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Parra wins stage, Savoldelli seizes lead as Basso cracks
Well, well, well, this Giro d’Italia just keeps getting more interesting by the day.
In Saturday’s 218km grind-fest high in the spectacular Dolomites, Discovery Channel’s Paolo Savoldelli snatched the leader’s jersey away from CSC’s Ivan Basso with a powerful attack on the day’s final climb and proved yet again he’s a top candidate for the overall victory.
Savoldelli followed a move by two-time Giro champion Gilberto Simoni (Lampre-Caffita) midway up the day’s fifth and final climb on the Cat. 1 Pontives. A struggling Basso, weakened by a stomach bug, couldn’t answer as “Il Falco” surged into the maglia rosa.
“When Simoni attacked I went with him. I saw that Basso didn't move and so I accelerated and went clear on my own," said Savoldelli, who traded places with Basso in the GC. "I faded near the top of the climb but hung on and managed to keep a decent gap on Basso."
The Discovery Channel leader finished in ninth on the day, four minutes behind stage-winner Ivan Parra (Colombia-Selle Italia), but seven seconds ahead of Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas-Bianchi) and Simoni, and more than a minute ahead of Basso.
It was more than enough for Savoldelli to seize the maglia rosa. Basso came through alone in 21st at 5:08 back and slipped to second at 0:50 with Di Luca third at 0:53.
Basso bitten by stomach bug
The stage was eerily reminiscent of the equally long run to Passo Coe in 2002 when Savoldelli attacked with a vengeance to grab the lead against race leader Cadel Evans and Tyler Hamilton.
“On the last climb of a mountain stage it's about whoever has the most energy and I was the strongest today,” said Savoldelli, a winner in Thursday’s 11th stage. “That's what's great about cycling, anything can happen.”
Basso knew he’d come under fire in the Giro’s longest stage. Simoni and Damiano Cunego tried to slip away over the Passo delle Erbe, but Team CSC did excellent work to keep the pair from getting too far into the wind.
Basso looked untouchable after flying up Zoldo Alto on Thursday, but the 9.3km Cat. 1 climb to Ortisei with ramps as steep as 12 percent proved too much for the 27-year-old, suffering from a stomach ailment that kept him from his best in the epic, six-and-a-half-hour stage.
“It was a very difficult stage for me. I felt sick and had a stomachache right from the start, but I hoped it would get better as the stage went on. Well, it didn't, and I really suffered on the last climb,” said Basso. “I tried to limit the damage, and compared to how bad I felt, the time loss wasn't too bad.
“I've always known you can't take anything for granted in a race like this, and anyone can have a bad day for one reason or another, and today it was my turn. Now I'm hoping for a speedy recovery, so I can attempt to recapture the jersey.”
With the remnants of a 20-man breakaway still up the road duking it out for the stage victory, about 25 riders in the maglia rosa group hit the base of the Cat. 1 Pontives with Basso’s flank protected by Dave Zabriskie and Frank Schleck.
Not much happened in the first 4km of the climb, but just as soon as Schleck pulled off to leave Basso unprotected, the body blows started in earnest.
Simoni opened the hostilities with Savoldelli hot on his wheel. Basso couldn’t counter, and Savoldelli punched the accelerator. He soon dropped Simoni and hammered up the steepest section of the climb, erasing his 18-second deficit to Basso.
“Basso’s crisis? I thought he was faking it up on the Passo delle Erbe,” said Savoldelli. “I was controlling Simoni and then I succeeded to catch him.”
Under fire on all sides, Basso was doing the best he could to control the damage, but riders he easily dropped in Thursday’s summit finish to Zoldo Alto were spinning past the besieged CSC captain.
Considering how bad Basso was feeling, maintaining second place at 50 seconds back is a good sign, said Team CSC manager Bjarne Riis.
“Today was a really bad day for us, but compared to his troubles, the time loss is more than bearable. He really suffered out there today, and I'm actually surprised he didn't lose more time,” Riis said. “This is a good sign, and there's no doubt he's still in great shape. We're hoping for him to get better soon, because we have a tough stage ahead of us tomorrow.”
Among those slipping past Basso was Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas-Bianchi), who proved resilient once again in the big mountains. After Savoldelli dropped Simoni, Di Luca slowly reeled him in and the pair finished together just seven seconds behind the new leader.
“Today was a great day. The lesson of Passo Duran was very useful to me. I made a big stage today and always stayed in the first positions,” said Di Luca, who finished 11th at 4:07 back. “Savoldelli looked very strong and he’s riding super-hard, but the Giro is still open. If I can get through tomorrow, I can get to Milano on the podium.”
With the legendary Stelvio on tap in Sunday’s 210km climb and another week of racing still to come, this Giro is far from over.
“I’ve tried many times today. I gave everything, but this Giro is still open,” said Simoni, fourth at 2:16 back.
Early departures, more Beloki worries
Many riders followed Robbie McEwen’s example and opted not to tackle the 2005 Giro’s longest stage.
Joining the Davitamon-Lotto rider on the DNS list were Jaan Kirsipuu (Crédit Agricole), Stuart O’Grady (Cofidis) and Baden Cooke (FDJeux) – so much for that world-class sprinter’s field. Also MIA was 2000 Giro champion Stefano Garzelli (Liquigas-Bianchi), who obviously wasn’t at his best sitting 17th overall at 7:40 back.
Nine more riders never made it to the finish, including Joseba Beloki (Liberty) and Leonardo Bertagnolli (Cofidis), who pulled out after 32km, after the first climb, the Costalunga.
Germany's Thomas Ziegler (Gerolsteiner), Italian Marco Fertonani (Domina Vacanze), Spaniard David Navas (Baleares), Dutchmen Steven De Jongh and Thorwald Veneberg (Rabobank), and Canadian Ryder Hesjedal (Discovery Channel), also threw in the towel in the first half of the stage.
The Giro now counts 167 riders remaining in the field with seven stages to go.
Beloki’s early departure raised more concerns about his readiness to race July’s Tour de France. The 2002 Tour runner-up came to the Giro to get some race miles in his legs, but he admits he might not be ready in time.
“It was the worst day for me in the Giro. I got dropped on the first climb and it wasn’t even rated,” Beloki said. “I decided to abandon after trying to get over the Passo de Sella because the stage was going fast and I wasn’t going anywhere. I woke up this morning and I could feel I hadn’t recovered well. It’s still early to make conclusions and I hope to get home to see if it’s been worth anything to race the Romandie and two weeks in the Giro. Some racing I’ve had, what I’m worried about now is if I can still race.”
Liberty Seguros is clearly worried that its three-time Tour de France podium man won’t be ready in time for July, when Beloki is supposed to co-captain the team with Roberto Heras.
“My worry with Beloki is that he has yet to finish any races. It’s true that he only had three weeks to prepare for the Giro, but we’ve seen here he’s pretty far behind to ready for the Tour,” said director Manolo Saiz. “Next he’ll probably race the Tour de Suisse to see if he has the necessary level to race the Tour.”
Victory for Parra
It was another spectacularly sunny day in the Dolomites of northern Italy for the longest day of the race. On tap were five rated climbs and the third of five summit finishes in this edition of the Giro.
Twenty riders pulled away early, getting clear over the Cat. Passo di Costalunga in the opening 30km.
In the group were: Juan Manuel Garate (Sp), Saunier Duval; Pietro Caucchioli (I) Crédit Agricole; José Rujano Guillen (Ven), Colombia - Selle Italia; Paolo Bettini (I), Quick Step; Matthias Kessler (G), T-Mobile; Andrea Noé (I), Liquigas-Bianchi; Wladimir Belli (I), Domina Vacanze; Giampaolo Caruso (I), Liberty Seguros; Paolo Tiralongo (I), Ceramica Panaria-Navigare; Aitor Gonzalez Jimenez (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi; Joan Horrach Rippoll (Sp), Illes Balears; Tadej Valjavec (SLO), Phonak; Francesco Bellotti (I), Crédit Agricole; Ivan Parra (Col), Colombia-Selle Italia; Michael Blaudzun (Dk), CSC; Jan Schaffrath (G), T-Mobile; Michael Rasmussen (Dk), Rabobank; Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Sp), Saunier Duval; Sven Krauss (G), Gerolsteiner; and Garrido Lima José Antonio (Sp), Quick Step.
Garate was the best-placed at 6:48 back, while Caucchioli, third overall in 2002, was 15th at 7:16 back. Both riders moved into the virtual lead as the gap to the main bunch topped more than seven and a half minutes heading toward the towering Passo delle Erbe at 2004m.
The leaders atrophied over the grinding course and hit the base of the final climb with a four-minute lead on the maglia rosa group. That proved enough, but only four riders were left standing to fight for the spoils: Caucchioli, Garate and Colombia-Selle Italia teammates Rujano and Parra.
Caucchioli fired the first salvo, but Garate and the South Americans chased him down (Rujano is Venezuelan and Parra Colombian). Parra shot clear with 8km to go, quickly opening a gap. Rujano obviously wasn’t going to work, leaving it to Caucchioli and Garate to reel him in.
They came within 15 seconds with just 6km to go, but couldn’t quite bring back Parra, who stayed away to win the biggest victory of his nine-year career.
“I’ve been trying for a long time to have an important victory. Finally it has arrived, and I thank my teammates,” said Parra, who came through 23 seconds ahead of Garate. “Me and Rujano escaped and I was feeling good, but I never thought I could win until I escaped and no one came to catch me.”
Garate moved up to fifth overall at 2:39 and Caucchioli into sixth at 3:25 back.
STAGE & OVERALL RESULTS POSTED
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Top 21
1. Ivan Parra (Col) Selle Italia-Colombia, 6:31:34
2. Juan Manuel Garate (Sp), Saunier Duval, at 0:23
3. Jose Rujano (Ven), Selle Italia-Colombia, same time
4. Pietro Caucchioli (I), Crédit Agricole, at 0:27
5. Tadej Valjavec (Slo), Phonak, at 1:46
6. Matthias Kessler (G), T-Mobile, at 2:57
7. Giampaolo Caruso (I), Liberty Seguros, at 3:03
8. Wladimir Belli (I), Domina Vacanze, at 3:48
9. Paolo Savoldelli (I), Discovery Channel, at 4:00
10. Gilberto Simoni (I), Lampre-Caffita, at 4:07
11. Danilo Di Luca (I), Liquigas-Bianchi, s.t.
12. Marzio Bruseghin (I), Fassa Bortolo, at 4:38
13. Emanuele Sella (I), Ceramica Panaria, s.t.
14. Serhiy Honchar (Ukr), Domina Vacanze, s.t.
15. Damiano Cunego (I), Lampre-Caffita, s.t.
16. Vladimir Karpets (Rus), Illes Balears, s.t.
17. Andrea Noe (I), Liquigas-Bianchi, s.t.
18. Unai Osa (Sp), Illes Balears, s.t.
19. Domenico Pozzovivo (I), Ceramica Panaria, s.t.
20. Markus Fothen (G), Gerolsteiner, at 4:59
21. Ivan Basso (I), CSC, at 5:08
STAGE & OVERALL RESULTS POSTEDOverall Standings
1. Paolo Savoldelli (I), Discovery Channel, 60:31:12
2. Ivan Basso (I), CSC, 0:50
3. Danilo Di Luca (I), Liquigas-Bianchi, 0:53
4. Gilberto Simoni (I), Lampre, 2:16
5. Juan Manuel Garate (Sp), Saunier Duval, 2:39
6. Pietro Caucchioli (I), Credit Agricole, 3:25
7. Serhiy Honchar (Ukr), Domina Vacanze, 4:05
8. Rujano Guillen Jose' (Vz), Colombia - Selle Italia, 4:23
9. Marzio Bruseghin (I), Fassa Bortolo, 4:54
10. Dario David Cioni (I), Liquigas-Bianchi, 6:17
11. Emanuele Sella (I), Ceramica Panaria - Navigare, 6:18
12. Michele Scarponi (I), Liberty Seguros, 6:19
13. Vladimir Karpets (Rus), Illes Balears, 6:44
14. Markus Fothen (G), Gerolsteiner, 6:51
15. Matthias Kessler (G), T-Mobile, 7:38
