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Live Coverage - Stage 12 Giro d'Italia
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01:53 PM: Good day and welcome
to VeloNews.com's Live Coverage of the 12th stage of the 91st edition of the Giro d'Italia, a 172-kilometer race from Forli to Carpi. We're near the Adriatic coast at today's start, with the route working its way westward and inland to Carpi.
As you know, the Giro is gradually making its way north to its most decisive portion, the Dolomites. Of course, today's stage doesn't offer much in the way of climbing, with a largely unchanging elevation just barely above sea level (Carpi, for example is just 28 meters in altitude) and the profile nearly pan flat.
We're still early in today's stage and we already have an early break. Dionisio Galparsoro of Euskaltel-Euskadi (who began the day in 120th place, at 1:16:25) took an early flyer and has about 3:00 on the main field after just 12km. A 172km solo flyer? Jacky Durand would be proud.
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02:04 PM: So, who is this guy?
We have to admit, we don't know a lot about Dionisio Galparsoro. He's 29 years old and hails from Ataun, in Spain's Basque Country, as is usually the case on the Eusklatel team. He turned pro in 2003 and the biggest win of his career was the overall and points win at Germany's Hessen Rundfahrt, in 2005.
We'd love to see him do it today, but...
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02:11 PM: Today's weather
at the start in Forli today, we've seen scattered showers on-and-off for much of the day, with a moderate cloud cover and temperatures in the mid-60s. At the finish in Carpi, the picture really isn't that much different, with temps just a bit higher, in the mid-70s. The humidity levels are high today, hovering around 85 to 90 percent along the route.
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02:12 PM: A long and lonely
road ahead for Mr. Galparsoro. He's bumped his advantage up to about 8:00 now that he's past the 30km mark. Keep it up, only 140km to go!
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02:21 PM: Drop us a line
While we're always excited about bike racing, escpecially at grand tour time, even we have to admit that there are certain... uhhhh, errrr,... uhhh... lulls in the action. Today is one of those stages designed to let riders recover a bit, particularly after the carnage of yesterday's stage. It's relatively short - at least under 200km - and almost completely flat and the riding wounded of the peloton are not going to expend a lot of energy today. Most of the teams out there will let the day's break get away and then time the capture for the last 20km and then fight out a sprint at the end. At least that's how the formula is supposed to work. Every once in a great while, something muddles the plan and we see a lone escapee make it all the way to the finish on his own. That's why the aforementioned Jacky Durand kept trying the same thing. He actually did win now and then. You might also recall Dave Zabriskie's stage win at the 2004 Vuelta. He probably didn't give himself great odds when he attacked at km 0 that day, either.
No matter how it shakes out, though, the odds are good that we're in for a long day with little action until the finish. In the mean time, if you have a question, comment or complaint, drop us a line (just hit the "contact our editors" link below the update window). We'll try to answer as many questions as possible and even put a few of them into today's update.
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02:22 PM: At 42km
After an hour of racing, our lone escapee, Dionisio Galparsoro of Euskaltel-Euskadi, has an advantage of 8:40 on the field.
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02:34 PM: At 49km
our intrepid escapee has upped his lead to 10:30.
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02:37 PM: A reader question
Douglas writes to ask,
Since you mentioned Jacky Durand, what has become of him?
Well, the original "king of the headbangers" retired at the end of the 2004 season. He really was one of our favorites, since he was willing to take a risk and produced some impressive wins in the process. He's now 41 and we occasionally see him in the press room at races. He's now a cycling commentator for the French division of Eurosport. He's still looking fit and says he still tries to get in a few miles now and then.
Douglas
Raleigh, NC -
02:43 PM: Another question
Reader "JMac" writes to ask:
What are the odds of McEwen toughing it out thru the mountain stages?
They're pretty small. He's already said that he plans to head home once the climbing kicks in. We may see him pull out as early as Saturday. He's really focusing on doing well in these next two stages.Speaking of which, he and the Silence-Lotto boys may want to take note. Mr. Galparsoro is at 56km and now more than 14 minutes ahead of the field.
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02:46 PM: An interesting read
We just posted Bob Mionske's latest column and it's an interesting discussion of why and how traffic rules and other laws are different within the confines of the many Native American reservations around the country. www.velonews.com/article/76571
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03:04 PM: Ferrari
.... no, no, no... the car, not the doctor. Reader Tania W writes:
I see the cyclists are heading through Ferrari home country today! Should be good cycling conditions for them. Any new model Ferrari’s out there on the road? Sure you could find a bike in that peloton that is competing in value with a Ferrari these days!
You're right, Tania. The peloton passes by Modena today. We didn't get to stop at the factory, but yes, there are quite a few examples of the local product on the road. As for finding bikes that approach the value of even the "economy models" produced here, we doubt it. Nonetheless, there are plenty of bikes in the peloton with price tags in excess of 10,000 euros... and we're old enough to remember the days when that would have bought you a house (sigh). -
03:18 PM: The hounds
With the race now past the 100km-to-go mark, Lampre and Milram have upped the pace and they've already knocked a healthy chunk of time off of Mr. Galparsoro's lead. Once 14 minutes, he's now just 10 ahead of the field.
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03:21 PM: You have to admire
this guy's tenacity. He's been out there on his own since the start and he still looks good.
Behind him, the peloton is now being led by a coalition of teams, including Liquigas, Milram, Quick Step and Caisse d'Epargne.
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03:23 PM: No rain
just clouds. Despite this morning's spotty weather, things are holding pretty nicely.
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03:26 PM: Bandaged, but not beaten
Our race leader Visconti is sporting quite a bit of gauze today, but he's riding nicely. He was pretty banged up yesterday... and if you haven't had breakfast yet, you might want to take a look at yesterday's Graham Watson Gallery for a shot of one of the spots our race leader landed.
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03:33 PM: A bit of rain
We're seeing the wind and rain pick up, but neither is shaking things up too badly.
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03:35 PM: Tick, tick, tick
Poor Mr. Galpasoro is losing time. At the 86km mark - about halfway - his lead has slipped to 8:00.
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03:36 PM: 7:15
Man, this boy's lead is falling faster than the housing market.
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03:41 PM: Here's a familiar name in the news
Michael Rasmussen said Wednesday he was growing "impatient" over the delay in a hearing of his case. The world governing cycling body UCI in February asked the Monaco cycling federation to prepare a panel to hear Rasmussen's case after he was thrown out of the 2007 Tour de France, citing that Monaco had issued him a licence.
The Danish rider was later fired by his Dutch team after he lied about his whereabouts in the run-up to the classic race, and he could face a two-year ban from cycling.
The head of UCI's anti-doping unit Anne Gripper told Danish news agency Ritzau she understood Rasmussen's feelings.
"I know it is frustrating for those people involved," she said. "It seems like a very long time. But just as we in UCI take steps to ensure that the facts are correct, Monaco has to use the necessary time to ensure everything is done carefully and thoroughly."
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03:46 PM: Moletta
One rider absent from yesterday's start was Gerolsteiner's Andrea Moletta. Seems the cops did a search of his father's car and apparently found a refrigerator with suspected doping products as well as syringes hidden inside tubes of toothpaste. Shades of Mrs. Rumsas, eh?
Anyway, he has been suspended... and the folks at Gerolsteiner corporate HQ are thanking their lucky stars that they're leaving the sport at the end of the year. One of these days, these boneheads will get a clue, no?
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03:49 PM: 6:52
Galpasoro is pretty much limited to getting TV time today. He just passed through the feedzone. He's having a bit of a gnosh. Wow... a real banana. Refreshing to see something that hasn't been produced in a factory.
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03:54 PM: The gap is
holding around 6:40, with the peloton hitting the feedzone for lunch. It's pretty clear that they will be able to pull this guy back whenever they care to.
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03:55 PM: The gap is
holding around 6:40, with the peloton hitting the feedzone for lunch. It's pretty clear that they will be able to pull this guy back whenever they care to.
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04:01 PM: Any bets?
Let's assume, for a moment, that our escapee is pulled in today. Which of the fast-twitchers do you think will do well today? Keep in mind that Robbie McEwen took a tumble, too, yesterday.
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04:03 PM: Clouds moving in
but the riders are in the sunshine for now. Galpasoro's gap is now down to 5:00, since the peloton has finished lunch.
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04:08 PM: Reader question
Reader Robert E. writes in to ask
How does Graham Watson manage to stay ahead of the peloton to get his shots?
Our man, Graham is one of the few photographers to get permission to ride on the back of a motorcycle. If you watch TV sometimes, you can spot him, sporting an old-school white helmet. He has a driver in whom he places a great deal of trust. -
04:09 PM: 4:40
the time gap continues to fall. The pace in the field is picking up as the sprinters' teams get down to work. Galpasoro has covered 115km so far. We're betting that they'll leave him out there for a while.
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04:14 PM: Di Luca
makes a bike switch... it looks almost like a cyclocross dismount. He's quite relaxed.
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04:18 PM: Today's finish
the dynamic may be a little different today. The final few km into Carpi are a little dicey, with quite a few turns on narrow, narrow streets and there is bad weather moving in on the finish. As a result, the organizers have announced that the times will be taken at the 3km-to-go mark, so the GC guys can ease off a bit and leave the sprint to those looking for a stage win.
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04:19 PM: 3:30
the decline in Mr. Galpasoro's advantage continues.
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04:22 PM: Fausto Esparza
Reader Steve Farris writes in to say
I just wanted to write in to keep this story fresh in everyone's mind. I enjoyed the letter from one of your readers about riding with Fausto in Guadalajara. I hope people will not forget the battle he is facing. Fausto crashed on a high speed descent during the Tour of the Gila and is paralyzed from the waist down. He has a long struggle with rehabilitation. His sole source of income was cycle racing and he and his family now face huge medical bills on top of the physical challenges. I hope VeloNews readers will take the time to think of him and, if they can, chip in to help him out. This could happen to any one of us every time we get on the bike. If you can afford the time and $ any contributions would go a long way toward letting Fausto know that the cycling community cares about him and is hoping for the best for him.
Contributions can be sent to:
Wells Fargo Bank
1201 N. Pope St.
Silver City, NM 88061
Attn: Fausto Esparza Donation Fund -
04:24 PM: With 44km remaining
the gap is now down to 3:10.
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04:27 PM: The peloton
passes under the 45km to go mark 2:45 behind the leader.
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04:32 PM: Birthday wishes
Reader Nikki writes in to say
Hope you can wish Christian Vande Velde with Slipstream a happy 32nd bday today!!!
Thank you for the reminder, Nikki. We knew about that birthday, largely because it always reminds us that our Live Update Guy is really old. We figured out a few years back that CVV was born on the same day the Live Update Guy graduated from high school... sigh.
His family is reading along as well so keep us posted on how he's doing!
Nikki
B-brook, Illinois, USA -
04:33 PM: With less than 40km remaining
the gap has dropped to 2:15. The rain is now falling quite hard and several riders have put on their rain jackets.
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04:36 PM: Wet roads
As the peloton passes by the Ferrari test track, the gap is up to to 2:20. It looks like the Ferrari test drivers are having more fun than riders in the peloton. We doubt that a new Ferrari risks hitting the deck when passing over a bit of wet road paint. Unfortunately, those skinny tires on these two-wheeled racing machines have no such luxury.
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04:41 PM: The gap
is still shrinking, although the peloton is riding with a degree of caution in the rain. Mr. Galparsoro is now 2:11 ahead of the field with about 35km remaining.
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04:45 PM: Man
it's wet out there.... and there is plenty of road furniture and paint to make things dangerous.
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04:47 PM: With 30km remaining
the gap is now down to 1:48.
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04:51 PM: Paying attention
The peloton is riding cautiously, especially after yesterday's crash-fest. Nonetheless, the gap is down to 1:15, with 25km remaining.
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04:53 PM: Just 1:01
the catch is going to happen here, soon.
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04:57 PM: Now the race
has come on to very wet cobbles... it's slippery out there and folks are being cautious.
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04:59 PM: Under the 20km
banner, our race leader may be enjoying a bit of an advantage on these roads, but the gap is still coming down.
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05:00 PM: 57 seconds
the peloton hits the 20km banner at 57 seconds.
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05:02 PM: The rain
is easing up a bit. The roads are still slick, by Galparsoro is losing time. The gap is now 45 seconds.
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05:05 PM: Silence and Quick Step
are doing the bulk of the chase work. Points leader Bennati is pulling off his rain jacket, so he's priming for a sprint.
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05:06 PM: 38 seconds
Galparsoro is about to be caught.
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05:07 PM: 15km
to go and the peloton can see him.
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05:09 PM: CRASH!
There has been a big pile-up in the middle of the field. We'll try to get some names... so far the only face we recognize is that of Graham Watson... who is on his motorbike taking pictures of the carnage.
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05:10 PM: Tony Martin
High Road's Martin is in a ditch. Lampre's Lorenzetto was in there, too.
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05:10 PM: and the rain
starts again.
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05:13 PM: Our escapee
is only a few hundred meters ahead of the peloton. He is looking over his shoulder, a sure sign of an impending catch.
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05:13 PM: Under the 10km
banner and he's caught. Long day. Long day.
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05:15 PM: Zabel
is chasing hard. It doesn't look like he went down, but he may have been caught out... or maybe he had a flat.
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05:16 PM: As we near the finish
the rain is coming down and riders are torn between caution and the desire to win the stage.
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05:17 PM: Zabel
is still chasing, but he's getting help from Marco Velo.
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05:17 PM: With 6.5km
to go, we see Slipstream's David Millar at the front of the field.
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05:18 PM: Cavendish
is near the front, too. He has a couple of teammates with him. Zabel is still chasing.
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05:19 PM: Remember
that the official stage time will be taken at 3km to go. Right now we're at 5.
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05:20 PM: Zabel
is at the back of the field. We doubt he'll be in the mix for the sprint. It's a long way to go to get up front. 4km to go.
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05:21 PM: McEwen
is dancing around the back of the High Road train. He's the sort who excels at stealing a ride on other trains... and here comes Gerolsteiner.
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05:22 PM: Narrow roads
but the 3km ruling may help. 2.5km to go.
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05:23 PM: Cavendish
is getting a nice leadout, but he has McEwen and Bennati on his wheel.
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05:23 PM: 1.5km
to go, we see Bettini moving up.
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05:23 PM: The final
kilometer
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05:24 PM: Wiggins
driving hard at the front of the field.
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05:26 PM: Cavendish
may have gone too early.... Bennati, McEwen launch!
Bennati....looks like he beat Cavendish. No crashes in that final stretch.
Man it's close... we can't call it yet.
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05:26 PM: We couldn't call it
and neither can the judges. We have to wait for a review of the photo. We saw the photo and still couldn't call it.
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05:29 PM: Bennati
Cavendish was coming on fast and he'd have won it... if there had been another meter in the race, but nope.
Bennati gets it, Cavendish second and Robbie the (sputtering?) Rocket takes third.
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05:30 PM: Visconti
managed to finish with the field and he keeps his overall lead.
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05:32 PM: Top five
1. Daniele Bennati (I), Liquigas
2. Mark Cavendish (GB), High Road
3. Robbie McEwen (Aus), Silence-Lotto
4. Koldo Fernandez (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi
5. Paolo Bettini (I), Quick StepOverall
1. Giovanni Visconti (ITA), Quick Step
2. Gabriele Bosisio (ITA), Team L.P.R., at 5:50
3. Alberto Contador (ESP), Astana, at 6:59
4. Marzio Bruseghin (ITA), Lampre, at 7:52
5. Andreas Kloden (GER), Astana, at 7:54 -
05:36 PM: That was a close one
indeed, it was probably the closest finish we've seen for quite some time. There wasn't a hair's width between Bennati and Cavendish at the finish and we'd have to imagine the judges needed a microscope to examine the photo.
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05:38 PM: That's a wrap
thanks for tuning in, folks.
Again, we'd like to send a shout out to birthday boy Christian Vande Velde. Happy birthday... even though it makes us feel really old. At least we're not as old as John Vande Velde, who now has a 32-year-old son.
See you tomorrow, folks.
