THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING
McEwen takes a messy win at Giro
There's never an easy day in the Giro d'Italia.
Wednesday's 222km dead-flat stage from Faenza to San Dona Di Piave was supposed to be a relatively light day in the saddle before Thursday's difficult stage to Monte Zoncolan.
Bad weather and a poorly designed finish with a left turn just 160 meters from the finish line served up a messy conclusion for the 11th stage, with Mario Cipollini (Domina Vacanze) crashing out after Kelme's Isaac Galvez slid into him.
Cipollini was later transported to a local hospital for X-rays on his left shoulder, which he was cradling after the spill. No word yet on the world champion's condition.
Robbie McEwen (Lotto-Domo) avoided the mishap and shot clear on the final passage of the circuit finale to claim his second Giro stage (remember, he was relegated in stage 2). Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) came through for second and Crescenzo d'Amore (Tenax) came across the line third.
"After the first passage, I reckoned it was necessary to start sprinting before the last turn and come in on the inside. I suspected that the others would come from the outside because of the risk of falling," said the astute McEwen after claiming his prize. "I have a lower center of gravity and I am nimbler in this kind of finish, but the organizer takes risks with putting a turn so close to the finish."
McEwen also said he will leave the Giro after Friday's stage in order to save his strength for the upcoming Tour de France, where he will be returning as the defending champion in the green points jersey.
Riders have been complaining since the beginning of the Giro about the dangerous sprints. Stefano Garzelli (Caldirola-Sidermec), who remained two seconds behind race leader Gilberto Simoni (Saeco), has been one of the most outspoken critics of the finishing scrum.
Garzelli wants the neutralized zone extended to at least three kilometers to take the pressure off the overall favorites to be at the front. Under current rules in flat stages, if there's a crash or mechanical problem in the final kilometers, riders still get the same time as the finishing bunch.
Simoni was hot after the crashes in the finale almost took him out as well.
"It's hard to understand why they put a finish like this. They are dangerous. Tomorrow we have Zoncolan and it's very important, but first we have to worry about this," he said. "The Giro is not over. I want my two-second lead to be two minutes."
Early in the stage, Sergei Lelekin and Mirko Marini, both Tenax riders, zipped off the front and built up a huge lead of nearly 14 minutes with 80km to go before the bunch woke from its slumber.
Heavy rain started to fall for the first time in this year's Giro and Garzelli lost a valuable Caldirola-Sidermec teammate when Oscar Mason crashed out of race. The break was neutralized with 26km to go and the course rolled toward a sprint finish.
Thursday's 185km 12th stage from San Dona Di Piave to Monte Zoncolan will surely shake up the overall standings. With ramps as steep as 22 percent, the climb is at its most difficult in the final punch to the finish.
"On the steepest sections, I didn't go faster than 10 kph on my computer," Francesco Casagrande told L'Equipe. "This is a climb that's extremely difficult, especially the final three kilometers. I don't want to think about what it would be like in the rain."
Full results posted below.
More Photos from today's stage.
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