THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING
Simoni in Giro driver’s seat, but Tenacious G holding tough
Saeco’s Gilberto Simoni started Saturday’s decisive 14th stage decked out head to toe in pink, his helmet, socks and cycling shorts matching the maglia rosa he obviously has no intention of giving up.
Simoni attacked with 5km to go on the steep, 8.8km climb to Alpe de Pampeago high in the Italian mountains to win his second stage in three days and extend his overall lead to 1:19 over second-placed Stefano Garzelli (Vini Caldirola-Sidermec).
Simoni once again dropped his rivals on the steepest roads of the Giro d’Italia, and only Garzelli remains close enough to be a threat. Going into Sunday’s time trial, Simoni admitted he wanted to take more time on Garzelli.
“I tried to take the most amount of time possible, but Garzelli is even tougher than I thought,” Simoni said after winning. “I felt better today than I did at Zoncolan. I made the attack to prove that I could it.”
Early action
The profile for stage 14 had more ups and downs than a stock-market chart, with three Category 1 climbs stacked over 70km before the final punishing ascent to Alpe de Pampeago.
Sprinter Robbie McEwen (Lotto-Domo) pulled out as promised to save his legs for July’s Tour de France, where he will be returning as defending champion for the green points jersey. The combative Aussie won two stages and was denied another when he was relegated for a dangerous sprint after taking stage 2.
A group of 16 riders went away early and effectively took the pressure off the leaders. In the break were Paolo Lanfranchi (Panaria), Ruslan Gryschenko (Landbouwkrediet), Leonardi Giordani (De Nardi-Colpack), Denis Lunghi (Alessio), Julian Winn (fakta), Rinaldo Nocentini (Pinzolo-Fiave), Michele Gobbi (De Nardi-Colpack), Bo Hamburger and Giuseppe Muraglia (both Pinzolo Fiave), Fabio Sacchi (Saeco), Bradley Wiggins (Fdjeux.com), Wladimir Belli (Lampre), Constatine Zaballa (Kelme), Fredy Gonzalez (Colombia-Selle Italia), Hector Mesa (Pinzolo-Fiave) and Mirko Marini (Tenax).
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With Gonzalez and Zaballa chasing the mountain points and Belli (11th at 6:43 back) the best-placed rider in the break, the main bunch seemed content to let them hog the appetizers until the main course at Alpe de Pampeago.
Gonzalez shot off the front of the break heading up the day’s first obstacle, the Category 1 Passo di Rolle, to grab the mountain points to fatten his hold on the KOM jersey. The pint-sized Colombian continued to work alone and gobbled up the points over the Cat. 1 Passo di Valles and Passo di San Pellegrino, but was eventually caught by six chasers on the long descent to the base of Alpe di Pampeago.
Simoni in charge
There was still a large group of about 60 riders together over the opening climbs, including the unlikely faces of Domina Vacanze’s Giovanni Lombardi and Mario Scirea. They were quickly dropped as soon as the peloton hit the grueling 8.8km climb, with an average grade of 9.5 percent.
With Belli and Zaballa still lingering off the front from the early break, Simoni began to set a lethal pace. Quickly falling off the back was Mercatone Uno’s Marco Pantani, who continued to struggle to find his best legs despite a strong finish in Thursday’s climbing stage to Monte Zoncolan.
“I realize I still have to progress until I can be at the top level,” Pantani said after finishing more than two minutes back. “I am content to be at this level after all I have been through. I will keep fighting.”
Garzelli, Lampre’s Raimondas Rumsas and Francesco Casagrande, Panaria’s Julio Perez Cuapio, Landbouwkrediet’s Yaroslav Popovych and Alessio’s Andrea Noe were hanging tough. Popovych, then Simoni, further pushed the ante.
Finally, with 5km to go, Simoni accelerated hard and dropped his challengers. Popovych made a brave effort to grab Simoni’s wheel, but hung on to finish fifth and move into fourth overall.
With 4km to go, Simoni was working alone, had caught and passed Belli, and was chugging upward. Simoni was like an assassin on two wheels, coolly hammering the pedals as hard as he could to inflict as much damage as possible.
But once again, “Tenacious G” refused to fold. Garzelli grimaced in pain as he fought to limit the damage over the punishing climb with ramps as steep as 16 percent.
Garzelli, Rumsas and Perez Cuapio stayed together, sucking on Simoni’s fumes, with Garzelli doing most of the work to keep the Saeco rider in striking distance going into Sunday’s time trial.
“I said I would give it all on this mountain and that’s what I did. I am very satisfied, even if Simoni took some time,” said Garzelli, who finished second at 35 seconds back and took the important time bonus. “I had excellent feelings. I didn’t follow when Simoni attacked because I would have paid later. In the final, Rumsas wanted to make the sprint, but he was always on my wheel and it would have been unjust if he had taken second place.”
Battle moves to time trial
Rumsas came across third and positioned himself well to move into contention for the final podium after his strong ride. Now fifth overall, he’s just two minutes behind third-place Noe.
Following three hard mountain stages, Sunday’s 42.5km 15th stage is the first of two individual time trials. The course features a Category 3 climb in the closing third of the course with ramps as steep as 9 percent.
Garzelli is favored to get back some time and perhaps even grab the overall lead, but Simoni remains optimistic.
“I know it will be difficult, but I have a lot of motivation. I want to keep the maglia rosa. I have recuperated well, and I am optimistic,” Simoni said. “I will start behind Garzelli, so that’s an advantage. I will have good references.”
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