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Menchov wins stage 5; Di Luca in pink
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Wednesday’s short but explosive climbing stage across the heart of the Dolomiti lived up to its dramatic backdrop at the Giro d’Italia.
The serpentine 24.9km climb up the snow-choked Alpi di Suisi summit at the end of the 125km fifth stage played executioner for some big names and culled the list of would-be winners down to a baker’s dozen.
Denis Menchov (Rabobank) powered to an impressive victory ahead of Danilo Di Luca (LPR), who took consolation by slipping on the maglia rosa after crossing the line second at two seconds behind his Russian rival.
2009 Giro d'Italia
- Stage 5: San Martino di Castrozza - Alpe di Siusi/Seiseralm
- 125km (67 miles)
- Stage winner: Denis Menchov (Rabobank) in 3:15:22
- Stage winner's average speed: 38.4 kph (23.9 mph)
- GC leader: Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes)
- Points jersey: Allesandro Petacchi (LPR)
- Climber's jersey: Di Luca
- Team GC leader: Astana
- Most aggressive for the day: Thomas Voeckler
- Best young rider: Thomas Lovkvist (Columbia-Highroad)
- Previous stage winners/GC leaders
- Stage 1: Team Columbia-Highroad/Cavendish
- Stage 2: Petacchi/Mark Cavendish
- Stage 3: Petacchi/Petacchi
- Stage 4: Di Luca/Lovkvist
- Stage 3: Petacchi/Petacchi
- Up next: Stage 6
- Thursday's stage, from Bressanone/Brixen to Mayrhofen im Zillertal, ends in Austria, in the Tyrol. The 248km (133 mile) stage includes two significant climbs, but unlike the two preceding stages' mountain-top finishes, this one wraps up with a descent and a flat run-in.
“Now we know who can win this Giro, but it’s far from over,” said Menchov, who climbed to fifth overall at 50 seconds back. “We knew today was a decisive stage and it was important to be at the front.”
Overnight leader Thomas Lovkvist gamely defended his pink jersey, sprinting to third in the stage and settling into second at just five seconds back. His Columbia-Highroad teammate Michael Rogers finished just behind the front group of seven in ninth at 22 seconds back to slot into third at 36 seconds back.
Just as he expected, seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong (Astana) lost contact in his first major summit finish since retiring in 2005 and forfeited three minutes.
Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner ably carried the Astana flag and rode smartly in the elite group of seven to slot into the top 10 overall.
The Liquigas team of 2006 Giro winner Ivan Basso took control of the decisive second half of the final climb. Under pressure from Sylvester Smzyd and then Basso, the lead group quickly atrophied to seven riders.
Left in their wake were 2004 winner Damiano Cunego and last year’s podium man Marzio Bruseghin (Lampre) and 2000 winner Stefano Garzelli (Acqua e Sapone).
“I just couldn’t follow the rhythm,” said Cunego, who sank to 21st at 3:29 back. “The speed was too high for me and it seems now my GC hopes are not looking so good. The legs just couldn’t respond when it picked up. I can still try to win a stage or two, now I will have more freedom to move.”
Di Luca — back in the pink jersey for the first time since winning the 2007 Giro — promises to try to keep for as long as possible.
“Today was very hard and I knew it was one of the most important stages in the Giro. It was long, hard and steep, so it was important to be strong today,” Di Luca said. “It’s great to be back in the maglia rosa. I wanted it yesterday, but I knew if I could finish with the bonuses, I would be in pink. Our team is motivated to defend it.”
Menchov completes GT stage sweep
Early in the stage group of seven attacked over the day’s first hurdle at the Cat. 2 Passo Rolle to build a 25-minute gap only to be duly reeled in before the big guns stepped center-stage.
Liquigas rider Sylvester Szymd pulled until 4.5km to gfo, leaving a who’s who list of victims in his wake. Also losing contact were 2000 winner Stefano Garzelli (Acqua e Sapone), Damiano Cunego (Lampre) and last year’s podium man Marzio Bruseghin (Lampre).
Basso took over and spun a web of pain, whittling down the lead pack to Basso, Di Luca, Carlos Sastre (Cervélo), Menchov, Thomas Lovkvist (Columbia-Highroad) and Horner and Leipheimer.
The seven leaders steamed up the final kilometers to the snow-choked Suisi summit. Carlos Sastre (Cervélo), the defending Tour de France champion, was the first to open up the charge to the line, trying to surprise the superior sprinters with a bolt out of the blue with 600 meters to go.
“I thought that the final 400 meters were flatter, so I tried, but Menchov passed me, along with Di Luca, and I didn’t have the strength to follow their wheels,” said Sastre, who trailed in seventh at 19 seconds back. “I lost a few seconds, which I hope will be insignificant considering how hard this Giro is. Today we’ve seen who the candidates for victory are.”
Chasing that down were Menchov and Di Luca, two riders with the most at stake. Di Luca knew he’d be in pink if he could distance Lovkvist and Menchov knew it was his best shot for a stage victory.
The lanky Russian has a tremendous ability to produce raw power at the end of mountain stages. He won a three-up sprint against Leipheimer and Floyd Landis in the 2006 Tour.
“When I went with 300m to go, I knew I was in perfect position to win,” said Menchov. “I didn’t know the climb. After such a hard climb, everyone is in the same conditions. This is one of my most special victories. To win today was important.”
Important on two counts: first, it completes the grand tour sweep for Menchov, who won a stage in the 2006 Tour and three Vuelta stages. Secondly, somewhat surprisingly, it’s the first-ever stage victory at the Giro for Rabobank.
With the victory and the 20-second time bonus, Menchov almost makes up for the time he lost in st age three and slots into fifth at 50 seconds back.
The 31-year-old — fifth in last year’s Giro and a winner at the Vuelta a Murcia in March — says he’s here to fight for the victory.
“I know that I am in good condition, better than last year,” Menchov said. “I’m here to try to win. This is a hard Giro, with a great international field. I want to do well.”
Mission accomplished for Leipheimer
With Armstrong riding behind the favorites, Leipheimer and Astana teammate Horner were floating in the front pack.
The Astana pair was more than happy to let Basso set the pace on the final steep kilometers.
“Today was all about sticking in the pocket, staying on the wheel. We didn’t do anything, just follow the wheel,” Horner said. “We were looking for a good result today. Levi is there and he’s always a GC threat.”
Their effort was rewarded, with Leipheimer fifth and Horner sixth at nine seconds back, with Leipheimer slotting into fourth overall at 43 seconds back and Horner eighth at 1:17 back.
Leipheimer, who boasts podiums in both the Tour and Vuelta, revealed in fighting shape to make a run for the final podium or perhaps even more. Always calculating, Leipheimer knows that the real battle is just beginning and was content to let the weight of the race fall on Basso.
“There was no reason to attack. It was fast enough. I was for the most part comfortable. It’s just good for the morale,” Leipheimer said. “I have a hard time jumping when those guys jump with 400 meters to go. They have a really big acceleration. I cannot do that. It was hard, Ivan was strong, but with Di Luca and Menchov, these guys can go so fast.”
Horner was licking his lips when the reduced group came in with 600 meters to go, but the team car put the brakes on his stage-win hopes.
“We’ve got kind of a leash right now,” he said. “We don’t want to use any unnecessary energy. I think if we can stay calm, we’ll be good. Di Luca and Basso look good, but hopef ully their efforts from today will add up later on.”
As he’s already stated, Armstrong said he would help Leipheimer to try to win the Giro.
“I think Levi is one of the real favorites. If I were one of the Italian guys or favorites, I wouldn’t sleep well the night before Cinque Terre,” Armstrong said. “I’m pleased with where we are.”
Armstrong loses three minutes
Armstrong has been saying since the start of the Giro that he’s not here to race to win, but his fans worldwide just didn’t want to believe it.
After hanging with the leaders Tuesday in his first mountain summit since retiring in 2005, the believers were hoping for a miracle.
Just hours before the stage started, Armstrong said he expected to lose two minutes. He was close. After getting gapped with about six kilometers to go, Armstrong came across the line 35th at 2:58 back.
“Like I said in the beginning, the first half is not going to be my half. I have to ride into the race and get my condition back after the accident. We’ll see what happens in the second half of the Giro,” Armstrong said at the line. “I cannot expect to be in the front. If I could have woken up this morning, snapped my finger and ridden away from everybody, I would have done that. I’d like that but it’s not realistic in 2009.”
All eyes were on the seven-time Tour champ when he started swinging at the back of the lead pack with seven kilometers to go.
With Liquigas cranking up the speed, topping 30kph on the 7-percent grades up the winding climb to Alpe di Suisi, the front group of 30 favorites was strung out and the chord finally broke for Armstrong with about six kilometers to go.
“I don’t have a problem with people riding away from me. I knew it was going to happen,” he said. “I just look around, find my guys and ride my tempo.”
Surrounded by Astana teammates Janez Brajkovic, Chechu Rubiera and Dani Navarro, the quartet climbed together and limited their losses.
“We just started to ride our tempo and try to limit the losses. Maybe two minutes, but closer to three, but that’s OK,” Armstrong said. “It was a matter of finding the right rhythm, you find your threshold and hold it there.”
After two hard days in the Dolomites, Armstrong settles into 22nd overall at 3:34 back.
That’s too much time to be considered a GC threat, but Armstrong still has ambitions to win a stage. And with two more decisive time trials left on tap, he will likely be moving up in GC if his condition improves as the Giro unfolds.
“I didn’t come in with any big illusions. I knew I’d be minutes behind the best guys,” Armstrong said. “This is interesting, because this is the last uphill finish for awhile. There are a lot of days that are more tranquilo, then we have the big time trial, then we head south, so there will be more opportunities.”
Even far from the sharp end of the action, Armstrong was receiving huge cheers from the rabid Italian tifosi as they climbed in the vapors of the leaders.
The people were cheering as we went by as if we were winning,” said Rubiera. “Lance was setting the rhythm and once he recovered a bit, we were going faster. My job here is to help him. I follow him even on the downhills back to the team bus, because people jump out to take photos and get in the way. I am impressed with his condition, considering he broke his collarbone in Spain a month ago. He’ll be good at the Tour.”
Tomorrow’s stage: The 92nd Giro d’Italia continues Thursday with the monster, 248km sixth stage from Bressanone, Italy to Mayrhofen, Austria. The potential leg-breaker features two major climbs, including the Cat. 1 Hochkrimml at 203.3km. It’s a wild ride off the pass down a flat, 12km section to the finish. Non-threatening riders will be on the hunt for stage wins.
Please check back soon for complete results and photos by Graham Watson.
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