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RACE REPORTS: GIRO D'ITALIA STAGE 4: LIQUIGAS PUTS NIBALI IN MAGLIA ROSA
Road Bike Action & AFP
May 12, 2010
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(Photo: Roberto Bettini)
Vincenzo Nibali pulled on the race leader's pink jersey at the Giro d'Italia after leading his Liquigas team to victory in the fourth stage time trial over 33-kilometers on Wednesday. Liquigas powered over the undulating race course from Savigliano to Cuneo in the Piedmont region to finish ahead of Bradley Wiggins' Team Sky, with HTC-Columbia finishing third.
"Pulling on the pink jersey is a dream come true," said Nibali, a 25-year-old Sicilian who finished an impressive seventh overall in the 2009 Tour de France. "I want to dedicate it to the whole team, who really put in a huge effort."
 Sky charges through the rain (Photo: Roberto Bettini)
Overnight leader Alexandre Vinokourov was forced to give up the pink jersey after his Astana team lost composure in the closing kilometers, the Kazakh losing 38-seconds to end up sixth in the overall standings, 33-seconds adrift. Another big loser on the day was Australian race contender Cadel Evans, whose BMC team finished way down the standings at 1:21 behind Liquigas, whose team leader is former Tour of Italy winner Ivan Basso.
"I had hoped to take some more time off the climbers," said Vinokourov, the winner last month of the hilly one-day classic Liege-Bastogne-Liege. "The weather conditions didn't do us any favors."
 Vinokourov destroyed his team in an effort to keep the jersey. (Photo: Roberto Bettini)
Former Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre had his Cervelo team to thank for helping limit his losses to Nibali to only 38-seconds. Basso, who served a two-year ban for doping between 2007 and 2009, is now second overall at 13-seconds. For now, however, the glory will go to Nibali. The Sicilian all-rounder, who finished an impressive seventh in last year's Tour de France, was only called up for the race at the last minute after Franco Pellizotti was accused of doping.
 Nibali in the maglia rosa (Photo: Roberto Bettini)
Thursday's fifth stage is held over 162 km between Novara and Novi Ligure, where the race will pay hommage to the Italian legend Fausto Coppi, who died 50 years ago.
Giro d Italia, Stage 4: Savigliano - Cuneo TTT 33km
1. Liquigas-Doimo 36:37
2. Sky @ .13
3. HTC-Columbia @ .21
4. Team Katusha @ .27
5. Cervélo @ .38
6. Astana @ s.t.
7. Omega Pharma-Lotto @ .46
8. Garmin-Transitions @ .49
9. Saxo Bank @ .50
10. Milram @ .57
General Classification After Stage 4
1. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita/Liquigas-Doimo) 10:44:00
2. Ivan Basso (Ita/Liquigas-Doimo) 0:00:13
3. Valerio Agnoli (Ita/Liquigas-Doimo) 0:00:20
4. André Greipel (Ger/HTC-Columbia) 0:00:26
5. Matthew Harley Goss (Aus/Team HTC-Columbia)
6. Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz/Astana) @ .33
7. Vladimir Karpets (Rus/Katusha) @.39
8. Richie Porte (Aus/Saxo Bank) @ .45
9. David Millar (Gbr/Garmin-Transitions) @ .45
10. Paolo Tiralongo (Ita/Astana) @ .59 |
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