highroad
+ 26 (3)
4
Steven Kruijswijk
Rabobank Cycling Team
+ 47 (4)
5
Robert Kiserlovski
Pro Team Astana
+ 56 (5)
6
Cayetano Sarmiento
Acqua & Sapone
+ 1'20 (6)
7
Peter Sagan
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 2'54 (7)
8
Ben Hermans
Team RadioShack
+ 2'56 (8)
9
Carlos Betancourt
Acqua & Sapone
+ 3'17 (9)
10
Michel Kreder
Team Garmin - Cervélo
+ 3'47 (10)
Week 2 Introduction
Now we know about the standings, it's time to take a look at what week 2 has to offer the men in Italy as we head towards the business end of proceedings, with some major days racing ahead for everyone!
A light day to start week 2, 212km in length, but the profile is favourable meaning it will likely come down to a sprint up the final sharp kilometre to the finish line.
One of the more famous days in the Proracing calendar, 2 ascents of Mount Etna face the riders, we should see major breaks in the times up this climb, 159km the day, 63km of that is uphill, a real test on the legs, despite an often reasonable climbing gradient.
Following the torture up Mt.Etna, this is a day off, the final 15km are very gently uphill, this has to be one of the days where the sprinters will look to gain something from the 3 week ordeal.
Officially classed as a flat day, but the 155km route looks pretty hilly to me! expect to see punchers fighting the breakaway for the stage win, in a day which is unlikely to affect the overall, but will make a respected addition to any riders palmarés!
Day 12 is a relaxing day before the real alpine days arrive, at just 167km in length, and an almost completely flat route, the sprinters may use this as a final target before dropping out from the competition.
The alps have arrived, 166km to the summit of the Grossglockner in Austria, this is a frightener for the GC men, it will fast hard and painful up the final 18km climb!
The queen stage of week 2, if not the entire race, 210km including the ascent and (Frightening) descent of the Monte Crostis will shake up the pack, before they arrive at the base of one of the Hardest climbs on the cycling calendar. Monte Zoncolan is 10,9km long, with an average gradient of 11.9%! this will thin the pack for sure, as the second week draws to a close
Looking forward to the races, and see you out there!
In all likelihood, today will be for the sprinters, however at 212km in length, and with no actual sprinters here, perhaps a break will be allowed to take the win, as teams use today to relax.
It was clear early on, that many teams thought the break had a good chance today, both Astana, and Omega-Pharma placed two men in the breakaway group, as 11men went clear out in front.
The breakaway wasn't controlled efficiently, and as they passed the 10km mark, the gap was small, but still existed, the men in the break were still working, it would be tight today!
0.8km and the gap still exists! Horner has found the wheel of HTC puncher Albasini who is leading out the peloton, but will the group be able to overtake the front men as they launch there sprint?
And no! they leave it just too late for the stage win today, catching all but the last man from the break, but Klemme is able to hang on for Leopard Trek, to pick up there first stage win, Horner meanwhile was able to follow Albasini and then sprint to 4th place! a fantastic result on a stage where we expected nothing!
Stage Results
1
Dominic Klemme
Leopard Trek
5h05'39
2
Vincenzo Nibali
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
3
Alexandre Vinokourov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
4
Chris Horner
Exxon Duke
s.t.
5
Luis León Sánchez
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
6
Simon Clarke
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
7
Peter Velits
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
8
Michele Scarponi
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
9
Michael Albasini
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
10
John Degenkolb
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Coen Vermeltfoort
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
12
Francisco José Ventoso
Movistar Team
s.t.
13
Marco Pinotti
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
14
Marco Marcato
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
15
Marzio Bruseghin
Movistar Team
s.t.
16
Jakob Fuglsang
Leopard Trek
s.t.
17
Stefano Garzelli
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
18
Emanuele Sella
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
19
Cayetano Sarmiento
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
20
Allan Davis
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
21
Haimar Zubeldia
Team RadioShack
s.t.
22
Elia Viviani
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
23
Baden Cooke
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
24
Manuel Cardoso
Team RadioShack
s.t.
25
Peter Sagan
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
26
Leonardo Bertagnolli
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
27
Robbie McEwen
Team RadioShack
s.t.
28
Gorka Izagirre
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
29
Stuart O'Grady
Leopard Trek
s.t.
30
Richie Porte
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
31
Giampaolo Caruso
Katusha Team
s.t.
32
Matteo Carrara
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
33
Patrik Sinkewitz
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
34
Francesco Ginanni
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
35
Jürgen Van de Walle
Omega Pharma - Lotto
s.t.
36
Andrea Noè
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
37
Grischa Niermann
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
38
Paolo Longo Borghini
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
39
Aitor Pérez Arrieta
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
40
Alessandro Bertolini
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
41
Giovanni Visconti
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
42
Chris Froome
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
43
Eduard Vorganov
Katusha Team
s.t.
44
Steven Kruijswijk
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
45
José Rujano
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
46
Danilo Napolitano
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
47
Paul Martens
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
48
Damiano Cunego
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
49
Amets Txurruka
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
50
Tejay Van Garderen
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
51
Riccardo Chiarini
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
52
Luca Mazzanti
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
53
Luca Solari
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
54
Mikel Nieve
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
55
Balint Szeghalmi
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
56
Ruggero Marzoli
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
57
José Iván Gutiérrez
Movistar Team
s.t.
58
Roman Kireyev
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
59
Tiziano Dall'Antonia
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
60
Iván Velasco
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
61
Andriy Grivko
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
62
Santo Anza
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
63
David Zabriskie
Exxon Duke
s.t.
64
Massimo Codol
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
65
Bert Grabsch
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
66
Pablo Lastras
Movistar Team
s.t.
67
Adam Hansen
Omega Pharma - Lotto
s.t.
68
Borut Božic
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
69
Robert Hunter
Team RadioShack
s.t.
70
Taylor Phinney
Exxon Duke
s.t.
71
Alessandro Bisolti
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
72
José Serpa
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
73
Andrea Masciarelli
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
74
Kanstantsin Siutsou
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
75
Paolo Tiralongo
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
76
Joost Van Leijen
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
77
Grega Bole
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
78
Evgeni Petrov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
79
Kristof Goddaert
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
80
Ben Hermans
Team RadioShack
s.t.
81
Davide Viganò
Leopard Trek
s.t.
82
José Joaquín Rojas
Movistar Team
s.t.
83
Carlos Betancourt
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
84
David Le Lay
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
85
Andrey Kashechkin
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
86
Yaroslav Popovych
Team RadioShack
s.t.
87
Sergey Lagutin
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
88
Pierpaolo De Negri
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
89
Jack Bobridge
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
90
Simon Spilak
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
91
Michel Kreder
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
92
Bernardo Colex
Exxon Duke
s.t.
93
Michael Matthews
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
94
Steve Houanard
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
95
Robert Kiserlovski
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
96
Ivan Basso
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
97
Julian Dean
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
98
Rubén Pérez
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
99
Przemyslaw Niemiec
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
100
Pavel Brutt
Katusha Team
s.t.
101
Christopher Sutton
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
102
Maxime Vantomme
Katusha Team
s.t.
103
Cameron Meyer
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
104
Gustav Erik Larsson
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
105
Ben Jacques-Maynes
Exxon Duke
s.t.
106
Grégory Rast
Team RadioShack
s.t.
107
Christian Knees
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
108
Mirko Selvaggi
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
109
Geoffroy Lequatre
Team RadioShack
s.t.
110
Kjell Carlström
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
111
Bruno Pires
Leopard Trek
s.t.
112
Rémy Di Gregorio
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
113
Martin Kohler
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
114
Mikaël Chérel
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
115
Sep Vanmarcke
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
116
Danny Pate
Exxon Duke
s.t.
117
Xabier Zandio
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
118
Joan Horrach
Katusha Team
s.t.
119
Jens Debusschere
Omega Pharma - Lotto
s.t.
120
Dario Cioni
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
121
Mario Aerts
Omega Pharma - Lotto
s.t.
122
Russell Downing
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
123
Johann Tschopp
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
124
Oliver Zaugg
Leopard Trek
s.t.
125
Rubén Plaza
Movistar Team
s.t.
126
Philip Deignan
Team RadioShack
s.t.
127
Travis Meyer
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
128
Maarten Wynants
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
129
Hubert Dupont
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
130
Beñat Intxausti
Movistar Team
s.t.
131
Stephen Cummings
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
132
Nicki Sørensen
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
133
Vicente Reynès
Omega Pharma - Lotto
s.t.
134
Óscar Pujol
Omega Pharma - Lotto
s.t.
135
Juan Mauricio Soler
Movistar Team
s.t.
136
Danilo Wyss
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
137
Crescenzo D'Amore
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
138
Ramunas Navardauskas
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
139
Sébastien Hinault
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
140
Christophe Riblon
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
141
Steve Morabito
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
142
Sylwester Szmyd
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
143
Jens Mouris
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
144
Anthony Ravard
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
145
Emanuele Vona
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
+ 2'19
146
Jonathan Bellis
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
147
Stefan Denifl
Leopard Trek
s.t.
148
Simon Zahner
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
149
Bauke Mollema
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
150
Ivan Santaromita
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
151
Matthew Lloyd
Omega Pharma - Lotto
s.t.
152
Leigh Howard
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
153
Pablo Urtasun
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
154
Pierre Cazaux
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
155
Francisco Javier Aramendia
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
156
Gert Dockx
Omega Pharma - Lotto
s.t.
157
Matthew Wilson
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
158
Scott Zwizanski
Exxon Duke
s.t.
159
Amaël Moinard
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
160
Marc De Maar
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
161
Lieuwe Westra
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
162
Jorge Azanza
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
163
Caleb Fairly
Exxon Duke
s.t.
164
Davide Malacarne
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
165
Francesco Failli
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
166
Roberto Ferrari
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
167
Andrew Talansky
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
168
Frederique Robert
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
169
Addy Engels
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
170
Marco Bandiera
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
171
Kevin De Weert
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
172
Francesco Reda
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
173
Andreas Stauff
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
174
Maxime Bouet
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
175
Aleksandr Kuschynski
Katusha Team
s.t.
176
Morris Possoni
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
177
Volodymir Gustov
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
178
Kevin Van Impe
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
179
Vasil Kiryienka
Movistar Team
s.t.
180
Jonas Aaen Jørgensen
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
181
Vladimir Miholjevic
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
182
Alexander Mironov
Katusha Team
s.t.
183
Claudio Corioni
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
184
Fabio Sabatini
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 3'35
185
Matthew Brammeier
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
186
Thomas Rohregger
Leopard Trek
+ 3'51
187
Artem Ovechkin
Katusha Team
+ 4'04
188
Christian Meier
Exxon Duke
s.t.
189
Andrea Guardini
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
+ 4'45
All in all, a good day for Exxon here in Italy, a 4th place, is never to be sniffed at, and we were able to get away with doing almost no work, a good opportunity to re-build the legs, before tomorrow, the ascent of Etna!
As well as the Giro D'Italia, the next 8 days contain the Tour of California, this is a major goal for our all-american squad, but the competition is often fierce despite is 2.HC status, many of the big riders use the ToC as a warm up for the Tour De France, so expect a strong startlist!
To a large extent, we send our TdF squad here to california, he only real changes are to see Danielson and Pate, replacing Lewis and Stetina, none the less, we have a strong all around squad here, Farrar returns to the fore, after a quiet season since mid-april, Armstrong is our leader here, he is yet to make an impression since his comeback, but hopefully this will be set a benchmark from which he can move forwards.
Plenty of days for both sprinters and climbers here in california, the ascent of Mt Baldy, on stage 7, looks set to define the GC, along with the TT on day 6.
Days 2 will be fast paced, downhill all the way to the finish line, which will make for a tremendous race pace!
Startlist
Any one who thought that the startlist for the Giro was a weak one, will be pleased to see the big names are all here for the Tour of California, Schleck, Evans, Armstrong, Rodriguez and Leipheimer seem set to be the men contesting the Yellow jersey, so the competition will be fierce on the climbs!
In the race for the points jersey meanwhile, we see the likes of Cavendish, Hushovd, Farrar and Boonen, one cannot help but feel sorry for those men from the lower division teams such as Rapha-Condor and Endura, it seems hard to work out where they will make a difference in this WT dominated race!
Day 1, is a fairly flat route, but a short 2.5km climb just before the finish, may prove enough to break up the pack.
Today saw a 3man breakaway form very early, unsurprisingly Endura placed a man in the break, with such a strong field, expect to see the CT teams active in the breaks! He was joined by Bernhard Eisel, and Enrico Gasparotto, the Astana man picking up the KOM points, meaning he is the first man in the KOM jersey.
On the final climb of the day, The favourites did indeed make an attack, an elite group- Martin, Armstrong, Leipheimer, A.Schleck, J.Rodriguéz and Cadel Evans got away for a while, but Astana were keen to bring the group back, and had help from the CT teams, meaning they were caught soon after reaching the summit.
Katusha win the stage in a reduced sprint, thanks to Aleksander Kolobnev, he had more in the tank than his opponents having avoided the late break, and takes the leaders jersey.
A downhill race, 212km in length, but an opportunity to relax the legs a bit, the terrain is very favourable and will almost certainly see a bunch sprint.
The morning break, contained 3 men, 2 British CT riders, Partridge and Tiernan-Locke, along with Nicki Terpstra, the trio went clear early, but never made a threat as we along with Garmin and HTC controlled the day, setting up a bunch sprint for Farrar.
Deeney led out Farrar in the sprint, we were trailed by all the other favourites, as the sprinters formed a train down the right hand side.
With so many men behind, to launch early would lead to nothing but disaster, and we allowed the other men around us in the peloton to launch first, only starting our sprint with 600m to go, Farrar was around 2 bike lengths behind the competition.
And it's timed to perfection, coming past the rest to take it (Just!) on the finishing line, no time for a celebration today, but a stage win none the less, meaning Farrar will start in the Points jersey tomorrow.
1
Tyler Farrar
Exxon Duke
4h57'32
2
Jure Kocjan
Team Type 1
s.t.
3
Heinrich Haussler
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
4
Mirco Lorenzetto
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
5
Thor Hushovd
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
6
Tom Boonen
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
7
Mark Cavendish
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
8
Daniele Bennati
Leopard Trek
s.t.
9
Alexandr Kolobnev
Katusha Team
s.t.
10
Wouter Weylandt
Leopard Trek
s.t.
Stage 3
Today really is one for the sprinters, almost totally flat, the strong men will look to dominate here, a break has almost no chance!
Indeed, it was clear how unlikely the break was right from the start, only 2 men went away at the front, and they went without competition, a break which would be pulled back 40km from the finish line.
Today saw 2 sprint trains forming, We lead one, with Cavendish perched just behind, whilst the other was led by Hushovd, these three were the days favourites, though plenty of other sprinters were well positioned to give it a go.
It quickly became clear that ours was the stronger train, Hushovd fell away in the final kilometre, it was Cav vs Farrar for the stage!
And it's Farrar! Tyler takes a second consecutive stage win for the team here in California, we had high hopes for the strong team we brought here to the ToC, and so far, They're providing the best rewards going!
Stage Results
1
Tyler Farrar
Exxon Duke
4h32'00
2
Mark Cavendish
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
3
Thor Hushovd
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
4
Tom Boonen
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
5
Mirco Lorenzetto
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
6
Gerald Ciolek
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
7
Dean Downing
Rapha Condor - Sharp
s.t.
8
Luca Paolini
Katusha Team
s.t.
9
Jure Kocjan
Team Type 1
s.t.
10
Fabian Wegmann
Leopard Trek
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Tony Martin
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
12
Alessandro Ballan
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
13
Cadel Evans
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
14
Levi Leipheimer
Team RadioShack
s.t.
15
Joaquím Rodríguez
Katusha Team
s.t.
16
Heinrich Haussler
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
17
Andy Schleck
Leopard Trek
s.t.
18
Robert Wagner
Leopard Trek
s.t.
19
Alexandr Kolobnev
Katusha Team
s.t.
20
Daniele Bennati
Leopard Trek
s.t.
21
Gert Steegmans
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
22
Assan Bazayev
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
23
Matteo Tosatto
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
24
Danilo Di Luca
Katusha Team
s.t.
25
Daniel Lloyd
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
26
Jesse Sergent
Team RadioShack
s.t.
27
Jarosław Marycz
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
28
Mark Renshaw
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
29
Juan José Haedo
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
30
Andreas Klöden
Team RadioShack
s.t.
31
Boy Van Poppel
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
32
Christian Vande Velde
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
33
Francesco Chicchi
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
34
Wouter Weylandt
Leopard Trek
s.t.
35
Charles Wegelius
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
36
Jonathan Clarke
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
37
Jake Keough
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
38
Dries Devenyns
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
39
John Murphy
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
40
Bernhard Eisel
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
41
Andrew Bajadali
Kelly Benefit Strategies - Optum Health
s.t.
42
Rory Sutherland
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
43
Francesco Masciarelli
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
44
Leif Hoste
Katusha Team
s.t.
45
Andrew Pinfold
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
46
Maxim Iglinskiy
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
47
Fränk Schleck
Leopard Trek
s.t.
48
Michael Mørkøv
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
49
Laurent Didier
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
50
Benjamín Noval
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
51
Morgan Schmitt
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
52
Hayden Roulston
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
53
Philip Mooney
Team Raleigh
s.t.
54
Gorazd Stangelj
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
55
Alex Candelario
Kelly Benefit Strategies - Optum Health
s.t.
56
Alexander Efimkin
Team Type 1
s.t.
57
Kristian House
Rapha Condor - Sharp
s.t.
58
Zdenek Stybar
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
59
Sylvain Chavanel
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
60
Johan Van Summeren
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
61
Alexander Porsev
Katusha Team
s.t.
62
Marcus Burghardt
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
63
Dimitriy Muravyev
Team RadioShack
s.t.
64
Martijn Verschoor
Team Type 1
s.t.
65
Jeff Louder
Exxon Duke
s.t.
66
Daniel Moreno
Katusha Team
s.t.
67
Lars Ytting Bak
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
68
Adrian Hegyvari
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
s.t.
69
Lance Armstrong
Exxon Duke
s.t.
70
Chris Barton
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
71
Janez Brajkovič
Team RadioShack
s.t.
72
Martin Velits
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
73
Maxim Gourov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
74
Matthew Busche
Team RadioShack
s.t.
75
Markel Irizar
Team RadioShack
s.t.
76
Sheldon Deeny
Exxon Duke
s.t.
77
Alexey Shmidt
Team Type 1
s.t.
78
Niki Østergaard
Glud & Marstrand - LRØ
s.t.
79
Bjorn Selander
Exxon Duke
s.t.
80
Iker Camaño
Endura Racing
s.t.
81
Michael Friedman
Kelly Benefit Strategies - Optum Health
s.t.
82
Manuel Quinziato
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
83
Greg Van Avermaet
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
84
Colton Barrett
Kelly Benefit Strategies - Optum Health
s.t.
85
Alexander Kristoff
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
86
Craig Lewis
Exxon Duke
s.t.
87
Jesse Anthony
Kelly Benefit Strategies - Optum Health
s.t.
88
Michael Creed
Kelly Benefit Strategies - Optum Health
s.t.
89
Fabio Calabria
Team Type 1
s.t.
90
Steven Cozza
Exxon Duke
s.t.
91
Daniel Holloway
Kelly Benefit Strategies - Optum Health
s.t.
92
Evan Hyde
RealCyclist.com Cycling Team
s.t.
93
Sam Bewley
Team RadioShack
s.t.
94
Martijn Maaskant
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
95
Mark Hinnen
Kelly Benefit Strategies - Optum Health
s.t.
96
Thomas Rabou
RealCyclist.com Cycling Team
s.t.
97
Matthew Goss
HTC - Highroad
+ 2'22
98
Cole House
RealCyclist.com Cycling Team
s.t.
99
Ian Burnett
RealCyclist.com Cycling Team
s.t.
100
Filippo Pozzato
Katusha Team
s.t.
101
Valentin Iglinskiy
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
102
Roger Hammond
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
103
Simone Ponzi
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
104
Peter Stetina
Exxon Duke
s.t.
105
Zakkari Dempster
Rapha Condor - Sharp
s.t.
106
Martin Mortensen
Leopard Trek
+ 3'58
107
Fabian Cancellara
Leopard Trek
s.t.
108
Jacob Nielsen
Glud & Marstrand - LRØ
s.t.
109
Valerio Agnoli
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
110
Jack Bauer
Endura Racing
s.t.
111
Enrico Gasparotto
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
112
Maciej Paterski
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
113
Alessandro Bazzana
Team Type 1
s.t.
114
Nick Nuyens
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
115
Niki Terpstra
Quick·Step Cycling Team
s.t.
116
James McCallum
Rapha Condor - Sharp
s.t.
117
Olaf Kerkhof
Team Type 1
s.t.
118
Robert Partridge
Endura Racing
s.t.
119
Kiel Reijnen
Team Type 1
s.t.
120
Jonathan Tiernan-Locke
Rapha Condor - Sharp
s.t.
121
Mauro Finetto
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
122
Matt Cronshaw
Team Raleigh
s.t.
123
Alejandro Borrajo
Jamis - Sutter Home
s.t.
124
Maarten De Jonge
Endura Racing
s.t.
125
Matt Crane
RealCyclist.com Cycling Team
s.t.
126
Michael Andersen
Glud & Marstrand - LRØ
s.t.
127
Mauro Da Dalto
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
128
Alexander Wetterhall
Endura Racing
s.t.
129
Jamie Sparling
Team Raleigh
s.t.
130
Casey Munro
Rapha Condor - Sharp
s.t.
131
Andy Guptill
Jamis - Sutter Home
s.t.
132
Dominik Nerz
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
133
Rafal Majka
Saxo Bank SunGard
s.t.
134
Michael Berling
Glud & Marstrand - LRØ
s.t.
135
Ryan Parnes
Team Raleigh
s.t.
136
Kasper Jørgensen
Glud & Marstrand - LRØ
s.t.
137
Jack Anderson
Endura Racing
s.t.
138
Daniel Fleeman
Team Raleigh
s.t.
139
Matthew Kipling
Team Raleigh
s.t.
140
Juraj Sagan
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
141
Andreas Klier
Team Garmin - Cervélo
s.t.
142
Tucker Brown
Jamis - Sutter Home
s.t.
143
Jackie Simes
Jamis - Sutter Home
s.t.
144
Timothy Duggan
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
145
Eric Schildge
Jamis - Sutter Home
s.t.
146
Frank Travieso
RealCyclist.com Cycling Team
+ 11'26
147
James Driscoll
Jamis - Sutter Home
s.t.
148
Kasper Jebjerg
Glud & Marstrand - LRØ
s.t.
149
Callum Wilkinson
Endura Racing
s.t.
Current General Classification
1
Tyler Farrar
Exxon Duke
14h12'52
2
Alexandr Kolobnev
Katusha Team
+ 16
3
Jure Kocjan
Team Type 1
+ 28
4
Andreas Klöden
Team RadioShack
s.t.
5
Heinrich Haussler
Team Garmin - Cervélo
+ 30
6
Thor Hushovd
Team Garmin - Cervélo
+ 32
7
Tony Martin
HTC - Highroad
s.t.
8
Mirco Lorenzetto
Pro Team Astana
+ 34
9
Niki Østergaard
Glud & Marstrand - LRØ
s.t.
10
Markel Irizar
Team RadioShack
+ 36
Tylers consecutive stages place him in the overall lead going into tomorrows stage, however, the race starts to kick upwards from now on, so he will be back in the points jersey tomorrow evening, perhaps Lance can do the honours of taking over yellow?
The second of the big mountain days today, the riders face twin ascents of Mt.Etna, this will see the real placings at the top start to form, on a much longer mountain day.
The BotD formed on the first ascent of Etna, we managed to get Danny (Pate) up there, into quite a strong group of men, all of whom are a long way down in the GC.
Lampre and Rabobank however, were in no mood to mess around with breaks today, coming to the fore on the climbs, and never really allowing the break to open a large time gap.
Sure enough, 3km into the second climb, it was all back together, and despite the amount of climbing left to come, the big attacks started, first up, came Ivan Basso for Liquigas, he was marked, but showed good strength and forced other men to follow, was he working for himself or Nibali today?
Sanchéz at least wasn't happy with the time gap that was starting to open, he followed Basso, taking the bait, meanwhile, Chris Horner sat tight in the pack along with the Lampre Duo, surely they had the day planned out.
Indeed they did, to perfection in fact, with 4km to go, they made there attack, Horner followed as best as he could, but Scarponi was in brilliant shape, and quickly rode past the men out in front!
And in fact, his attack did the job! He came past every other man in 2.8km, to take both the Stage win and the leaders jersey, next over the line was Vicenzo Nibali, who attacked shortly before Scarponi, beating his team mate Basso over the line, a Liquigas 2-3.
Horner was at the front of the main elite group, coming in 6th place today, moving further up the GC, Chris currently sits in 4th spot, which is a strong position at this still relatively early point within the race, his form is very good at the moment, and the team have a limited workload as we sit just off the podium.
Scarponi today takes the lead of all 3 competitions, but Scott Zwizanski will wear the KOM jersey tomorrow, he lead the break over the first summit, moving into second place.
Following Etna, the terrain flattens out as we head up the east coast of Italy towards the alps, today should be one fore the sprinters, though the finish is slightly uphill.
The morning breakaway didn't form until beyond the KOM sprint, so Chris made use of this, and was able to pick up a few more points, in his secondary target- The Maglia Verde.
After returning to the pack, the pace started to fall, and a group was allowed free about 10km later, we weren't present, the breakaway didn't seem likely to succeed, and no more intermediate points were on offer today.
Sure enough, it all came back together as the slightly uphill section started, despite being a day for the sprinters, they were not present up front with 5km to go, we would once again see a sprint between the main contenders for the stage win, with Horner sat on the wheel of Scarponi with 2.9km to race.
With no actual sprinters in the fight, the men nearest to the front proved to be perfectly positioned, and the guys who had been controlling the pack were able to join the sprint, Matteo Tosatto took the win from this group, whilst Matteo Cararra came round the outside for Vacansoleil to pick up second, completing a 1-2 for there team!
Horner sprinted home to 7th place, he falls to 5th sadly, but only by a mere 1second, because of the bonus time that Cararra collects in the sprint.