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RACE REPORTS: 44TH TIRRENO-ADRIATICO: SCARPONI WINS QUEEN STAGE AND TAKES RACE LEAD IN CAMERINO
Tim Maloney-European Editor
March 16, 2009
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(Photo: Roberto Bettini)
In a spectacular stage of racing today at Tirreno-Adriatico,
Diquigiovanni-Androni's Michele Scarponi turned the tables on Astana's
Andreas Kloden to take the stage win in Camerino and take command of
the 44th Tirreno-Adriatico with just one stage remaining. "It all
worked out well today", new Tirreno-Adriatico leader Michele Scarponi told RAI-TV
after the stage. "We found the right combination of riders up front and
it worked out really well. I am happy at the result." It's been a long
road back for the 29 year old Scarponi, a local Marche rider originally
from Jesi with the nickname "the eagle of Filottrano". In 2006,
Scarponi was implicated in the Operación Puerto doping case as a member
of the Liberty Seguros-Würth cycling team. His team went under, and
Scarponi continued racing with Acqua & Sapone and won the 2007
Settimana Ciclistica Internazionale Bartali & Coppi, but but
eventually more information on his involvement in Operación Puerto came
out and on May 15, 2008, Scarponi was suspended by the Italian cycling
federation for 18 months and came back to the peloton last August 3rd
at the Giro dell’Appennino.
Another rider suspended in the wake of Operación Puerto, Ivan Basso
(Liquigas) was in the break today and ended up third. Although Basso is
still not in top form, he put in some impressive efforts, especially on
the final ascent to Camerino. Basso seemed like he had something to
prove today after a less than brilliant time trial yesterday and after
the finish, he admitted to RAI-TV "what the journalists said yesterday
about my time trial bothered me. It wasn't right...so I wanted to show
what I could do today. I wanted to win today but it didn't quite work
out. Anyway, I'm having a good Tirreno-Adriatico and feel positive
about my progress." Progress indeed; Basso was 19th in the Stage 5 ITT,
but today the Liquigas rider leaped from 8th to 5th on GC at
Tirreno-Adriatico.
Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) didn't start today, while
Diquigiovanni-Androni sprinter Ginanni abandoned. It was retired
two-time World Champion Paolo Bettini's debut as a TV reporter for
RAI-TV with the diminutive Tuscan reporting from a motorcycle across
the hilly Marche terrain. But four brave riders, Egoi Martínez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil), Paolo Longo Borghini
(Barloworld) and Martyn Maaskant (Garmin-Slipstream) escaped just 16km
after the start in Civitanova Marche with over 200km ahead of them on
the road and eventually achieved a maximum lead of 7' at the base of
the day's main climb of Sasso Tetto after 178km of racing. Martínez and
Carrara quickly distance the other two, as Danilo DiLuca's LPR Brakes-Farnese Vini upped the pace behind. After a few kilometers of
the 13km ascent, DiLuca attacked and got a gap, and was soon countered
by Diquigiovanni-Androni's Michele Scarponi. The two Marchigiani riders
got a gap, but DiLuca couldn't maintain the pace and dropped off.
With 50km left to race, Martínez was in the lead solo and had dropped
Carrara, while the Liquigas duo of Ivan Basso and Vicenzo Nibali,
along with Acqua & Sapone's Stefano Garzelli were bridging up to
Scarponi.Tirreno-Adriatico leader Andreas Klöden had one teammate,
Maxim Iglinsky who was courageously riding tempo behind, but the Astana
men and their fellow chasers from Columbia were starting to fall
behind. The wild, rocky summit of Sasso Tetto with 42km to go was covered with
a fresh dusting of snow, with low, dark skies, wet roads and cold temps
greeting the riders, and Martínez was still riding strong out front
after 176km. The orange clad Euskaltel man was 2'16" ahead of Scarponi and Company, with race leader Klöden's group at 3'30". Along with the
Astana man was his teammate Max Iglinsky, Rodríguez, Arroyo, Coyot and Kiryienka (Caisse d'Epargne), Valjavec (AG2R La Mondiale), Simoni and Rebellin (Diquigiovanni-Androni), Hesjedal (Garmin-Slipstream),
Pellizotti (Liquigas), Di Luca, Pietropolli (LPR Brakes-Farnese Vini),
Lövkvist & Siutsou (Columbia).
On the long, twisting descent to Fiastra with 30km to go, Martínez was
losing time to the chasers, while the Liquigas duo tried to spring
Nibali with about 20k to go. The talented young Sicilian got within 30"
of Martínez, while Basso sat on Scarponi and Garzelli and eventually
Nibali cracked on the penultimate ascent of Colle di Santa Barbara with
9km to go. Nibali went out the back and next victim for the chasers was
Martínez, who was caught with 7km to go. The long, lean Euskaltel rier
hung on until the last ascent to the university hill-town of Camerino
got serious. Basso, Scarponi and Garzelli hit the last 2km ascent of
the day all out after Basso's numerous accelerations threatened to rip
the legs off the other Italians. Garzelli hung tough on Basso's wheel
until the last 500m. but in the finale, it was the superb riding of
Scarponi that took the stage and surged into the lead at
Tirreno-Adriatico. Martínez tried to keep his 4th place but in the
final half-kilometer, he was swamped by eventual 4th place Danilo Di Luca, who took the sprint from the fast-closing Kloden group, 1'09" behind.
Tuesday, March 17
Stage 7: San Benedetto dell Tronto-San Benedetto dell Tronto A flat, fast circuit is a perfect warm-up for the fastmen before
Milano-Sanremo Saturday. Look for Ale-Jet Petacchi to battle Mark
Cavendish for the honors.
44th Tirreno-Adriatico
Italy, March 11-17, 2009
Monday, March 16
Stage 6: Civitanova Marche-Camerino / 235km
1. Michele Scarponi (Ita) Diquigiovanni-Androni / 6h36'12"
2. Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone @ :01"
3. Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas @ :03"
4. Danilo DiLuca (Ita) @ 1'09"
5. Joaquím Rodríguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
6. Julien El Farès (Fra) Cofidis
7. Davide Rebellin (Ita) Diquigiovanni-Androni
8 Luca Mazzanti (Ita) Katusha
9. Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Columbia
10. Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) LPR Brakes-Farnese Vini
11. Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Slipstream
12. Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Columbia
13. Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana
14. Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas
15. Linus Gerdemann (Ger) Milram @ all same time
44th Tirreno-Adriatico / General Classification after Stage 6
1. Michele Scarponi (Ita) Diquigiovanni-Androni 23h22'36"
2. Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo @ 25"
3. Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana @ 1'07"
4. Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Columbia @ 1'10"
5. Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas @ 1'13"
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