Giro D’Italia – ROME, 31 May 2009

Denise Menchov has won the Centenary Giro d’Italia (92nd race): the 31-year old from Rabobank is the third Russian in history to win the Giro, after Berzin (1994) and Tonkov (1996). But this last stage of the Giro, a spectacular 14.4 kilometre individual time trial in the historic city centre of Rome (racing in the rain in the last part of the route), with a surprise win by the Lithuanian from Cervelo, Ignatas Konovalovas, was open right up to the end.

Danilo Di Luca, who started off with 20 seconds to recover, was gaining 5 seconds after 3.3 kilometres. But in the second lap, (after 7.7 km), Menchov proved the forecasters right: +15 on Di Luca and the race and the question seemed closed.

The last bit of excitement came at slightly less than one kilometre from the finish, when Menchov fell on a straight stretch of cobblestones. But he managed to get right back in the race, with a spare bike, and finish the trial in 19:06, 21 seconds better than Danilo Di Luca.

Look at the reaction of Menchov’s team mates in the Rabobank bus:

RANKINGS — Konovalovas finished the trial in 18:42, just 1 second better than the British racer Bradley Wiggins (Garmin) and 7 seconds ahead of the Norwegian Boasson Hagen (Columbia). The first Italian was Marzio Bruseghin, 5th with 18:58.

The general ranking was as follows: Menchov won the Giro (this is the 27th time a non-Italian has won) with a margin of 41 seconds on Danilo Di Luca (LPR-Farnese). Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas-Doimo) is also on the podium, third at +1:59. Fourth is Carlos Sastre (Spa, Cervelo) at +3:46; fifth is Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Doimo) at +3:59. Sixth is Levi Leipheimer (USA, Astana) at +5:28.

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Shimano CS M737 I XT Cassette 11 30T 8S Chrome

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Giro D’Italia – FIRENZE, 22 May 2009

Mark Cavendish has sprinted to victory in the 13th stage of the Giro d’Italia, from Lido di Camaiore to Florence, 176 kilometres.

The 24-year old British rider from Columbia-High Road thus earned his third victory after his wins in Milan and Arenzano, and gained the fifth success in his Giro career after his 2008 wins in Cittadella and Catanzaro.

This year, he is 3-2 with Alessandro Petacchi, second today, the winner in Trieste and Valdobbiadene. Davis is also on the podium, followed by Hunter and Farrar. Cavendish, winner of the Milan-Sanremo 2009, has had a total of 11 victories this season.

THE DETAILS — There were no great ups or downs through this stage, and it lacked exciting moments for the play by play. Of note is that Mario Cipollini, in his homeland of Tuscany, took advantage of the calm day to get on his bike and stay with the fleet, reaching the end of the peloton.

The race was fast (average speed around 45 kph) and Scarselli, Ignatiev and Schroder attempted to break away after 10 kilometres. They gained a margin of over 5 minutes, but Rabobank and the teams of sprinters drove forward.

The first two riders were reabsorbed into the group about 20 km from the finish; Schroder – a German racer from Milram – continued alone and was reabsorbed into the group at minus 5 km. This was the prelude to the sprint.

CONTROVERSY — After the finish, a clash between Farrar and Petacchi. The Italian was accused of bad conduct. “I don’t know what he wanted,” the Italian from LPR said about Farrar. “He said something to me at the end and I told him to go to hell.

I was behind Cavendish, Renshaw and Boasson Hagen, they broke away and sprinted past him and I was good in getting second place. You sprint at your top speed, you can’t be looking at every little detail.”

RANKING — No significant changes. Denis Menchov (Rus, Rabobank) has 34 seconds on Danilo Di Luca (LPR-Farnese) and 40 seconds on Levi Leipheimer (USA, Astana). Fourth is Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas-Doimo) at +2:00, then Carlos Sastre (Spa, Cervelo) at +2:52, Michael Rogers (Aus, Columbia) at +2:59 and Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Doimo) at +3:00. Eighth is Gilberto Simoni (Diquigiovanni-Androni) at +4:38; ninth is Marzio Bruseghin (Lampre-Ngc) at +5:26; then Thomas Lovkvist (Swe, Columbia) at +5:53. Lance Armstrong (USA, Astana) is 12th at +6:34; Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Ngc) is 18th at +8:18.

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