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Garzelli wins stage, Simoni takes time from Di Luca's Giro lead
If Danilo Di Luca expects to ride into Milan a week from Sunday wearing the maglia rosa on the final stage of the Giro d’Italia he’s going to have to fight for it before that. Had there been any doubt about that, it was certainly erased during Saturday’s 192-kilometer ride from Cantu to Bergamo.
In one of the most exciting stages in modern Giro history, Acqua & Sapone's Stefano Garzelli took the fourteenth stage in emphatic fashion Saturday in Bergamo, barely edging out Saunier Duval's Gilberto Simoni and world road champ Paolo Bettini of Quick Step-Innergetic.
The 2000 Giro champion was one of a select group of riders who caught the Liquigas team of maglia rosa off-guard and totally on the back foot on the day's main climb of the Passo San Marco.Full Results
This group then merged with an earlier and equally formidable 11-man breakaway on the second and final climb to La Trinità, its summit some 39 kilometers from the finish, to form a lead break of 16, including three men who have five Giro titles between them. And with Astana, Acqua & Sapone and Saunier boasting strength in numbers, the escapees did everything possible to gain time on the gruppo maglia rosa.
In the end, Di Luca and his team did well to limit their losses, which never amounted to much more than a minute but did plenty to scare the daylights out of him, the maglia rosa eventually finishing 38 seconds behind Garzelli. Add to that gap the 12 seconds in bonus time Simoni earned for second place and Di Luca’s most serious challenger for the overall title ended the day 50 seconds closer in time than when he started.
As a consequence, Di Luca maintained his overall lead in the race, 55 seconds ahead of Lampre-Fondital's Marzio Bruseghin and 1:57 in front of Team CSC's rising star, Andy Schleck. Though after today, the maglia rosa showed his vulnerability, and can no longer sleep easy.
"Simoni is dangerous for the general classification,” Di Luca said. “He's still the most formidable rider."
A quick start
A overcast start did little to quell the aggressiveness of more than a few in the peloton, and after a series of early attacks, Gerolsteiner's Sven Krauss was the one that got away, 70 kilometers into the race.
The German was chased by a formidable group of 11, including Paolo Bettini and his Quick Step teammate Hubert Schwab, Benoît Joachim (Astana), Pietro Caucchioli (Crédit Agricole), José Luis Rubiera (Discovery Channel) and Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank) - who, 15 kilometers later, caught and dropped Krauss.
With 112 kilometers covered, the lead group crested the top of the 26 kilometer Passo San Marco as one - but behind them, the action was aplenty, as Liquigas came under heavy fire.
Three kilometers from the summit, Acqua & Sapone's Stefano Garzelli, then Andy Schleck went on the offensive. Eddy Mazzoleni (Astana), Paolo Savoldelli (Astana), Stefano Garzelli (Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo), Massimo Codol (Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo), Gilberto Simoni (Saunier Duval-Prodir) and Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) soon followed. The most notable absentee, of course, was Di Luca. He’d – perhaps overconfidently – drifted back to his team car for a drink and a chat.
Bombing down the descent behind the fearless pace of renowned descender Savoldelli, the group put time on the maglia rosa. With the leaders of Astana, Acqua & Sapone and Saunier Duval – all former Giro winners – up front, the teams coordinated their efforts and put a scare into an increasingly nervous Liquigas team. The San Marco had taken its toll, too, since the gruppo maglia rosa at this stage just 30 riders strong.
Shortly before the Category 2 climb to La Trinità, the two powerful breakaway families merged to form an explosive group of 16; present were: Bettini, Rasmussen, Fortunato Baliani (Ceramica Panaria-Navigare), Evgeni Petrov (Tinkoff Credit Systems), Ivan Parra (Cofidis), José Luis Rubiera (Discovery Channel), Marco Pinotti (T-Mobile), Schleck, Alberto Losada (Caisse d'Epargne), Savoldelli with teammate Eddy Mazzoleni, Savoldelli, Garzelli his teammate Massimo Codol, Simoni and his lieutenant Iban Mayo. Keeping an eye on the group were Liquigas’s Franco Pellizotti and Lampre’s Sylvester Szmyd. The team leaders of the latter were back in the chase, so they certainly weren’t lending a hand in the effort.
Thankfully for Di Luca, Lampre’s main men Damiano Cunego and Bruseghin had also missed the move, which ensured a solid chase behind; under orders, Szymd and Pellizotti both dropped back to help their respective leaders.
"I expected an attack from Savoldelli on the descent," said Di Luca, "but Simoni went off too. Afterwards, it was normal for Lampre to work with us to close the gap."
Natural selection saw 16 become 9 by the crest of La Trinità, while the gruppo maglia rosa came over a minute in arrears, driven by Pellizotti. Up front, a mini-disaster of sorts occurred as Petrov and maglia bianca Schleck both went down, but after a hard chase, the latter rejoined inside 30k to go.
Passing the blow-up banner signaling 15 kilometers left to race, Simoni, Mazzoleni, Garzelli, Bettini, Savoldelli, Simoni, Baliani and Parra all stood an even chance: three Giro champions, one world champion - but who would it be?
Nearing the finish in Bergamo's high city, the unclassified though sharp little bump known as the "strappo della Boccola" almost provided the perfect launch-pad for Simoni, who hit out on his own with four kilometers remaining, but Garzelli just managed to pip the two-time Giro champion with a desperate lunge to the line.
"In the finale I wasn't sure I would manage to catch Simoni, but on the final bend, I realized he wasn't too far in front of me. And I knew I was faster than him," said Garzelli.
"I'm sure I'll pay for my efforts tomorrow," he added, "but for me, the Giro is already a success."
Simoni cries foul!
While he gained time, Simoni said he could have gotten more, because it wasn’t just Garzelli’s formidable final charge that gave the Acqua & Sapone rider the stage win.
Simoni claimed Garzelli got a draft off of the motorbike carrying the RAI television cameraman, giving him an unfair advantage.
"Bravo, you helped him win!" Simoni shouted at the motorbike driver shortly after finishing.
Simoni's claim was backed up by Saunier Duval manager Mauro Gianetti.
"We respect Garzelli's achievement, but you all saw what happened in the final kilometer,” Gianetti argued. "Simoni was quite clearly penalized by the motorbikes between him and Garzelli. Maybe the result would have stayed the same if the motorbikes had not been there, but the doubt remains and Gibo’ feels rightly cheated."
The road ahead...
... is a murderous day in the Dolomites.
Beginning in Gilberto Simoni's hometown of Trento, Stage 15 sees the Giro peloton tackle three massive mountain passes, beginning with the steep, 11.8 kilometer ascent of Passo di San Pellegrino, followed by the even steeper Passo di Giau, boasting an average 9.4 percent gradient, and ending 2,304 meters above sea level with the Tre Cime di Lavaredo.
This will undoubtedly be a battle royale for the climbers, and with a rest day in Agordo to follow, it will be a no-holds barred event of the highest quality.
"Sunday is the Giro's hardest stage," Di Luca admitted, "but I'm feeling confident."Results - stage 14
1. Stefano Garzelli (I), Acqua & Sapone - Adria Mobil
192km in 4:58:34 (38.584kph) [20-second bonus]
2. Gilberto Simoni (I), Saunier Duval, same time [12-second bonus]
3. Paolo Bettini (I), Quick Step-Innergetic, s.t. [10 seconds]
4. Fortunato Baliani (I), Ceramica Panaria - Navigare, s.t. [4 seconds]
5. Eddy Mazzoleni (I), Astana, s.t.
6. Paolo Savoldelli (I), Astana, 0:03
7. Ivan Ramiro Parra Pinto (Col), Cofidis, 0:03
8. Danilo Di Luca (I), Liquigas, 0:38
9. Riccardo Ricco' (I), Saunier Duval, 0:38
10. Marzio Bruseghin (I), Lampre, 0:38
Full ResultsOverall
1. Danilo Di Luca (I), Liquigas, 62:10:40
2. Marzio Bruseghin (I), Lampre, 0:55
3. Andy Schleck (Lux), CSC, 1:57
4. Damiano Cunego (I), Lampre, 2:40
5. Gilberto Simoni (I), Saunier Duval, 2:42
6. Vila Errandonea Francisco J. (Sp), Lampre, 2:44
7. David Arroyo Duran (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne, 2:51
8. Evgeni Petrov (Rus), TCS, 3:11
9. Eddy Mazzoleni (I), Astana, 3:15
10. Emanuele Sella (I), Ceramica Panaria - Navigare, 3:52
To how today's stage developed, simply CLICKHERE to open our Live Update window.
