|
|
RACE REPORTS: 92ND GIRO D'ITALIA STAGE 1: CAVENDISH IN PINK AS COLUMBIA ROCKETS TO VICTORY
Road Bike Action & AFP
May 9, 2009
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Cavendish leads the Columbia-Highroad across the line
(Photo: Roberto Bettini)
Britain's Mark Cavendish donned the race leader's pink jersey on Saturday after his Columbia-Highroad team pocketed the opening stage of the Tour of Italy, a 20.5 km team time-trial at Venice Lido.
 Armstrong and Astana finished third
(Photo: Roberto Bettini)
Columbia-Highroad covered the distance in 21min 50sec with the Garmin-Slipstream team six seconds adrift and Lance Armstrong's and Levi Leipheimer's Astana team third, 13sec off the pace. The Garmin-Slipstream team had been favorites after winning last year's opener in Sicily but Cavendish and company had their reward as they went for the jugular.
 Basso leads the Liguigas team to 8th place
(Photo: Roberto Bettini)
Ivan Basso's Liquigas had been expected to give everyone a run for their money but came in 40sec behind Columbia while compatriot Damiano Cunego's Lampre team were 2sec further back. On the plus side for Italian fans, Danilo Di Luca (LPR), who won the Giro in 2007, saw his team come in fourth 22sec off the winning time.
Columbia produced an average time topping 56 km/h on the flat circuit at the laguna separating Venice from the Adriatic. Cavendish gave an early statement of intent that he intends at least to emulate last year's exploits when the racer from the Isle of Man won two Giro stages before bagging four in the Tour de France.
 Cavendish in the maglia rosa of race leader (Photo: Roberto Bettini)
Italy certainly suits him as he won the Milano-Sanremo last March. Basso was sanguine about the day's proceedings. "We turned in a good time. Columbia and Garmin had a team made for this time trial whereas ours was constructed around a three-week race," insisted the 2006 champion and favorite to repeat that showing.
Sunday's 156km second stage will be a boon for the sprinters along the road from Jesolo to Trieste.
92nd Giro d'Italia
Italy, May 9-31, 2009
Stage 1: Saturday, May 09: Lido di Venezia (TTT), 20.5km
1. Team Columbia - Highroad 21.50 (56.33 km/h)
2. Garmin-Slipstream @0.06
3. Astana @ 0.13
4. LPR Brakes-Farnese Vini @ 0.22
5. ISD @ 0.27
6. Team Katusha @ 0.35
7. Rabobank @ 0.38
8. Liquigas @ 0.40
9. Lampre-NGC @ 0.42
10. Team Milram @ 0.49
11. Cervelo Test Team @ 0.49
12. Barloworld @ 0.54
13. Team Saxo Bank @ 0.55
14. Caisse d'Epargne @ 0.58
15. Bbox Bouygues Telecom @ 1.01
16. Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni @1.06
17. Quick Step @ 1.14
18. Xacobeo Galicia @ 1.19
19. Acqua & Sapone @ 1.21
20. Silence-Lotto @ 1.22
21. AG2R La Mondiale @ 1.35
22. Fuji-Servetto @ 1.37
General classification after stage 1
1. Mark Cavendish (GBR), Team High Road in 21:50
2. Marco Pinotti (ITA), Team High Road @ s.t.
3. Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR), Team High Road
4. Michael Rogers (AUS), Team High Road
5. Thomas Lovkvist (SWE), Team High Road
6. Mark Renshaw (AUS), Team High Road
7. Kanstantsin Siutsou (BLR), Team High Road
8. Morris Possoni (ITA), Team High Road
9. Michael Barry (CAN), Team High Road
10. David Zabriskie (USA), Garmin-Slipstream @ 0:06
Win a Silca SuperMini Pump every day of the Giro d'Italia. Drop us an email and tell us why you ride your bike to
whyweride@roadbikeaction.com. Entries will be judged by our in-house
Italian staff and will be chosen for their honesty, humor, inspiration
and effort. If you send in photos of riding, your entry will be
considered twice. Write in and win. We will list the winners on Monday
morning each week.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|