Petacchi has returned; Di Luca one step closer
On a summery Thursday afternoon in Riese Pio X, 33 year-old La Spezia speedster Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) avoided a final corner crash to claim his fourth victory in the 18th stage of the Giro d’Italia.
Largely unaided up to the line, Petacchi, seemingly unperturbed after what happened in front of him, closed the gap to Quick Step's Matteo Tosatto with casual aplomb, launching himself down the finishing straight with nearly 600 meters remaining and charged to the line largely unchallenged.
"It was a difficult sprint because the finish was on a slight hill," Petacchi said afterwards.
"It's starting to get tough now towards the end of the race," he added, "but I would like to thank my team-mates who worked hard the whole day. We don't have the entire team and it's not easy to control a race for 200 kilometers."
Argentinean Maximiliano Richeze (Ceramica Panaria-Navigare) was no match for the Italian's firepower, placing second, while Matti Breschel (Team CSC) took third.
Apart from Danilo Di Luca's likely rise to becoming a grand tour champion, the 90th edition of the race will also be known as the Giro that brought Petacchi back to his former, great self.
With his 23rd Giro victory in hand, Petacchi can now rest easy en route to his next major objective, the Tour de France. And after this latest win, his rivals watching his strength on television will surely be doubling their efforts over the next four weeks.
As for maglia rosa Di Luca, who finished comfortably in the peloton, the Liquigas leader says he has no eyes for La Grande Boucle for at least two more years. But talk is cheap, so don't be surprised to see him lining up for a number in France sooner than that.
For the time being, however, the focus is on finishing in Milano numero uno. There's just one test left, and with a 2:24 lead over second-placed Andy Schleck (Team CSC) and 2:28 to Gilberto Simoni (Saunier Duval-Prodir), there's margin for error come Saturday's time trial to Verona.
Few breakaways have succeeded at this Giro, but Friday's 179 kilometer parcours from Treviso to Comano Terme provides a perfect, last-chance opportunity.
Happy, smiling faces
With not a hill in sight over the next 203 kilometers, the 142 remaining riders left Udine Thursday with bright, smiling faces, westbound for the small town Riese Pio X, a stone's throw from Treviso, the home of Pinarello bicycles.
Constant attacking and counter-attacking saw an incredibly fast first two-hour average of 47.050 kph, with the break that got away coming 37 kilometers into the stage.
After 52 kilometers, the seven escapees - Maxim Gourov (Astana), Franck Renier (Bouygues Telecom), Eric Berthou (Caisse d'Epargne), Patxi Vila (Lampre-Fondital), Addy Engels (Quick Step-Innergetic), Pedro Horrillo (Rabobank), and Mikhail Ignatiev (Tinkoff Credit Systems) - were two minutes flat in front of the gruppo maglia rosa, their lead tempered by the squadre of Liquigas and Milram, the latter no doubt thinking of a win for their main man, Alessandro Petacchi.
Over the next 100 clicks, it became clear the peloton was toying with the break, as the septet's advantage continued to hover, dip, then hover, around the two-minute mark. What was clear was that the peloton - tired and with many teams short-handed - had no interest in letting the gap get much bigger, requiring a longer chase near the finish. Cruel it may be, but then again, no-one asked them to be out there in the first place.
Entering Castelfranco Veneto, home of this year's Ronde Van Vlaanderen champion, Alessandro Ballan, signaled just over 40 kilometers left to race, and at that point, the break's lead began to dip once more - this time for good.
Entering the finishing circuit of Riese Pio X, which would twice be circumnavigated before the line, one-and-a-quarter minutes separated break from bunch. The tentative lead caused a reaction up front, with Gourov the first to let loose, as Berthou, Renier and Engels tagged along moments later, forming a new lead quartet.
A 1:08 lead 25 kilometers from the finish wasn't much - and more than likely, not enough - but the front four were giving it all they had, realizing that if they were to succeed, everything but the final meters needed to be treated like the opening team time trial in Sardegna.
Indeed, they did just that, swapping off with synchronized fluidity. But the power in the peloton was simply too great, returning the situation to gruppo compatto five kilometers from the line. After that, with the speed a blistering 55 kph, no-one was getting away, but a pair of Ag2R riders crashing on the final corner almost foiled the sprinters' chances.
At 200 meters to go, Quick Step's Matteo Tosatto found himself in front with a small gap, though right behind him, a storming Petacchi smashed his 11 cog to close it, sailing down the finishing straight for his fourth win of the race. Richeze had the firepower to take second, while CSC's Breschel held on for third.
The road ahead - Stage 19 from Treviso, la casa Pinarello, to Comano Terme, has all the elements necessary for a successful breakaway: 179 kilometers of undulating roads and two climbs of moderate intensity, with the last just 15 kilometers from the finish.
It's the final chance for a non-sprinter to take a stage, and apart from those high on the overall classification, who will be taming their nerves before Saturday's time trial, there's absolutely no reason not to place all legs in one basket.Stage 18 Results
1. Alessandro Petacchi (I), Milram, 208km in 4:32:51 (45.739).
2. Maximilian Ariel Richeze(ARG), Ceramica Panaria - Navigare, s.t.
3. Matti Breschel (Dk), CSC, s.t.
4. Thomas Fothen (G), Gerolsteiner, s.t.
5. Oscar Gatto (I), Gerolsteiner, s.t.
6. Nikolai Trussov (Rus), Tinkoff Credit Systems, s.t.
7. Alexandre Pichot (F), Bouygues Telecom, s.t.
8. Stefano Zanini (I), Predictor-Lotto, s.t.
9. Julian Dean (NZl), Credit Agricole, s.t.
10. Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (F), Cofidis, s.t.
FullResults
Overall
1. Danilo Di Luca (I), Liquigas, 82:08:26
2. Andy Schleck (Lux), CSC, 2:24
3. Gilberto Simoni (I), Saunier Duval, 2:28
4. Damiano Cunego (I), Lampre, 3:29
5. Eddy Mazzoleni (I), Astana, 3:46
6. Riccardo Ricco' (I), Saunier Duval, 5:19
7. David Arroyo Duran (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne, 10:00
8. Evgeni Petrov (Rus), Tinkoff Credit Systems, 10:25
9. Franco Pellizotti (I), Liquigas, 10:39
10. Marzio Bruseghin (I), Lampre, 10:55
To see how today's stage developed, simply CLICKHERE to open our Live Update Window.
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