It was regular flat ITT stage. As you know, we don't have good time trialists in the squad, so the only thing we thought today was to save Scarponi's third place. He was very good today and he made it. And also Sivtsov showed his power, finishing in top-10.
The main changing today was Nibali. He finished second right after his teammate Boasson Hagen and he made it into second position overall. Luckily for us, Maschiarelli isn't good time trialist too and he went down on seventh position.
Last stage. San Benedetto del Tronto
Last stage was very boring. It was not stage, it was criterium actually, with no climbs, no relief at all. So, this stage didn't made any difference in GC. Leigh Howard from Columbia had won it, and we saved our three positions in top-10 overall.
GC:
Strange, but my game keeps crashing in stage finish, so again - no screens.
My racing schedule in next months:
3.04 - GP Miguel Indurain
11.04 - Klassika Primavera
18.04 - Amstel Gold Race (don't know will I race it or not. It will depend on my feelings)
27.04 - 2.05 - Tour of Romandy
8.05 - 30.05 - Giro d'Italia
Edited by Maximka on 17-03-2010 12:59
I love to race in Spain. I've loved it when I was Contantpolis' rider, and I love it now. I love it especially when the relief match to me, as it was today.
The weather today was very good, not cold, but not hot, there wasn't strong wind... So, it was the best weather for cycling. Maybe that's why right from the race start there were many attacks. My teammates were very active - Ilya Gorodnychev and Solari tried to break few times. But riders in peloton wanted to race hard today too, so almost all attacks were neutralized. Our riders didn't get in the breakaway.
After first group was made, the race for us became little easy. The pace was comfortable, so we just chat with other riders. But with 60 km to finish the race begun to activate. Four riders attacked from the peloton. Gorodnychev at last made it to that group. Also there was Xavier Florencio.
They had over one minute of advantage and the bunch didn't want to release them too much, so the distance between 3 groups was decreasing very fast. When first and second groups joined, Lars Boom attacked from the peloton. I think, everyone should be afraid of his moves, so I decided to counter him. There were some other riders, who attacked, and there was Massimo Giunti, my teammate.
We quickly joined first group, so we had an advantage ,as there were three riders from Androni Giocattoli. We made few attacks to break the group and when we came to final climb, there were just 3 riders in the front - Boom, Florencio and me.
But Boom looked like he was exhausted, and when Xavier attacked, it was just me, who could follow. He made such powerful attack, that I already started to think about how it is good to be second in 1.HC race, but with 300 meters to finish, Spaniard begun to loose his speed, and when I came abreast with him, he realized, that I will win it in the sprint and slowed down.
I just proceeded to the line, and here it is - my first victory in this season!
My fitness is increasing now, and I think it's all right, I will be in my best shape to the Giro! But you know, this race was very good not just for me. Ilya showed everyone his strength, Giunti made it to top-10 finish, which is good for him, and our another newcomer, Marco Marzano at last made his return after injury.
It was another training race, which I didn't want to win, I just needed to ride it to see what I can do.
The race itself was made classically. Early breakaway, with our riders in there (Mate and Solari), then attacks from peloton in the end. It were Ochoa and Rodriguez from Androni who attacked hard. I tried to attack too, but all our efforts were useless.
I finished only 43rd, in reaer of the bunch and I was first man from Androni there. Sadly, as Scarponi had won this race last year...
My game keeps crashing at the end of last stage of every race. Did somebody have such thing?
Edited by Maximka on 19-03-2010 09:24
Rain, wind and bad roads - I don't like classics like this... And result today was bad - I finished 45th, 5'19 from race winner, Joaquim Rodriguez of theShack team. Our leader, Michele Scarponi finished 20th
My last preparation race before the only race in this season that counts. It all begun in ITT, small prologue that didn't decide anything. I made my pace and finished 60th with 16 seconds lag after surprise stage winner, Riu Costa.
Stage results:
1
Rui Costa
Caisse d'Epargne
5'48
2
Andrei Kunitski
Quick·Step
+ 2
3
Vladimir Gusev
Rabobank
+ 3
4
Timofey Kritskiy
Team Katusha
s.t.
5
Mikhail Ignatiev
Team Katusha
s.t.
6
David Millar
Garmin - Transitions
s.t.
7
Marco Pinotti
Team HTC - Columbia
+ 4
8
Stephen Cummings
Sky Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
9
Dominique Cornu
Skil - Shimano
s.t.
10
Michiel Elijzen
Omega Pharma - Lotto
s.t.
Stage two. Sierre - Villeneuve
First real stage and first mountains. As you know, I like such relief very much - hard mountains and flat finish. As I am nice sprinter, I have good chances to win here.
But let's stick to the race. Of course, there were attacks and our rider were involved there. We tried to get mountain points, so Marco Marzano tried to escape. But his fitness now isn't best, so he quickly went down to the bunch. After that our main goal was to help me to get into first group on last climb. With just Jackson Rodriguez it was quite hard, but today I realized that we have another two great domestiques - Reto Hollenstein from Switzerland and Italian Leonardo Moser. They were just unbelievable and almost a half of the climb they protected me and I easily saved my position in the front.
But when Igor Anton attacked... nobody could get to him.
I tried to counter that attack, but the only thing I could do was minimizing number of riders around me. When I was exhausted, some of them increased their speed and at mountain top they were already with Anton.
But I could only made my pace, as fast as I could.
Luckily, the stage didn't ended on the top, we just had to make extremal downhill, where other riders made good pace. So, we almost chased down those four rider on front. Almost.
We had the same time at the finish, but it was Igor Anton who had won today. I did everything I could today, so when it came to the sprint, I couldn't do anything and I finished 17th.
Stage results:
1
Igor Antón
Euskaltel - Euskadi
5h00'28
2
Bauke Mollema
Rabobank
s.t.
3
Daniel Moreno
Omega Pharma - Lotto
s.t.
4
Haimar Zubeldia
Team RadioShack
s.t.
5
Florian Stalder
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
6
Daniel Martin
Garmin - Transitions
s.t.
7
Luis Pasamontes
Caisse d'Epargne
s.t.
8
Tiago Machado
Team RadioShack
s.t.
9
David Arroyo
Cervélo Test Team
s.t.
10
Romain Sicard
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
Stage three. Villeneuve - Bienne
It was the only flat stage in whole race, and we had a rider who know exactly how to win stages like that - Francesco Ginanni. As I riding here just to train before the Giro, I decided to help him and to be his last wheel.
So when we came to Bienne, I just made myself sure that Francesco is behind me and increased my speed. With 100 meters to the finish I slowed down a little and moved to the right to let him go, but he didn't pass me. I looked back and seen that all they are far away. So I just had to press my breaks to let them pass me. Of course I didn't do that and ... there it is, my second victory of the season! With bonification I even made it to second position overall.
To be honest, I'd like to win yesterday's stage or maybe one of those that will be tomorrow or a day after tomorrow... mountain stage. But the victory is victory, I hope that I will be strong enough to make this on the Giro.
This was the only mountain stage that ended on mountain top, so it was the most decisive one. Of course, I was concentrated on this stage and without any top climbers here I thought about finishing on top-3 there.
Almost all the stage was held by Euskaltel team. They chased the breakaway with very good tempo, they started the climb and they were so good today! But of course no one can ride in front forever, so when attacks started the initiative came to Androni team. Hollenstein, Marzano, Moser - they all were like cycling gods today, they neutralized any attempt to attack and they griddled the group out so much, that only few riders left with me. And when Jackson Rodriguez started to tension the group, nobody could attack anymore.
The only attack was when he was exhausted. And it was me, as I was afraid of last day's ITT stage and didn't want to have very small advantage from Zubeldia. I attacked and only Daniel Moreno could hang on. But it was unpleasant surprise for me, when I ended my attack, he continued and even get small advantage.
I had to make everything in the sprint to catch him right on the line. But I was only second, Spaniard had won it!
But it was very good stage for me, as I seized the yellow jersey from Anton, who loosed 22 seconds.
Stage results:
1
Daniel Moreno
Omega Pharma - Lotto
3h49'38
2
Max Belaschov
Androni Giocattoli
s.t.
3
Haimar Zubeldia
Team RadioShack
+ 22
4
Igor Antón
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
5
David Arroyo
Cervélo Test Team
+ 40
6
Kevin Seeldraeyers
Quick·Step
s.t.
7
Florian Stalder
BMC Racing Team
+ 56
8
Nicolas Vogondy
Bbox Bouygues Télécom
s.t.
9
Xavier Tondo
Cervélo Test Team
s.t.
10
Luis Pasamontes
Caisse d'Epargne
+ 1'04
Stage five. Sainte-Croix - Sainte-Croix
Two laps across mountains - that was clearly the challenge for everyone in the peloton. When we made the first lap, half of the group was cut by the fall of Paul Martens from Rabobank. He fell down right in front of me, and I was very lucky today, as I didn't fall with him. His fall didn't look good and I was afraid about him for half of a hour, right till the info about his feeling was told on the radio. In spite of horrible fall, he only broke his arm.
Today it was us who should been make the pace, but when few riders attacked, we didn't. The reason was clear - nobody from the break could even been imagined as my opponent, with the best placed rider had over 30 minutes lag.
But of course, we begun to work in front when better placed riders sterted to activate. And when Dani Moreno, who was 3rd in GC made his early attack, we had to make everything to catch him.
But that wasn't enough and when Anton attacked, I had to counter him myself.
Soon my best domestique, Rodriguez was near me again and with him we made hard pace and quickly passed everyone including Moreno. There were three of us - Anton, Rodriguez and me.
I really wanted Jackson to win today, but he told me before finish that he can't sprint at all, he wasted, so I should fight with Anton by myself.
Of course, it was easy, as I much better sprinter than Spaniard, so I increased my advantage before last stage (ITT) a little.
I am little confused, as this Barcelona seems to be in Italy... I know, that it is Spanish city, but in this case there can't be a stage Palermo-Barcelona
It was at sunset. We were in small coffee and pastry bar near the embankment, we were eaten tarts and watched the waves.
She said:
- Oh, it's such beautiful! I wanna be here forever!
- But what about our house in Lucca?
- Yes, I know, it's good too, but...
- What?
- I got a feeling that it's only me who lives there. You just came there for a few days when you don't racing. But here it's not only the sea, sunset and waves. It's me and you. That is I want to be forever...
- You want to be with me forever? Are you sure?
- Are you amazed?
- Well... You know, I made a proposal to you few months ago and I already begun to think that I will never know The Answer.
- Now you know it
Five minutes after that conversation I already was in a bus that took me to Palerme, where I had to start second Giro in my career. Damn! I need to finish it as fast as I can
