THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING
High Road's Mark Cavendish wins the 13th stage of the Giro d'Italia
GC shaken up by time ruling
It’s unlikely that Mark Cavendish will become the peloton’s new gentleman sprinter, but he was gracious enough Friday to say thanks to Daniele Bennati for not closing down the sprint 100 meters shy of his second win in the 91st Giro d’Italia.
The High Road sprinter didn’t elaborate on whether or not he also said arrivederci as he burst past his Liquigas rival in what’s fast becoming recognized as the most lethal last-second punch in the peloton.
“You can see that he didn’t close off the sprint and I said ‘thank you’ when I rode passed him,” explained Cavendish. “It was great sportsmanship to see (Bennati) leave open the lane so we can do the sprint and see who’s the fastest.”
Cavendish proved he was fastest in the class as Friday’s 13th stage proved nothing but lucky.
Cycling’s newest pocket rocket buried the accelerator and surged across the line two bikes clear of Bennati (Liquigas) to make up for Thursday’s photo-finish loss by fractions of an inch.
“I was really disappointed yesterday, because I showed I was the fastest, but I was too slow around the last corner,” said Cavendish, who also won stage 3. “Today I woke up and promised my team and directors I would come away with a win and I did it.”
On Friday, it was Bennati who was left to figure out what happened.
"Of course I'm disappointed to get beaten but I was feeling tired during the stage," he said. "Cavendish deserved to win the sprint."
Cavendish’s emphatic victory caps the opening two weeks of racing as the Giro shifts gears ahead of Saturday’s first of three brutal climbing stages in the Dolomites, but not before a controversial time split in the final kilometers juggled the top 15 (see below).
Giovanni Visconti (Quick Step) retained the maglia rosa he’s held since stage 5, but most aren’t expecting to see the reigning Italian champion to be in pink as the likes of Alberto Contador and Gilberto Simoni move center-stage.
Cavendish: ‘I’m fastest in final 100 meters’
If there was any doubt before, Cavendish’s huge win Friday on a treacherous finale on a 6km circuit around the medieval walls of Cittadella confirmed to everyone that he’s the sprinter for the future.
Cavendish, who turned 23 on Wednesday, says when the road is clear and his team sets him up, no one can beat him in the final 100 meters.
“With my speed and acceleration in the last 100 meters, when I can go from 50 to 70kph, for pure acceleration, I am the fastest now,” he said. “For strength, you can see how Bennati and Zabel get over the hills. I’m not the strongest sprinter here, but I am fastest in the end. With the help of my team and a little bit of luck, I am able to win sometimes.”
Sometimes is looking to be a lot. He’s won two of the five sprint stages so far of his first Giro and promises to push through the climbing stages as far as he can. There’s a chance at another sprint in stage 17, but suffering over the Marmolada and the Gavia are all part of his coming of age.
“To suffer through the mountains will be a great learning curve. If I am too tired, I won’t make the time cut anyway, so it’s not worth suffering, but we’re going to give it a go and take every day as it comes. It will be a great learning experience for the future,” he said. “It’s my first Giro and I’ve won two stages. I think it’s promising that some day maybe I can win the points jersey at the Giro or the Tour.”
Cavendish, who hails from the Isle of Man, but now lives and trains near Florence during the racing season, was effusive in thanking his team. He admitted he couldn’t win without the help of the likes of Andrei Greipel and Tony Martin to steer him through heavy traffic in the final kilometers.
When asked about the source of his lethal acceleration, Cavendish said it was part genetic and part from his track racing experience.
“It’s a little bit natural. I was born with the right muscle types. I have very short muscles, so I am able to spin the pedals fast. I ride on 170mm cranks, so I can punch quickly at the end. Naturally, I just have the physical attributes of being a sprinter,” he explained. “It also comes from my track background. When you’re pedaling small gears on small cranks, you learn to use the pedals to get maximum speed and efficiency. This plays a critical part on how to react in the bunch.”
Cavendish looks born to win.
Finish-line controversy
There were some unhappy GC riders at the end of the 177km stage.
Just like Thursday’s stage, the call came out over the course radio that the official time would be taken 3km from the line to assure a safe arrival in a narrow, snaking sprint into the heart of Cittadella.
But when the busted-up peloton rolled across the line, the unofficial results showed a 1:13 difference between the main pack and a much-reduced front group that included the sprinters, their respective leadout men and some savvy GC threats such as Paolo Savoldelli (LPR) and Andreas Klöden (Astana).
The race jury ruled that the split occurred before the pack hit the 3km to go banner, but later reduced the difference to 13 seconds.
Still, it was enough to juggle the GC going into Saturday’s decisive stage.
The top-three remained unchanged relative to each other, but Klöden and Vicenzo Nibali (Liquigas) moved up fourth and fifth, respectively, while Marzio Bruseghin (Lampre) dropped from fourth to sixth, differences that could prove key later in the race.
Breakaway across no man’s land
There were some early stabs in the opening kilometers of the mostly flat stage across the heart of northern Italy’s cycling hotbed. Scores of famous Italian companies are headquartered in the region, including the Holy Grail of Campagnolo in nearby Vicenza.
Two riders finally surged clear of the pack, with Mickael Buffaz (Cofidis) and Josu Agirre (Euskaltel-Euskadi) making a run for their moment in the Italian sun. Buffaz started the day in 115th at more than one hour in arrears, hardly a threat to Visconti.
Buffaz, who turned 29 on Wednesday, is French, lives in Switzerland and has been a pro since 2003, the year he won Prix des Moissons. He came in fifth overall at this year's Tour Down Under.
Agirre celebrated his 27th birthday in Friday’s breakaway. Born in Tolosa, Spain, he notched a couple of wins since turning pro in 2006 with Orbea, including stage wins at the Giro delle Valli Cuneesi nelle Alpi del Mare (2004) and the Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid (2006).
The pair spent the rest of the day off the front of the pack as light showers doused the peloton off and on. Once the gap grew north of eight minutes, all the major sprinter teams sending sets of fresh legs to the front to help keep the break on a short leash.
With 20km to go, the gap was down to 1:27 and it was only a matter of time. Their adventure ended with a handshake with 13km to go.
Results
1. Mark Cavendish High Road, 4:11:07
2. Daniele Bennati (I), Liquigas
3. Koldo Fernandez (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi
4. Erik Zabel (G), Milram
5. Julien Dean (NZ), Slipstream, all s.t.
