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2008 Giro d'Italia: Pellizotti in pink after Ricco wins stage 2

Published: May. 11, 2008
2008 Giro d'Italia, stage 2: Ricco celebrates his stage win
2008 Giro d'Italia, stage 2: Ricco celebrates his stage win
Photo: Graham Watson

Riccardo Riccò (Saunier Duval-Scott) uncorked a tremendous sprint in the final 100 meters to win Sunday’s exciting 207km second stage, but Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) snuck into fourth to short circuit Christian Vande Velde’s run in the maglia rosa by just one second.

On a day that saw Slipstream-Chipotle’s David Zabriskie crash out, Vande Velde fought like a gladiator against swarming Italians up the attack-riddled, 4km climbing finish to the hilltop city of Agrigento to try to defend the Giro’s leader’s jersey.

When he crossed the line 19th at 10 seconds back, it looked like he might have retained the maglia rosa, but Pellizotti snuck into the winning move that caught the attacking Joaquim Rodríguez (Caisse d’Epargne) with 100 meters to go to take fourth behind Riccò, Danilo Di Luca (LPR) and Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner).

It was just enough to snatch away the jersey by one second.

“The team just rode great today and I was disappointed that I lost (the jersey) by such a small gap,” Vande Velde said. “Pellizotti is a great rider, so he deserves it. I’m no sprinter, so I can’t try to regain the jersey. If it was a time trial, it would be different.”

What was disappointment for Vande Velde and Slipstream was a dream come true for Pellizotti, a rider better known for his blond curls than his steadily increasing progress.

“We rode a great time trial to be in position to take the jersey. Today was a great opportunity to try to take the jersey,” said Pellizotti, whose Liquigas team was fourth Saturday. “The legs were good today and I was able to follow Di Luca when he attacked. I’m very happy and to have the maglia rosa. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a child. I don’t know how long we’ll hold the jersey, because my goal is to be in good position when we arrive to Milan, not now.”

Exciting finale

The 207km stage crossed the girth of Sicily, starting on the northern shore in Cerfalù and ending in the historic hilltop town of Agrigento on the island’s southern shore.

The stage ended with a 13.2km finishing loop that traced the circuit from the 1994 world championships around the stunning Greek ruins in Agrigento’s Valle di Templi. Luc Leblanc won that year and the Giro’s top guns were keen for an early-race shoot-out on the historic roads.

The first passage up the final climb provided a preview of what lay ahead. Sprinters such as Robert Förster (Gerolsteiner) and Mark Cavendish (High Road) were spit out the back as the group split.

David Millar led Vande Velde up the first passage while riders such as Di Luca, Paolo Bettini (Quick Step), Riccò, Rebellin and Andreas Kloden (Astana) jostled for position.

Di Luca’s LPR team took control coming through for the bell lap and led the way down a wide-open descent to near sea level with speeds topping 60kph.

The final 4km climbed 200 vertical meters with an average grade of 5 percent and featured ramps as steep as 10 percent, a perfect launching pad for the likes of Riccò and Di Luca.

LPR continued to lead with 3km to go, with Rebellin in good position right behind Di Luca’s wheel. Vande Velde was hitching rides on wheels where he could and was safely tucked in among the leading 20 riders with 2km to go.

LPR upped the pace when Rodríguez attacked hard with 1km to go and opened up what looked to be a winning gap. Savoldelli led the chase for Di Luca and they caught the Spanish national champion with just under 100 meters to go.

Riccò, however, had another ending in mind and came around Di Luca’s wheel to win his second Giro stage of his career.

“After so much bad luck this season, the victory has finally arrived,” said Riccò, who won a stage and finished sixth in his Giro debut last year. “It’s a great way to start off the Giro. This victory is a measure that I have good legs because I was able to beat the likes of Di Luca and Rebellin. I feel fresher than last year and I hope to be stronger in the final half of the Giro.”

Vande Velde dug deep and crossed the line in a nine-man group at 10 seconds back that also included Vuelta a España champ Denis Menchov (Rabobank), Tour de France champ Alberto Contador (Astana) and best young rider Chris-Anker Sorensen (CSC), who slotted into third at seven seconds back.

It wasn’t going to be enough to keep Vande Velde in pink, but Sorensen earned another trip to the podium in the white jersey.

“It was really fast on the last climb and riders were really attacking hard. It’s not my kind of climb on these short, fast hills because I prefer the longer, harder climbs, but I’m happy to keep the white jersey,” said Sorensen, who’s aiming for a top 20 finish overall. “Having the white jersey is like a dream and it’s nice to be on the podium with the fans and the pretty girls.”

Several top GC riders lost some ground in the super-charged finale, including Russian Evgeni Petrov (Tinkoff), who ceded 47 seconds, and Colombian climber Mauricio Soler (Barloworld), who’s been fending off a chest cold and gave up 54 seconds.

Levi Leipheimer (Astana), riding in the Giro on a week’s notice, rode well to come in with a group at 20 seconds back and slotted into 25th overall at 40 seconds back to stay in contention.

Pellizotti, meanwhile, could be in pink for a while.

His Liquigas team will have the good fortune that Slipstream didn’t and is looking ahead to some relatively easier stages that will likely see the sprinter teams help to control the pace.

Most of the sprinters lost ground in the Agrigento shootout, so they won’t present much of a GC threat in the quest for time bonuses. Daniele Bennati (Liquigas) is the best-placed sprinter at 32nd at 52 seconds back, so the team could play hot potato with the pink tunic if Bennati gets hot.

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