THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING
Savoldelli wins final TT, Di Luca preserves Giro lead
Maglia rosa Danilo Di Luca's victory in the 90th Giro is all but assured after his performance Saturday, which saw him finish eighth to Astana's Paolo Savoldelli in a 43km time trial to Verona.
With an enviable two-and-a-half minute advantage to Team CSC's Andy Schleck at the start of the day, Di Luca was never really in danger of losing his overall lead. The Liquigas captain finished just 29 seconds slower than the young Luxembourger, with Schleck also doing more than enough to retain his second place overall.
"It's a great day! I can't describe the feeling I had when I crossed the line," said Di Luca, who twice punched the air with delight at the finish. "I've already had some great moments, like Liège-Bastogne-Liège - but the Giro, that's something else.”
Superlative - and surprising - performances against the clock saw the Astana duo of Savoldelli and Eddy Mazzoleni finish 1-2 on the penultimate stage.
Taking advantage of a welcome change in the weather, Savoldelli, more known for his prologue and descending abilities than his prowess in longer time trials, was fastest through each checkpoint. Stopping the clock at 52 minutes, 20 seconds, the 34-year-old Italian was one of only three riders, with Mazzoleni and Team CSC's David Zabriskie, to go under the 53-minute mark.
"After this victory, I'm happy with my Giro," Savoldelli said. "I suffered on the stage at Briançon, I had some difficult days."
"Di Luca, he was the strongest," he added. "He controlled the race with his team."
Mikhail Ignatiev (Tinkoff Credit Systems) held the early best time of 54:21 until Zabriskie bettered the Russian's provisional best by almost one and a half minutes, turning a 52:28. Though unfortunately for him, Zabriskie's best wasn't the best for long, with Savoldelli setting a benchmark that proved unbeatable by the day's end.
Mazzoleni had a good, though outside chance of finishing on the final podium. And as each kilometer ticked by, the 33-year-old veteran put more distance between himself and Gilberto Simoni (Saunier Duval-Prodir) and Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Fondital), 1:18 and 17 seconds ahead of Mazzoleni at the start of the day. By the finish in Piazza Bra, the outside bet was paid in full.
Some more words need to be said about Schleck.
When people began saying the youngster - who only celebrated his 22nd birthday four days ago - would turn out to be better than his brother, few believed it to be true, for Fränk is already a fine champion.
But with a certain second place overall in Milano to a man nine years his senior - and in his first grand tour, no less - coupled with aspirations of coming back to win sooner rather than later, the premonition is holding true.
"I did the time trial of my life," said Schleck. "It's great. I dreamed about the pink jersey. Di Luca wasn't so good in the last mountain stages, but I knew he would fight for it. He deserved to win, he was the best this year.”
At the strike of one
The second-to-last stage of the 2007 Giro began at the strike of one with the lanterne rouge, Gerolsteiner's Oscar Gatto, the first off the start ramp in Bardolino. Over the course of the afternoon, 140 more men were to roll off for their 43km race of truth, leaving in descending order based on general classification.
After two hours, Athens Olympic points race champion Ignatiev had set the early best time of 54:21, the 22-year-old's transition from track to road growing more successful each year.
Latvian Raivis Belohvosciks (Saunier Duval-Prodir) and Dario Andriotto (Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo) were provisional second and third, 20 and 53 seconds behind Russian Ignatiev, but with so many chrono specialists still to come, it was unlikely to stay this way for long.
That scenario was confirmed a half-hour later, as four-time Hungarian TT champion Laszlo Bodrogi (Crédit Agricole) sliced 53 seconds off Ignatiev's best, stopping the clock at 53:28 for an average speed of 48.254 kph. A few minutes later, Andrei Kunitski (Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo) of Belarus kicked Belohvosciks off the provisional podium, recording a time of 54:41.
As on the previous day, the heavens were open for business, but the inclement weather didn't stop U.S. time trial specialist Zabriskie from smoking the course and being the first man to go under 53 minutes, his time of 52:58 equal to a 48.709 kph average.
Fortune favors latecomers
As the roads began to dry, the tables turned in favor of those to follow. The situation became clear when Astana's Savoldelli came through the first checkpoint 10 seconds faster than Zabriskie, with Lampre-Fondital's Marzio Bruseghin doing likewise, but just two seconds ahead of the American.
An interesting mano-à-mano of sorts was going on between Cunego and Simoni, with the latter allowed to lose one minute but no more than that. By the first time check after 10.3km, “The Kid” was already 28 seconds up, indicating the final podium would be going down to the wire. At the same point, maglia bianca Schleck, sitting second overall, slotted in between the two, five seconds slower than Cunego but 21 seconds up on Simoni.
What also became clear was that Di Luca was not going to lose his maglia rosa by the day's end. By the first time check, he was only two seconds in arrears of Zabriskie, into provisional fourth. Meanwhile, Savoldelli pulled off what looked like the ride of the day, clocking an amazing 52:20 to better Zabriskie's provisional best by 38 seconds.
To make the podium in Milano, Astana's Mazzoleni, fifth overall at the start of the day, 3:46 behind Di Luca, needed to do the ride of his life, and as the kilometers flew by, the 33-year-old was doing just that. Second fastest behind Savoldelli at each checkpoint, the gregarious Mazzoleni was only 36 seconds slower than his teammate at the finish in Verona's Piazza Bra, his time 52:56, and would more than likely be third overall by the day's end.
Simoni never looks comfortable on his time-trial machine, and it showed Saturday afternoon. His finishing time of 55:04 cost him what would have been a seventh Giro podium, but according to Simoni, his win atop Monte Zoncolan three days ago was far more important than that. Nevertheless, his performance was solid enough to keep Cunego from overtaking him, 24 seconds the difference between the two at the end of the day.
In contrast, Schleck proved consistent till the end, his time of 53:48 cementing his spot on the final podium, and deservedly so. He says he'll be back to win the Giro one day, and from what we've seen this year, it shouldn't be too long.
If he wanted to, Di Luca could've lost two and a half minutes to Schleck today. But no doubt, he wanted to honor the maglia rosa he worked so hard to get, stopping the watch at 54:17 and conceding just 29 seconds to the Luxembourger. With just the flat ride to Milano to go, it's now his for keeps.
The road ahead
In line with tradition, the 90th Giro ends with a 185km procession of sorts, beginning in Vestone and heading west along the Lombardy plain to the final resting place on Milano's Corso Venezia.
The finishing street has Alessandro Petacchi's name written all over it, and a fifth victory for Ale-Jet would provide a fitting end to the race that has seen his revival to greatness, before the final celebrations begin.
Results - stage 20
1. Paolo Savoldelli (I), Astana, 52:20
2. Eddy Mazzoleni (I), Astana, 52:56
3. David Zabriskie (USA), CSC, 52:58
4. Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun), Credit Agricole, 53:28
5. Marzio Bruseghin (I), Lampre, 53:36
6. Andy Schleck (Lux), CSC, 53:48
7. Vincenzo Nibali (I), Liquigas, 54:04
8. Danilo Di Luca (I), Liquigas, 54:17
9. Mikhail Ignatiev (Rus), TCS, 54:21
10. Franco Pellizotti (I), Liquigas, 54:22
Overall
1. Danilo Di Luca (I), Liquigas, 0:00
2. Andy Schleck (Lux), CSC, 1:55
3. Eddy Mazzoleni (I), Astana, 2:25
4. Gilberto Simoni (I), Saunier Duval, 3:15
5. Damiano Cunego (I), Lampre, 3:49
6. Riccardo Ricco' (I), Saunier Duval, 7:00
7. Evgeni Petrov (Rus), TCS, 8:34
8. Marzio Bruseghin (I), Lampre, 10:14
9. Franco Pellizotti (I), Liquigas, 10:44
10. David Arroyo Duran (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne, 11:58
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