Amazing 19th stage and 20th.....this fight between 2 spanish and 3 italians is just amazing...i´m loving to see Pozzovivo fighting up the road...as tsmoha says...top5 will be great.....but let me be honest with you....top3 would be just F.....amazing
@ baia: Thanks. It's amazing how close its been. While Basso's win is something amazing, its a shame this battle isn't over the maglia rosa.
Giro d'Italia: Stage 21
Milano - Milano: 33.2km (ITT)
Over three weeks ago, 198 riders lined up in Venaria Reale to begin the 94th Giro d'Italia. Today, 133 will ride an individual time trial in Milan, finishing this year's edition. Along the way they have visited 17 of the 20 regions in Italy, climbed the high peaks of the Alps in the north, and rode along the coastline in the country's "boot." Today, the ride comes its end.
After all the riding, there is still much left contest. Ivan Basso (Liquigas - Cannondale) has wrapped up the overall title in dominating style. However, behind him, 4 riders find themselves separated by only 39 seconds. All along the route, the 4 riders have traded blows. Just when one appears the get the upper-hand, another reverses the fortunes. Today, in the race against the clock, all will be settled.
However, before that action, riders who are lower down in the GC will have a last chance to grab some glory. Unlike the time trial in Stage 16 up to Nevegal, today's is mostly flat. The specialists who have survived to this point will have been patiently awaiting today.
The first such specialist to go was Bert Grabsch (HTC - Highroad). The German was the first serious contender to start the day. He was clearly a bit fatigued, but still ground away, turning his low gear. His time of 47'33 was easily the fastest to that point.
Former World Champion, Grabsch will be hoping his time holds up.
Zabriskie clearly saved himself for the last two stages.
Like the previous best time, Zabriskie's held up for nearly an hour. That is, until former race leader Vasil Kiryienka (Movistar Team) took to the road. The Belarussian is a sympathetic figure, having lost all form after a fall during Stage 14. At the time he was sitting in 3rd overall. Clearly feeling stronger today, Kiryienka became the first rider to go under 47 minutes, finishing in 46'35.
He ended up finishing the race in 22nd overall.
Kiryienka rides well after a hard and disappointing third week.
Unfortunately for Kiryienka, his time did not hold up for long. Richie Porte (Saxo Bank SunGard) moved into pole position with his time of 46'09. His fast time saw him jump from 15th to 13th overall. Would it be good enough to see him get a stage win?
Porte was very fast through the streets of Milan.
Soon after Porte was Marco Pinotti (HTC - Highroad). Sporting the tricolore jersey, the veteran Italian remained one of the only real threats to Porte's time. He joined Kiryienka and Porte in riding under 47 minutes, but his time of 46'43 was no where near the required to unseat the Tasmanian.
Pinotti rode a good time trial; he needed to ride a great one to win.
Still, they all deserve coverage, a reward for their remarkable rides.
First up was 37-year old Stefano Garzelli (Acqua & Sapone). Last year's maglia verde winner, Garzelli showed he can still climb with the best. Especially in the final week, he made various attempts to get away on the climbs but, as every rider found out, Basso was too dominant. A great ride for the former champion; we hope he will be back next year.
Garzelli cements his 10th place overall with an 8th place finish today.
Next up is the youngest rider in the Top 10, also the winner of the maglia bianca, Netherland's own, Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank Cycling Team). He has moved from strength to strength since last year and climbed with the big boys in this Giro. Undoubtedly one to watch for the future, Kruijswijk will soon have podium aspirations.
A very promising Giro for the young Dutch rider.
Kruijswijk's teammate, Spanish time trial champion, Luis León Sánchez followed his teammate. The two have often ridden together through this Giro. Their combined efforts, along with those of Bauke Mollema, allowed Rabobank to easily win the team competition. Another threat for the stage, Sánchez managed to cross the line in 46'49; again, no where near Porte.
Sánchez's ride has raised eyes, he is now a GT contender.
Rujano followed the Spaniard. As previously mentioned, he had a chance to move into 6th overall with a good ride. A very noteworthy achievement, especially considering how far back he was in the first week. An inconsistent ride, Rujano has shown flashes of brilliance with a win on Montevergine and numerous runner-up finishes.
A former Venezuelan time trial champion, Rujano did not have a great day, completing the course in 47'54.
Rujano pushes the pace.
Rujano did not have to wait long to find out where he'd finish. A couple minutes later, Velits finished with a time of 46'52. They ended in their respective positions.
Velits has performed well in back-to-back grand tours.
After Velits, the day's real theater began. Domenico Pozzovivo was the first of the podium contenders to tackle the course. He was also the weakest in the discipline; a tough position to be in.
Pozzovivo sits in the start house; the biggest ride of his career awaits.
Pozzovivo started off at a good pace. At the first time check he was unsurprisingly off Porte's pace. Behind Pozzovivo, Michele Scarponi (Lampre - ISD), Ezequiel Mosquera (Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team), and Igor Antón (Euskaltel - Euskadi) were all on the road. All attention turned to the splits.
At the first time check, Scarponi clocked the best time. Mosquera was 13 seconds behind. Pozzovivo was third, 21 seconds off the mark, while Antón was 22 back.
Pozzovivo gives it his all.
All this information was being quickly calculated in the team cars as they all received words of encouragement.
Scarponi was looking the strongest at the moment and kept the pressure on his rivals. Before long, the second time check was approaching. The time splits here will prove to be more decisive and telling.
Scarponi looks the best out of the podium contenders.
Through the second time check, the picture began to take a clearer form. Once again, Scarponi was the fastest of the 4. The order remained the same, however the gaps were larger. Mosquera was now 25 seconds slower than Scarponi while Pozzovivo and Antón were really beginning to struggle. The two were 37" and 40" behind respectively.
Mosquera hugs the wall, trying to stay out of the wind.
The four riders rode hard all the way to the finish line. Here was the only time check that mattered. None touched Porte's time.
However, their order changed slightly. Scarponi was still the fastest. He beat Mosquera by 36 seconds. The change was Antón jumping past Pozzovivo. The Basque lost 1'02 to Scarponi. Pozzovivo, perhaps as expected, finished last, losing 1'30. He really struggled at the end of the stage. With no shame, Pozzovivo finished in 5th for the 2011 Giro.
Elsewhere, the ramifications of the time trial were huge. Scarponi's ride saw him jump past everyone and move into 2nd place overall.
Completing the podium was Mosquera. In the end, his consistency paid off.
The real loser on the day was Antón. For most of the race, the Euskaltel rider has been in 2nd place, only to cruelly lose it on the final day.
Antón's lack of time trialing ability really cost him today.
The last rider on the road needs very little introduction. Basso's victory lap around the streets of Milan was a joyous event for the rider. The tifosi were out in full strength, shouting his name at the top of their lungs. He didn't challenge Porte's time, meaning the stage win went to the Saxo Bank rider.
Basso completed the Giro in a time of 92h03'00. A full wrap-up and summary of the race will be forthcoming.
Basso cruises around Milan; a well-deserved victory parade.
Well Tuco, congrats with your great reports and the 5th place for pozzovivo. This Giro was kinda ridiculous, Basso was way too strong. All his attacking, and winnig with over 12 minutes.... .
Think you did great with Pozzovivo, and 5th was the best possible...
Someone must win,right?
We all know it was almost impossible mission for Pozzovivo to win GC...so,this 5th place was a great achievement for Colnago and Pozzo...really great.
@ rorzcp: On a personal level, I am bad at time trials, coupled with Pozzovivo's poor stats in that area, it was always going to be a long shot.
@ Pellizotti2: Thanks! I am very happy with the results. Only regret is not getting a stage win.
@ dienblad: Thanks. Basso was out of this world. And I agree, 5th was likely the best Pozzo could've achieved without some crazy things happening.
@ tsmoha: Thanks!
@ kitface: Unfortunately, I won't be riding Le Tour; didn't even apply. I only have 16 riders in my squad, and only 1 capable of making any type of impact. Even then, I doubt Pozzovivo could do too much against that competition. I will be returning to the Italian continental scene for the rest of the season.
@ Avin Wargunnson: Thanks. Basso's dominance got a bit boring, but there was nothing I could do about it!
@ baia: Indeed. As I said, the only regret I have is not capturing a stage win. It wasn't really possible in the mountains so I probably should've attacked more in the breaks.
2011 Giro d'Italia Summary
The suspense regarding the overall title for the 94th Giro d'Italia was over long before the final stage in Milan. Ivan Basso (Liquigas - Cannondale) captured his 3rd title, 2nd consecutive, in dominating fashion, consistently crushing the competition in the high mountains. Only 19 riders were within one hour of Basso's time.
The "diesel" climber from Varese found himself without peers, taking 6 stage wins along the way, highlighted by wins on Mt. Etna and Monte Zoncolan. The limited time trial kilometers suited Basso perfectly as he adds another successful chapter in his return to cycling.
Without going too long about his ride, Basso becomes the 67th Italian winner and now only sees Fausto Coppi, Alfredo Binda, and Eddy Merckx ahead of him in terms of overall wins (5). He also joins Merckx as the only rider to capture the maglia rosa, the maglia verde, and the maglia rosso passione. Quite an achievement.
Basso celebrates his 3rd overall title.
Besides Basso, there were many other compelling story lines in this year's Giro.
One of them has to be the difficulty of this particular edition. Over the 21 stages, the riders spent much of their time climbing some of the highest, steepest slopes in Italy (and Austria). 198 riders lined up in Venaria Reale, while only 133 finished in Milan. Only three teams managed to finish the race with their full compliment of riders. The younger riders were especially hard hit, with 32 of the 65 abandons coming from riders in the U25 competition.
A common sight along the roads of Italy.
Behind Basso, there was a dramatic fight for the remaining podium spots between 4 riders. Throughout the race, Michele Scarponi (Lampre - ISD), Ezequiel Mosquera (Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team), Igor Antón (Euskaltel - Euskadi), and Domenico Pozzovivo duked it out on the slopes. Ultimately, the first two secured the coveted spots to complete the podium.
Scarponi and Mosquera are not riders without controversy. Scarponi, like Basso, was implicated in Operación Puerto and served a two year suspension, returning in 2009. Mosquera, often the darling of the Vuelta a España, is still currently under investigation for a positive test for hydroxyethyl starch during the 2010 version of the aforementioned race. If he is suspended, his participation in this race may be nullified, moving everyone up a spot.
Antón obviously would have the most to gain should this occur, as he would secure his first grand tour podium finish. The Basque has to be considered one of the "losers" of this race. While its hard to call anyone who finished in 4th a loser, the parcours really were in his favor, and not being on the podium is surely disheartening. He was clearly tiring towards the end of the race, but may return in the Vuelta, a race he led last year before crashing out, as the favorite.
Pozzovivo and his Colnago team are ecstatic with his, and the team's Giro performance. Since he spends most of his time on the Continental circuit in domestic races, coming into the race, Pozzovivo was tipped by many pundits as an "unknown" rider to watch. He certainly backed up this billing, showing he could climb with some of the best in the world, excluding Basso. Improvements are needed, but Pozzovivo has already confirmed he will be back next year for the podium.
Pozzovivo will be back.
Perhaps the real losers in this year's Giro were the sprinters. Out of the 6 stages that had a chance for mass sprints, only 3 ended up finishing that way. Borut Božic (Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team) was the highest placed finisher in the points competition, and he came in 12th! The sprinters' teams never had their hearts in this Giro and that was evident by the lack of work they did throughout the race. Will next year's route be friendlier to the speed merchants?
Sprint trains were few and far between in the Giro.
12 teams won stages, covering 15 riders. Basso and Yury Trofimov (Katusha Team) were the only multiple stage winners.
Of the teams that did not win a stage, only a very few were quiet. The teams that did not show themselves very much were Sky ProCycling, Team RadioShack, and Omega Pharma - Lotto. Even so, the other teams filled the void to make the race a real treat for the fans.
Congratulations for a fantastic Giro - both in terms of racing and reporting. I think I can say that yours are the best reports I've read on this board so far. Entertaining, informative, enjoyable reads and a great text-screen relation. The review was just the icing on the cake. I'm looking forward to more!
cunego59 wrote:
Congratulations for a fantastic Giro - both in terms of racing and reporting. I think I can say that yours are the best reports I've read on this board so far. Entertaining, informative, enjoyable reads and a great text-screen relation. The review was just the icing on the cake. I'm looking forward to more!
Completly right..it´s such a joy to read...great work.
Thanks for the kind words. I'm just happy to be a part of all the great stories, from Dominik, Movistar, Dark Dog, Monster, Skil, Geox, Garmin, etc. etc.
Fabian will ditch the scarf after only one year with Leopard Trek.
This list does not include other available names such as Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank SunGard), Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas - Cannondale), and Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel - Euskadi. All three have been coy on where there future lies.
As for Colnago - CSF Inox, they have recently announced the re-signing of 4 riders. Domenico Pozzovivo, Simone Stortoni, Filippo Savini, and Marco Frapporti have all signed on for at least another season. The only Colnago rider without a contract for next season is Paolo Locatelli. It remains to be seen whether he, or any other riders, either from the U23 circuit or another team, will be offered a contract with Colnago.
@ rorzcp: I haven't quite figured out what my strategy will be. I'd like to expand my team to around 20 riders for 2012. I will be staying all-Italian for the moment. I won't have the budget for guys like Nibali, etc. but may be able to make a play for top Pro Continental guys, like Sella. That being said, Sella is not a target of the team.
Campionata di Italia (ITT)
Pordenone - Pordenone: 41.1km
After nearly a month off, Colnago returns to action. Its the end of June, which means it is time for most of cycling's national championships. All across the globe, riders are back in their home countries, competing for the honor of wearing their nation's flag on their jersey. For Colnago, this means Italy.
First up, is the individual time trial. Colnago are not expected to compete here.
Marco Pinotti (HTC - Highroad) is the defending champion but has elected to skip the event. A new champion will be crowned, but who?
The first rider with a shot of winning to go was young Adriano Malori (Lampre - ISD). In 2008, he was the U23 World TT Champion. He was clearly focused on winning the tricolore, completing the difficult course in 1h05'04. It was the fastest time by around 1 minute at the time.
Malori put himself into pole position with his ride.
The next rider up, was recently crowned Giro champion Ivan Basso (Liquigas - Cannondale). This was the Italian's first ride since his dominant performance. He showed the rest did him well, finishing the day in 8th.
Basso put forth a solid ride.
Like Basso, today was Domenico Pozzovivo's first time competitively racing since the Giro. By no means a time trialist, Pozzovivo was solid and finished in 25th. He was the highest placed Colnago rider.
Pozzovivo has recovered well from the grueling Giro.
Up to this point, Malori's time was well above anything else posted. Then, Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas - Cannondale) went. "Lo Squalo" is in excellent form as he prepares for Le Tour de France. It was well on display today, as he consistently set the fastest time around the course. His time of 1h03'24 would be very hard to beat.
Nibali bested Malori; could anyone beat him?
Michele Scarponi (Lampre - ISD) was one of the last riders on the course. He recently announced he was going to be riding in France. A hard task after the Giro, he finished the day in 7th.
Scarponi is riding back-to-back GTs.
The only other rider of note was Dario Cioni (Sky ProCycling). Through the first two time checks, he was the only rider within touching distance of Nibali. Even so, he would need to pull something special out in the last section of the day.
Cioni is the only rider with a chance to unseat Nibali.
But Cioni miscalculated his effort. He faded badly in the last section of the day. Despite being over a minute up on Malori at points, he finished behind the Lampre rider, completing the podium.
Nibali would sport the tricolore in time trials for the next year!
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