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Columbia's Boasson Hagen wins Giro stage 7

Published: May. 15, 2009
2009 Giro d'Italia - stage 7: Bertolini throws caution to the wind.
2009 Giro d'Italia - stage 7: Bertolini throws caution to the wind.
Photo: Graham Watson

Columbia-Highroad knew its young steed Edvald Boasson Hagen would probably win a stage in his Giro d’Italia debut, they just didn’t expect it so soon.

Sport director Ralf Aldag thought Boasson Hagen, who turns 22 on Sunday, would be a factor in breakaways in the second half of the Giro. But just a day after sprinting to second, the tall Norwegian outfoxed a veteran group of five riders to hand Columbia-Highroad another stage victory.

“He has so much potential, so much natural talent. He can sprint, he can time trial, you can never drop him in the crosswind. We’re curious to see how he can climb in this Giro,” Aldag told VeloNews. “He’s a complete athlete. He will have to decide if he wants to ride the classics or try something some day in the big tours.”

2009 Giro d'Italia

Stage 7: Innsbruck, Austria, to Chiavenna, Italy
244km (152 miles)
Stage winner: Edvald Boasson Hagen (Columbia-Highroad) in 5:56:52
Stage winner's average speed: 41.0 kph (25.5 mph)
GC leader: Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes)
Points jersey: Di Luca
Climber's jersey: Di Luca
Team GC leader: Columbia-Highroad
Most aggressive for the day: Boasson Hagen
Best young rider: Thomas Lovkvist (Columbia-Highroad)
Previous stage winners/GC leaders
Stage 1: Team Columbia-Highroad/Cavendish
Stage 2: Petacchi/Cavendish
Stage 3: Petacchi/Petacchi
Stage 4: Di Luca/Lovkvist
Stage 5: Menchov/Di Luca
Stage 6: Scarponi/Di Luca
Up next: Stage 8
Saturday's stage, 209km (130 miles) from Morbegno to Bergamo, includes a early climb to the 1254-meter Culmine di San Pietro, followed by a long mid-section across the plains. The route tips over the 763-meter Colle del Gallo in the final 20 kilometers, then hits another kicker with just 4km to go.

A winner at Ghent-Wevelgem earlier this year, Boasson Hagen revealed sangfroid late in the 240km slog from Innsbruk to Chiavenna that passed through three countries.

His veteran fellow escapees had him on the unfavorable front position with 1km to go when Italian Alessandro Bertolini (Serramenti Pvc Diquigiovanni) played his card and punched the accelerator with 500m to go.

Boasson Hagen timed it perfectly, jumping off the second wheel when Bertolini was neutralized with 200m to go. Former Tour de France stage-winner Robbie Hunter (Barloworld) left it too late and crossed the line second while a joyful Boasson Hagen celebrated with his arms held.

“I can sprint if the group is not too big, and I think I did a great sprint today,” the shy Boasson Hagen said. “I will ride for Cavendish on my birthday Sunday, trying to help him first.”

All of the GC favorites finished in the main group about 30 seconds back, and Italy's Danilo Di Luca retained his maglia rosa on a day when there were no major shakeups in the GC.

“The finale was fast and technical,” Di Luca told RAI. “It was really cold over the top. In the last kilometers I was always attentive not to lose any time."

Attack on the descent

A four-man break was off the front most of the day in the rainy, cool stage with a long, gradual climb followed by a dangerous technical descent.

The four — Bartosz Huzarski (ISD), Serguei Klimov (Katusha), Mauro Facci (Quick Step) and Vladimir Isaichev (Xacobeo Galicia) — built a lead north of four minutes as the pack rolled along comfortably, donning and removing rain capes as conditions warranted.

2009 Giro d'Italia - stage 7: Boasson Hagen had time to celebrate
2009 Giro d'Italia - stage 7: Boasson Hagen had time to celebrate
Photo: Graham Watson

LPR kept a steady pace and the pack led by Silence-Lotto, Garmin and Barloworld picked up the speed and caught the break a few kilometers before it reached the summit of the Passo Maloja, the day’s main obstacle and the point where the harrowing descent began toward the finish.

Astana's Lance Armstrong — riding in the team’s new kit to protest unpaid wages — even took a pull at the front of the chase.

Garmin's Tyler Farrar snagged the KOM points at the summit before Bertolini attacked on the day’s foggy, wet descent.

Bertolini, the oldest rider in this year’s Giro, won a Giro stage last year thanks to his wet descending skills and quickly opened a one-minute gap on the desperately chasing pack.

This year, however, the Italian found company at the bottom of the descent. Four others bridged out to vie for the stage, with Robbie Hunter (Barloworld), Pavel Brutt (Katusha), Davide Vigano (Fuji-Servetto) and Boasson Hagen hooking on and maintaining a 30-second gap into the final kilometer.

2009 Giro d'Italia - stage 7: The descent was long, fast, twisty and wet.
2009 Giro d'Italia - stage 7: The descent was long, fast, twisty and wet.
Photo: Agence France Presse

“I am feeling better and better, I tried today,” Bertolini told RAI. "I told Gibo (Simoni) to stay behind me for the descent because it was dangerous. I got away and it was better because it was not an easy descent. I believed in myself, and I still enjoy the win of last year. I will try again before this Giro is over.”

Tomorrow’s stage:

The 92nd Giro d’Italia continues Saturday with the 208km eighth stage from Morbegno to Bergamo. The bumpy profile will provide a launching pad for early and late attacks, both from head-bangers and stage-hunters as well as favorites in the still tightly wound GC.

The stage opens with the Cat. 1 Culmine di San Petro right off the gun at 65km. The hilly course plugs along until the Cat. 2 Colle del Gallo at 182.3km. Once into Bergamo, a tight circuit plunges over the short but steep Bergamo Alta with less than 4km to go. It will be a wild battle to the line and could produce some shakeups in the overall classification.

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