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Live Coverage - Stage 16 Giro d'Italia

Published: May. 26, 2008
  • 01:02 PM: Good day and welcome

    to VeloNews.com's Live Coverage of the 16th stage of the 91st edition of the Giro d'Italia. Today's stage is short, but difficult, uphill time trial from San Vigilio di Marebbe to Plan de Corones.

    This is a single climb, of 12.9km, averaging 8.4 percent, beginning at an altitude of 1187 meters and finishing at 2273. Look to the right and if you scroll down below the map, you'll find the day's profile. If you click on the profile, an enlarged version will open in a new window. As you can see, the route starts out easy, but riders will pay for that near the top, where portions of the climb hit a whopping 24 percent.

    Riders are already underway, but we'll begin detailed coverage at 2:00 p.m. (8:00 a.m. ET in the U.S.), still before the time when riders who will have an impact on the overall standings begin showing up.

    Top Contenders' start times:
    33. Nicki Sorensen (DEN), CSC, starts at 3:19 p.m.
    32. Vladimir Karpets (RUS), Caisse d'Epargne, starts at 3:20 p.m.
    31. Giovanni Visconti (ITA), Quick Step, starts at 3:21 p.m.
    30. Jussi Veikkanen (FIN), Francaise des Jeux, starts at 3:22 p.m.
    29. Vladimir Miholjevic (CRO), Liquigas, starts at 3:23 p.m.
    28. Andrea Tonti (ITA), Quick Step, starts at 3:24 p.m.
    27. Luis Laverde Jimenez (COL), CSF Group Navigare, starts at 3:25 p.m.
    26. Evgeni Petrov (RUS), Tinkoff, starts at 3:26 p.m.
    25. Chris Sorensen (DEN), CSC, starts at 3:27 p.m.
    24. Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (ESP), Caisse d'Epargne, starts at 3:28 p.m.
    23. Mauricio Ardila Cano (COL), Rabobank, starts at 3:29 p.m.
    22. Yoann Leboulanger (FRA), Francaise des Jeux, starts at 3:30 p.m.
    21. Paolo Bettini (ITA), Quick Step, starts at 3:31 p.m.
    20. Sylvester Szmyd (POL), Lampre, starts at 3:34 p.m.
    19. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana, starts at 3:37 p.m.
    18. Gabriele Bosisio (ITA), Team L.P.R., starts at 3:40 p.m.
    17. Paolo Savoldelli (ITA), Team L.P.R., starts at 3:43 p.m.
    16. Felix Cardenas (COL), Barloworld, starts at 3:46 p.m.
    15. Erik Larsson (SWE), CSC, starts at 3:49 p.m.
    14. Fortunato Baliani (ITA), CSF Group Navigare, starts at 3:52 p.m.
    13. Andreas Kloden (GER), Astana, starts at 3:55 p.m.
    12. Tadej Valjavec (SLO), Ag2r La Mondiale, starts at 3:58 p.m.
    11. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA), Liquigas, starts at 4:01 p.m.
    10. Emanuele Sella (ITA), CSF Group Navigare, starts at 4:04 p.m.
    9. Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA), CSF Group Navigare, starts at 4:07 p.m.
    8. Jurgen Van den Broeck (BEL), Silence-Lotto, starts at 4:10 p.m.
    7. Franco Pellizotti (ITA), Liquigas, starts at 4:13 p.m.
    6. Gilberto Simoni (ITA), Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, starts at 4:16 p.m.
    5. Denis Menchov (RUS), Rabobank, starts at 4:19 p.m.
    4. Marzio Bruseghin (ITA), Lampre, starts at 4:22 p.m.
    3. Danilo Di Luca (ITA), Team L.P.R., starts at 4:25 p.m.
    2. Riccardo Ricco (ITA), Saunier Duval, starts at 4:28 p.m.
    1. Alberto Contador (ESP), Astana, starts at 4:31 p.m.

  • 02:02 PM: Not surprisingly

    the CSF Group's Julio Alberto Perez Cuapio has turned in the top time so far today. Of the riders lower down on GC, the Mexican is one of the top climbers, although not showing the brilliance of his 2003 Giro debut.

    He's ridden the course in 43:22. That's a ful 1:05 faster than the man who set the day's early mark, Raffaele Illiano from Saunier Duval.

  • 02:09 PM: Part of this route

    is on gravel roads and that involves the steepest parts.

    The first half of the course covers a steep, paved section to the top of the Passo Furcia. That paved section climbs nearly 500 vertical meters with ramps as steep as 16 percent, and that's the easy part!

    The road continues beyond the point where a stage in 2006 ended when adverse weather forced the cancellation of the Plan de Corones debut. We remember the disappointment we all felt when that tough little stretch was eliminated because of snow. We're happy to see it included in this year's race.

    The sterrato takes over from there. Just over 5km long, the narrow forest road winds to the top of the Pan de Corones (Kronplatz in German), a stand-alone peak serving up spectacular, 360-degree views of the towering Dolomites of Sud Tirol.

    The steepest bits are at the bottom and top, with ramps as steep as 20 percent and 24 percent, respectively. The gravel section stair-cases up nearly 600 vertical feet.

  • 02:09 PM: A bit of recon'

    Steve Cummings (Barloworld) was one of the first riders up the climb: "The dirt road wasn't that bad. The gravel is packed in pretty well. It wasn't that wet and there were only a few corners where there was a little bit of mud. The hardest part was that you couldn't stand much out of the saddle because you would lose traction. For me, it was like a rest day, but it will be decisive for the top GC guys. Anyone who's not on it will lose time."

  • 02:11 PM: What equipment to use?

    Most riders said they're using regular road tires. Astana brought along some wider Roubaix tires, but after inspecting the course in the morning, the team has opted to ride on normal tires.

    Ryder Hesjedal (Slipstream-Chipotle) seemed to have an easier time on the gravel than most. The ex-mountain biker ground up it riding a 38x27 while most riders are choosing 34.

    "I guess I'm a little more used to the loose gravel than most riders," he noted. "It was so hard, especially in the last secction. I felt okay. I guess that shows I'm getting better as the Giro goes on. I haven't raced a grand tour since '06, so that's a good sign. We're just trying to make it to Milan, maybe get into a breakaway if we can the next few days."

  • 02:14 PM: How are the roads?

    As you may recall, organizers canceled the top portion of the climb because of concernes about snow... and the mud that would result. (Man, that would have been spectacular).

    Road conditions are actually quite good today, though. Workers have been bustin' tail on this road, loading extra gravel and then using heavy machinery to compress the service road. Since there is no rain and drainage is now quite good on the road, we're seeing only a few sections with puddles.

  • 02:17 PM: Millar

    Not quite as satisfied with the route as his Slipstream teammate, David Millar was just shaking his head as he stepped into a cable car to take him back down the mountain today.

    "This race is insane!" he said. "This is just ridiculous!"

    You should note that team cars aren't allowed to go up this narrow, narrow road, so riders are being followed by mechanics on the back of motorbikes. Riders have one trailing mechanic, who carries spares wheels and even a spare bike on their shoulders in case of a major mechanical problem.

  • 02:25 PM: Riding in shifts

    because things can get so crowded at the top, riders are taking on this climb in shifts, with big breaks between groups of 50 or so.

    The first wave of riders began at 10:00 this morning. After 50 riders, there was a long break of 90 minutes before the next group began. We're now waiting for the final group of 57 to begin, so we have had 100 finishers. Of course, this last group, which starts at 3:00 will end with the top GC riders.

    All day, riders have been leaving the start gate at one-minute intervals. That will continue until the final 20 take on the route. They will be starting at three-minute intervals, minimizing - but not eliminating - the chance that riders will be caught and passed by the rider who starts behind them.

  • 02:26 PM: Today's weather

    High and pretty thick clouds everywhere, but it doesn't appear it's going to rain. Visibility is good. From our perch here at the summit of Plan de Corones, we can see mountains 10-15 miles away. There's almost no wind at all, so we're betting that it's not going to rain.... but the guys in the VeloNews crew were journalism and economics majors, so take our weather forecast for what it's worth.

  • 02:28 PM: Drop us a line

    In case you have a comment or a question, go ahead and hit the "contact our editors" link below our Live Update window. We'll try to answer as many questions as possible and post a few during our updates as well.

  • 02:55 PM: Special treatment

    The final 20 riders can have two motorbikes following them, one with a mechanic with two wheels, a second with another mechanic carrying a spare bike.

  • 02:57 PM: More complaints

    Enrico Gasparotto (Barloworld) also criticized the route.

    "This is just a spectacle. This isn't road racing. This is mountain biking," he said after finishing today. "This Giro is too hard. Last year, I worked my ass off for Di Luca, but now I am more tired this year as a protected rider. Every day was hard. Even if there was a flat section, they would make us climb a wall to make for a good show. They want us to ride clean? After this Giro ends, I am going to give a present of a bicycle to (Giro organizer Angelo) Zomegnan and tell him to ride this Giro and make all the transfers. We sleep here tonight and have to drive four hours tomorrow. Luckily, our team arranged a helicopter flight for us yesterday, or else we would have had to drive three hours."

  • 02:59 PM: If the worst happens

    If a rider has so many mechanical problems that he cannot finish the stage within the time limit, they will receive the time of the last-placed rider. In our case, the only thing we could hope for is if they classify being slow as a "mechanical problem."

  • 03:07 PM: A reader comment

    Reader Rick, in Texas, writes:

    Et tu, live update guy? Geez. As a Ph.D. economist who has been at it for a lot of years, I get the cracks about economists from every corner, but from the live update guy? Man, that hurts, but I'll try not to take it personally, since I know you're talking about all of those other economists and not me.

    Anyway, hurtful insults aside, thanks for the great coverage.



    No offense intended, Rick. Not only did our Live Update Guy major in econ, he's married to an econ professor... the only point was that in all of those classes, not once do we recall spending much time studying meteorology. That's all.

  • 03:14 PM: The top ten thus far

    1. PEREZ CUAPIO Julio Alberto MEX CSF 43:22
    2. SPILAK Simon SLO LAM 43:50, at 0:28
    3. NOCENTINI Rinaldo ITA ALM 43:50, at 0:28
    4. DEIGNAN Philip IRL ALM 43:54, at 0:32
    5. MCCARTNEY Jason USA CSC 44:07, at 0:45
    6. SEELDRAYERS Kevin BEL QST 44:08, at 0:46
    7. WEGELIUS Charles GBR LIQ 44:14, at 0:52
    8. OCHOA Carlos José VEN SDA 44:18, at 0:56
    9. ILLIANO Raffaele ITA SDA 44:27, at 1:05
    10. LEVARLET Guillaume FRA FDJ 44:31, at 1:09

  • 03:22 PM: Reader question

    Chris writes in to ask

    Greetings from Stockholm!
    I was wondering what you thought of Gustav Larsson’s chances for the day? He has been lucky enough to hang on with the GC guys pretty well so far.
    He sure has a good Giro. We wouldn't be shocked if he turned in a solid ride today, too.

  • 03:27 PM: Times at the halfway mark

    Well, not quite halfway, but rather at the transition from asphalt to gravel. Here's how the top five fared up to that point:



    1. Simon Spilak (Slo), Lampre, 22:21
    2. Julio Alberto Perez Cuapio (Mex), CSF Group Navigare, 22:25
    3. Rinaldo Nocentini (I), Ag2r, 22:31
    4. Guillaume Levarlet (Fra), Francaise des Jeux, 22:32
    5. Jason McCartney (USA), CSC, 22:36

  • 03:37 PM: Vande Velde

    is passed by Juan Miguel Garate. That's got to be disheartening, but Vande Velde is not worried about his place on GC. He's in the hunt for a stage win, but that won't happen today.

  • 03:40 PM: Reader comment

    (and contribution). Reader Larry writes in to remind of us of a great scene in a classic film:

    Here's a classic movie line (#73 on AFI list of famous film quotes) you must use, maybe today, or later in the week, when (and if) Alberto Contador puts time into Ricco (aka Rico).

    It's from the 1931 gangster movie - Little Caesar:

    "Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?"
    - Edward G. Robinson as "Rico" Bandello saying his final words.

    Thank you Larry. That one goes into our notebook.

  • 03:44 PM: Time differences

    Just to let you know how this stage is shaping up, we're seeing big time differences between the top riders' times and those who are not exactly competing for a top spot.

    While Perez Cuapio turned in a zippy 43:22, Gerolsteiner's Thomas Fothen has ridden the course in 53:48, 10:25 off of the top time.

  • 03:46 PM: A new pest time

    Little Jose Rujano Guillen - third on GC a few years back - has set a new best time. The Caisse d'Epargne rider covers the course 41:15. Ouch!

  • 03:47 PM: It ain't easy

    this is a tough, tough climb ... Jens Voigt is crunching along, crouched over the bars. He looks powerful on this ascent though ... he could slot into second. And he does! 42:21! Nice ride from one of our favorites.

  • 03:51 PM: Current top five

    1. RUJANO GUILLEN José (Vz) Caisse d'Epargen, 41:15
    2. VOIGT Jens (G), CSC 42:21, at 1:06
    3. PEREZ CUAPIO Julio Alberto (MEX), CSF 43:22, at 2:07
    4. SPILAK Simon (SLO) Lampre 43:50, at 2:35
    5. NOCENTINI Rinaldo (I), ALM 43:50, at 2:35

  • 03:54 PM: Reader comment

    Andrew writes

    Hey guys,
    Just glanced over the overall standings and noticed Bettini's sitting in twentieth place! Sure, that's out of contention, but not too bad for the Cricket, huh? Paolo's been in a lot of the big breaks these past few stages... what's he after? Just showing off his jersey to his countrymen? Tuning up for the next race? Hitting those climbs with the front of the break seems to be opposite the normal sprinters' race-survival strategy. Neither does playing uber-domestique to the maglia rosa! This guy does it all!



    We have to agree, Andrew. He's really shown class and depth in this Giro. Speaking of Bettini, he's working his way up the climb as we speak.

  • 03:55 PM: Walking

    Kiryenko is walking. ... must've had a mechanical and is hoofing it across the line. It looks like he FUBAR'd his chain, cogset and derailleur.

  • 03:57 PM: Garate

    turns in the fourth best time of the day, so far. He finishes 2:24 down.

  • 03:58 PM: No messin around here

    the Italian Army has troops lining the route... and remarkably, the tifosi are behaving themselves.

  • 04:02 PM: Andrea Noe

    the Liquigas rider finishes in 42:44, which is third best of the day, behind Voigt, but better than Perez Cuapio.

  • 04:05 PM: Reader question

    Reader Tony writes:

    Great coverage guys!

    Just wondering? The other day when Visconti was having trouble on a climb a spectator/rabid fan, I swear, jumped the barriers and pushed him for 50 meters---maybe more. Poor Visconti was losing the Maglia rosa at the time and was probably too tired to even ward this guy off. Then I see the official's car driving by with an official yelling at this fan and I assume he was telling him to back off. My question: do they ever fine or arrest fans that heavily interfere in these races?



    We've seen arrests when fans really get out of control, but it's pretty rare. We've seen some crazy fans out there, here at the Giro as well as the Tour and Vuelta. Remarkably, they rarely have a direct impact on the outcome, the most recent in our memory, is the famous "Erik the Photographer" incident on l'Alpe d'Huez.

  • 04:07 PM: Sella

    the climber who has dominated the last two stages is on the road. He looks to be in fine form and we can expect to see him do well. He's just 4:41 down on GC, a big improvement over that 20+ minutes he was back when the race first hit the Dolomites.

  • 04:10 PM: This climb

    is a cruel, cruel route. Even Rujano took 4:25 to cover the last kilometer. Think about that. That's 0.621 miles in 4:25. We've seen sprint finishes in which riders cover that distance in less than a minute. We can be sure that the sprinters left in the peloton didn't cover the last kilometer at that rate today.

  • 04:12 PM: Those motorcycles

    As we mentioned, riders are getting support from motorcycles. But what then. There is no back road, so the organizers have figured out a way of using bikes with efficiency and keeping the finish area from looking like downtown Sturgis.

    They are helicopetering the bikes back down to the start. Now that is organization.

  • 04:14 PM: Petrov

    so while were rambling on about motorcycles and logistics, Evgeni Petrov comes in with a time of 42:43, he's now in third.

  • 04:15 PM: Sella

    He is flying up the road, folks. Despite spending more than 300 kilometers on the attack over the past two days, he's looking pretty good. That boy loves to climb.

  • 04:21 PM: Reader comments

    Well, we've received a lot of letters from you suggesting that the riders who've complained are out-of-line and should consider other lines of work. While we often agree, today we heard similar complaints from one of the toughest riders in the peloton.

    Jens Voight - who is now in second on today's stage - doesn't like the format of this stage and the Giro in general.

    "It's a stupid race - I don't like it!," he said. "I don't want to sound like an old grand-ma, because I know cycling is hard. But this Giro is too much. It's like a machine that missing some oil and needs a tune-up. With a few small details, it would be so sweet. But today, for 45 minutes of racing, I have to miss an entire day. And tomorrow is four-hour transfer. Where is the time for recovery?"

    And that from a guy who wears that famous CSC, HTFU, wristband. Maybe he has a point, eh?

  • 04:22 PM: Bosisio

    the man who spent a day in the pink jersey is nearing the top.

  • 04:23 PM: Rujano

    One rider who is happy today is Rujano. He was happy with his ride: "I am feeling like a bike racer again. I had two hard seasons with problems. Now I live in Spain, I have rediscovered my passion for cycling. Maybe I can still win a stage in this Giro."

  • 04:24 PM: Leipheimer

    finishes with a time of 45:04, 3:49 down,

  • 04:25 PM: Bosisio

    finishes with the seventh-best of the day, so far. He comes in 2:15 behind Rujano's time. Not bad.

  • 04:26 PM: Marzio Bruseghin

    is on the road. His fans are out cheering... and wearing donkey ears, in honor of the Italian's hobby of raising donkeys.

  • 04:27 PM: Sella

    has set a new top time at the time split. He hit's 7.5km 34 seconds faster than Rujano.

  • 04:27 PM: Di Luca is

    riding, meaning that we just have Ricco and Contador left in the start house.

  • 04:31 PM: Alberto

    in da haus!

  • 04:31 PM: Ricco

    is on his way. Alberto Contador is going to be on the road in less than three minutes.

  • 04:32 PM: Pretty in Pink?

    Contador's got EVERYTHING pink - helmet, gloves, glasses, kit - you don't think they were expecting him to be in the maglia rosa at some point of this Giro?

  • 04:33 PM: Larsson

    finishes 1:29 behind Rujano's time. Very impressive for CSC's Swedish national champion. Nice ride.

  • 04:34 PM: Di Luca

    is really powering up the climbs. We'll try to get a time check at 7.6km.

  • 04:35 PM: Sella

    has 3km to go and he looks like he is setting a new best time. He crossed the 3km to go mark with 30:09 showing on the clock.

  • 04:37 PM: Baliani

    one of the stage 14 escapees, comes in at 43:38, 10th best of the day.

    Sella is grinding up the hard part of the road.

    Meanwhile Simoni hits the 7.6km mark, just 18 seconds off of Sella's time.

  • 04:39 PM: Sella

    is in his big ring, folks. That's a sure sign he's on the short "easy" part of the climb before those 20+ percent grades kick in.

  • 04:39 PM: Kloden finishes

    1:51 back.

  • 04:41 PM: Sella is on the

    24-percent ramp and back in the little ring.

    Back down the road, Ricco is looking smoooooooth.

  • 04:42 PM: Sella

    is in the final kilometer. It looks like he's on track to set the best time. He may knock a minute or even two off of Rujano's time. Can he make it three in a row?

  • 04:45 PM: WOW!

    Sella finishes with a time of 40:32! Compare that to to Rujano's 41:15.

    Eddy Merckx said "Sella is stronger than me."

    Well, we don't know about that, but he is a helluva climber.

  • 04:46 PM: Back down on the road

    Contador sitting in saddle, spinning the pedals; Ricco grinding out of the seat.

  • 04:46 PM: Sella

    will move up in GC ... maybe up to 7th

  • 04:49 PM: Menchov

    hit the 7.6km mark about 50 seconds off of Sella's time.

    We're still waiting for the time splits for Ricco and Contador.

  • 04:49 PM: Ricco

    hit's the time check 17 seconds slower than Sella's

  • 04:50 PM: Pozzovivo

    Sella's teammate comes in with the third best time, beating Voigt down to fourth place.

  • 04:52 PM: Contador

    comes through 12 seconds off of Sella's time. The important thing is that he's five seconds faster than Ricco. Will it hold?

  • 04:54 PM: What??

    Whoa... Pellizotti comes in with a time of 40:26!!!!! Holy S.... errr.... uhhh... COW.

  • 04:55 PM: Pellizotti

    is smiling. No complaints from the Liquigas man about today's route.

    And now Simoni is blazing up the final few hundred meters.

  • 04:57 PM: Simoni

    comes in with a time of 40:43. Pellizotti still has the top time.

  • 05:00 PM: Ricco

    has a group of fans running along annoying the crap out of him. Are they Contador fans?

    Here comes Menchov ... looks like he wishes he was in Russia picking mushrooms.

  • 05:00 PM: Unofficial time checks

    make it look like Contador is holding his advantage.

  • 05:01 PM: Bruseghin is looking good

    He's flying up the hill. Maybe he'll even catch Menchov, who has really cracked.

  • 05:02 PM: Menchov

    the Vuelta winner finishes with a time of 42:15, sixth best of the day. He lost a lotta mo' on the last half.

  • 05:05 PM: Bruseghin

    comes in with an impressive 41:31. Pellizotti is still atop the leader board.

    "I gave everything in the last section of the race," Pellizotti said. "I was disappointed with my performance yesterday, but I don't know if it's fast enough."

    It looks like it may be.

  • 05:06 PM: Pellizotti

    looks like he may get the stage.

    Di Luca is coming through the final 200 meters or so. Ricco is on the final kilometer, too.

  • 05:07 PM: Struggling

    Ricco is having a tough time over the final kilometer.

    Up ahead, Di Luca comes in with a 42:11.

  • 05:09 PM: Bruseghin

    has moved past Di Luca on GC.

    Contador is flying through the final kilometer. It looks like he's going to add to his advantage over the oft-mouthy Ricco.

  • 05:09 PM: Ricco

    finishes with a time of 40:56. Now we wait for Contador.

  • 05:11 PM: Contador

    is fighting his way up, but it looks like he won't beat Pellizotti's time.

  • 05:12 PM: The power of pink

    Contador doesn't get the stage win, but he solidifies his hold on the maglia rosa with a strong time of 40:48.

    That's good enough for fourth on the day, but it puts in good position to keep the jersey.

  • 05:16 PM: Top five on the day

    1. Franco Pellizotti (I), Liquigas, 40:26
    2. Emanuele Sella (I), CSF Group Navigare, 40:32
    3. Gilberto Simoni (I), Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, 40:43
    4. Alberto Contador (Sp), Astana, 40:48
    5. Riccardo Ricco (I), Saunier Duval, 40:56

  • 05:20 PM: A quick run down

    of GC.

    It looks like Contador has extended his lead over Ricco to 41 seconds. Simoni is now in thrid place at 1:21, and Pellizotti has moved into fourth at 2:00. Bruseghin is in fifth at 2:05.

    We're double checking our numbers, so don't take that as gospel, Msgr. Soseman.

  • 05:25 PM: Today's stage

    Just to remind us about the cultural blend here, the podium ceremony is both in German and Italian.

  • 05:26 PM: Okay folks

    that's a wrap. Thanks for tuning in again today. Remember that tomorrow is a rest day, so we'll be back on Wednesday with Live Coverage of stage 17. We're closing in on Milan, folks.