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Förster takes mad scramble into Frascati, Di Luca holds Giro lead
No one seemed particularly happy with the finish of the fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia on Thursday - except the guy who won it.
Gerolsteiner’s Robert Förster emerged at the front of a mad dash through a frightening closing kilometer at the end a 173-kilometer stage from Teano to Frascati to score the second Giro stage victory of his career. Overall race leader Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas) finished comfortably in the main field to hold on to his 26-second advantage over teammate Franco Pellizotti on general classification.
The fast, technical finishing stretch left several top names angry, frustrated and grasping for explanations as to why they hadn’t won the stage.
"We were travelling at 60kph over the final kilometer and, suddenly, there was an 'S' turn," said Milram’s Alessandro Petacchi. "I don't understand why they couldn't find 500 meters of straight road anywhere around here."
Förster, meanwhile, was happy with a finish that disrupted the usually well-orchestrated lead out trains of Petacchi and other sprint specialists.
"The final stretch completely shook up the sprinters' teams,” said the German. “It's normal - there were a lot of sprinters who wanted to win. Personally, I wanted a little chat with Danilo Napolitano, who trapped me up against the railings, but the most important thing for me is to have the legs. The road can be straight or have bends, it doesn't matter much to me.”
Förster said he was pleased with the win and counted the experience as even better than his Milan stage win in the final stage of last year’s Giro.
FullResults
"Last year in Milan, that was my first great success,” he said. “This time around, the competition is higher. I feel as if I've made progress."
The early attack, by… who else?
They call it “TV time,” the exposure given to riders in those seemingly hopeless attacks that occur early in even the longest stages. Every once-in-a-great-while those “head bangers” succeed, but it’s exposure for themselves and, more importantly, for their sponsors that puts riders out there for hours.
For the Russian/Italian Tinkoff Credit Systems team, that “TV time” is all good. The team has had riders in long breaks in each of the four mass-start stages so far this Giro. Team owner, Russian brewing magnate Oleg Tinkov, said he’s getting his money’s worth.
“I am with satisfied with how things are going," said Tinkov. "Three days, three days in breakaway – it’s good for our young team. We are getting experience, we are not thinking of general classification. I think it’s going very well, but it will be better when we win a stage. That’s really the goal for the team."
Make that four days, four days in breakaway. Tinkoff’s Mikhail Ignatiev initiated Thursday’s break, just as he had on Monday’s stage. And just like stage 3, Ignatiev was joined by Cofidi’s Mickael Buffaz.
The two moved off the front at the 18km mark in Thursday’s stage and spent 138 kilometers ahead of the field, although never by much more than five minutes. Early on in the break, the Di Luca’s Liquigas team set an easy tempo at the front of the peloton, making it clear that they weren’t going to do a lot of the day’s heavy lifting if a chase was required.
“I had said I was ready to give up the maglia rosa,” said Di Luca.
And that message became clear to teams like Petacchi’s Milram squad and the Predictor-Lotto team of Robbie McEwen, who saw Thursday as one of a shrinking number of opportunities for the fast-twitch crowd. Just as the two escapees’ margin hit 5:30, the sprinters sent teammates to the fore and the chase began in earnest.
Ignatiev may have harbored hopes of getting that stage win with the boss waiting for him at the finish, but it didn’t happen. With 60km remaining, the two leaders hit a small, unrated climb and the peloton was just 3:00 behind. The Russian decided that maybe his best chance was to go it alone and he stepped up the pace, ridding himself of his French companion.
Buffaz was spent. He was quickly caught and dropped by the main field, eventually finishing the day in last place, more than eight minutes back. Ignatiev, a former world U23 time trial champion, plowed ahead on his own, but the inevitable catch came with 20km to go.
The catch led to a series of hard-charging counter-attacks by riders hoping to escape over the Category 3 climb that crested 16km from the finish. But the sprinters’ teams were ready for the effort. While Emanuele Sella (Ceramica Panaria – Navigare) and T-Mobile’s Lorenzo Bernucci managed to build a slight lead over the summit of the climb, a handful of climbers’ points were their only reward.
Milram, Predictor and the Acqua & Sapone team of 2000 Giro winner Stefano Garzelli put in a serious effort to chase down those and any other riders who had hopes of spoiling the sprinters’ plans.
But it wasn’t the spoilers who threw a wrench into sprinters’ hopes; it was the committee that designed the course.
The mostly downhill charge to the line was peppered with sharp turns, even a double hairpin that had Petacchi up in arms.
“The dangerous finishes don’t belong in the Giro,” Petacchi said. “It's too narrow and too many turns. It's the same story every year. I don't know why the organizers don't listen. It's dangerous for everyone.”
Di Luca, safely ensconced in the field, said he had to agree.
"A final stretch going downhill until the last kilometer? That's quite dangerous," he said. "I didn't stay at the front because I didn't want to take any risks."
Despite the complaints of a dangerous finish, Thursday's stage was the least-hairy in terms of crashes - nothing like final-sprint crashes into Bosa and Cagliari over the weekend or the 80-rider pile-up that disrupted stage four on Wednesday. Indeed, while nervous, no one crashed in the melee.
Förster, it seems, was the only happy one of the bunch. Besides, he has bigger fears.
“I like the sprints when my legs are good,” he said. “I am arriving into good form now. I was sick in the winter and then I wasn't at my best in the spring, but I could sense my form improving coming ahead of the Giro. I don't know if I will make it to Milan to defend my victory there. The mountains in the last week look scary.”
Friday will see riders tackle a 177km sixth stage from Tivoli to Spolete, crossing the Terminillo mountains. Di Luca, who said, Thursday was an easy day predicted a tougher job on Friday.
"For us, we only had to stay in the saddle, today," he said. "Tomorrow will be different. There'll surely be a breakaway but given the course it will probably go to the finish."
VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood contributed to this report
Stage Results
1. Robert Forster (G), Gerolsteiner, 4:17:02 173km in (40.383kph)
2. Thor Hushovd (Nor), Credit Agricole
3. Alessandro Petacchi (I), Milram
4. Danilo Napolitano (I), Lampre
5. Robbie Mc Ewen (Aus), Predictor-Lotto
6. Aliaksandr Usau (Blr), Ag2r Prevoyance
7. Maximilian Ariel Maximilian (ARG), Ceramica Panaria - Navigare
8. Alexandre Pichot (F), Bouygues Telecom
9. Haedo Juan José (ARG), CSC
10. Oscar Gatto (I), Gerolsteiner, all same time
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Overall, after 5 stages
1. Danilo Di Luca (I), Liquigas, 18:42:12
2. Franco Pellizotti (I), Liquigas, 0:26
3. Andrea Noe' (I), Liquigas, 0:35
4. Vincenzo Nibali (I), Liquigas, 0:35
5. Andy Schleck (Lux), CSC, 0:53
6. Damiano Cunego (I), Lampre, 0:54
7. David Zabriskie (USA), CSC, 1:03
8. Paolo Savoldelli (I), Astana, 1:07
9. Eddy Mazzoleni (I), Astana, 1:07
10. Andrey Mizourov (Kaz), Astana, 1:07
To see how today's stage developed, simply CLICK HERE to open our Live Update Window.
