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87th Giro d'Italia: Score one for Petacchi!

Pollack takes maglia rosa

By Maureen Upton, Special to VeloNews
Published: May. 9, 2004
Photo: Graham Watson

Alessandro Petacchi picked up right where he left off last season, winning the first grand tour sprint finish of the year and setting himself up for a repeat of his spectacular record-setting 2003 season when he earned at least three stage victories in each of the three grand tours.

The first road stage of the Giro d’Italia covered 143 stunningly beautiful kilometers between Genoa and the truffle capital of Alba. While the peloton took a moderate approach to the opening kilometers of the stage, a great deal of intensity was reserved for a hard-fought touch-and-go sprint battle between Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) pulled ahead to win within meters of the finish line, edging out Olaf Pollack (Gerolsteiner), Crescenzo D’Amore (Acqua & Sapone) and Robbie McEwen (Lotto – Domo).

Pollack moves into the lead
Pollack moves into the lead
Photo: Graham Watson

Pollack, finishing a strong second both in Saturday’s prologue and Sunday’s first stage, inherited the overall leader’s pink jersey from Brad McGee (FDJeux.com).

The day began amicably enough as the peloton rode a downright leisurely pace, averaging just 33.5kph over the first hour and remaining relatively intact on the Giro’s first climb, the Category 3 Colle di Cadibona (at 47.2km). Finally, at the 68km mark, Colombia – Selle Italia’s Marlon al Perez Arango launched an attack, and working his way up to building a 3:30 lead by the 81k mark.

Just as the young Colombian’s lead was reaching its peak, a crash broke the peloton in two, taking down Freddy Bichot (FDJeux), Johan Verstrepen (Landbouwkrediet - Colnago) and Scott Davis (Ceramiche Panaria - Margres). Happily, all were up and riding right away.

By now, sensing an opportunity to deliver Petacchi to the line for another sprint finish, the Fassa Bortolo squad moved to the front of the peloton and sent to work reeling the escapee back into the fold. In just five kilometers, Perez Arango’s lead was cut by nearly a minute.

By the day’s Intergiro mark in Bossolasco (94.5km), Perez Arango held a 2:02 advantage over the peloton, before beginning a long descent toward Alba and four trips around a five-kilometer finishing circuit. Three solo trips around the circuit and a now-exhausted Perez Arango was finally caught by the now hard-charging peloton.

Over the course of the closing kilometers, it appeared that the day would end with the anticipated head-to-head battle between Petacchi and the man who holds the record for most stage wins at the Giro d’Italia, Mario Cipollini. Both Fassa Bortolo and Cipollini’s Domino Vacanze teams quickly set up their finishing “trains,” preparing to launch their top sprinters into the charge for the line.

A scenic start along the Gulf of Genoa
A scenic start along the Gulf of Genoa
Photo: Graham Watson

Strangely, it was Cipollini’s own Domina Vacanze team that deliver Petacchi into the final kilometer. Cipollini allowed the Fassa Bortolo captain to hop onto the Domina Vacanze, grabbing Andrus Aug’s wheel.

“He probably thought he’d just let me start the sprint and then overtake me,” Petacchi later remarked.

No matter what the motivation, the result was unexpected. As the field roared into the final few hundred meters Cipollini found himself boxed in and unable to contest the sprint, an unusual circumstance for the man who built a reputation as the peloton’s top sprinter throughout most of the last decade.

But Petacchi still didn’t have an easy row to hoe, as Lotto’s Robbie McEwen charged early, some 350 meters from the line. Petacchi seemed surprised to see the Aussie come charging past with 200 meters to go, and then cut directly in front of the Italian.

“I stopped pedaling, and assumed I’d lost,” said Petacchi, who then noticed that the Lotto man was beginning to lose momentum.

Fading from his effort, McEwen was unable to hold off Petacchi and then Pollack and finally as he neared the line he found himself edged into fourth by D'Amore. Petacchi surged ahead, beating Pollack to the line, with enough of a margin to offer up another of his “coded” victory salutes. This time, it was a simple gesture as he pointed to his chest. "The sprint wasn't easy and I didn't think I was going to win when I saw McEwen go past with 200 meters to go because he takes a lot of risks and he is really strong," Petacchi said. "There is a lot of pressure on me because the team has been built around me. I've already said that the aim is to win at least three stages I this Giro."

Cipollini, meanwhile, vowed he would do his best to make that a difficult task for Petacchi.

"I wasn't beaten today, because I decided to give up on the sprint as I was blocked," said Cipollini. "People will just have to wait a little bit longer for me to win a stage."

McGee's camp also sounded a defiant note, vowing to reclaim the overall lead on Monday.

"We had thought of everything apart from Pollack getting second place in the stage," said his team sporting director Martial Gayant. "We thought we would keep it but we can get it back on Monday as Brad has strong legs at the moment."

At the press conference, Pollack affirmed that his new pink jersey is one of the achievements of his career -- “so far.”

Commenting on the fierce battle on the finishing straightaway, he said he never even saw Petacchi or McEwen, but instead launched his sprint at 300m out and didn’t take his eyes off the line.

Regarding his finish line gesture, Petacchi had a very simple explanation.

“There was so much of a question about who would win the sprint today,” he noted. “So I just answered: ‘Me.’”

To see how today's stage unfolded, open up our LIVE UPDATE WINDOW and be sure to join us for live coverage during Monday's stage from Novi Ligure to Pontremoli.

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