Levi Leipheimer
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Menchov wins the Giro d’Italia, despite fall in the last kilometer.
Posted on June 1st, 2009 1 comment
2009 Giro d'Italia - Stage 21: It's safe to say that the usually stoic Menchov had a bit of an adrenaline rush at the finish.
Race leader Denis Menchov won the Giro d’Italia on Sunday despite suffering a fall in the last kilometer of the final stage, a 14.4km time trial through Rome.
Menchov, now the third Russian to win the Giro, added the title to his two Vuelta a España victories in 2005 and 2007.
The 31-year-old Menchov beat 2007 Giro champion Danilo Di Luca (LPR) by 41 seconds over the course of the three-week tour, with Liquigas’ Franco Pellizzoti rounding off the podium finishers a further 1:18 adrift.
Lithuanian Ignatas Konovalovas (Cervélo) team won the final stage in a time of 18:42 with Bradley Wiggins (Garmin-Slipstream) only a second back and Columbia’s Edvald Boasson Hagen in third.
2009 Giro d'Italia, stage 21: Di Luca used a road bike with aero bars.
Menchov finished 10th on the stage with Di Luca 16th.
The Russian had a 20sec lead coming into the final day in one of the closest ever finishes to a
Giro, in its centenary year. Di Luca briefly looked to be on the brink of a famous victory when he got to the first time-check fastest of all and 5 seconds up on Menchov.
But the LPR rider had blasted out too fast, gradually fading from there and he was 14 seconds down on Menchov at the next time check.
When he came over the line, Di Luca had lost 45 seconds to Konovalovas whereas Menchov, who had won the 12th stage time trial to take over the maglia rosa jersey, was getting stronger.
Menchov rises
Menchov is one of the best in the bunch at masking his emotions. The stoic Russian is like a sphinx; rivals can’t tell when he’s hurting or feeling good and he never gives much away to the media hungry for a good story.
That mask melted away Sunday in the intense final kilometer of the Roma time trial when glimpses of the intensity behind the Russian wall were revealed.
With showers dampening the cobblestones, Menchov’s decision to ride a full time trial setup seemed to backfire when his front tired slipped out on wet cobbles, sending him flailing arms-out to the unforgiving wet stones. He slid nearly 30 feet, desperately clawing for his bike, slipping even further away on the slick cobbles.
His Rabobank mechanic saved the day. Before Menchov even stopped his cobblestone slide, his wrench pulled the spare bike off the roof of the trailing Rabobank car and directed the frazzled Menchov to remount the new bike. Within 10 seconds, he was desperately pedaling for the finish line.
A flustered Menchov hammered across the line, his maglia rosa scruffed and muddied from the fall, but safe. Despite the final-hour drama, Menchov actually widened his lead to Di Luca to win by 41 seconds.
2009 Giro d'Italia - Stage 21: Menchov gets a new bike and a push from his mechanic.
Once safely across the line, the intensity and adrenaline came pouring out. There was no more holding back, no reason to hide. Foaming at the mouth from the intense effort, Menchov screamed, pumped his fists in the air and hugged the mechanic.
“All the tension and stress of the Giro, everything came out,” Menchov said. “This is the most beautiful victory of my career.”
Di Luca ─ who doggedly nipped at Menchov’s heels since forfeiting the pink jersey in the stage 12 time trial at Cinque Terre – was quick to say that he wouldn’t have wanted to win if Menchov someone lost it all in the final-kilometer crash.
“To fall like this wasn’t beautiful, Denis was the strongest and he didn’t deserve to suffer this setback,” said Di Luca, who proudly claimed second to the superior Menchov. “I have nothing to regret. I attacked every chance I had. I can take away a lot from this Giro – two stage victories, seven days in the maglia rosa and the points jersey. I can be very satisfied with this Giro.”
For Menchov, the victory not only makes him only the third Russian to win the Giro (Evgeni Berzin and Pavel Tonkov preceded him in the 1990s), but it also confirms him as one of the best contemporary stage race specialists.
A winner of two Vueltas a España, not many picked Menchov as a likely winner despite his steady fifth-place result in 2008.
Menchov immediately proved he was here to win, sprinting ahead of Di Luca and an elite pack of climbers at the summit finish at Alpe di Suisi in stage 5. Di Luca grabbed the maglia rosa that day, but Menchov looked good.
Menchov took the maglia rosa for good with a stunning victory on the highly demanding Cinque Terre time trial course in stage 12, beating back pre-stage favorite Levi Leipheimer (Astana) and taking a narrow, but decisive lead that would hold to Rome despite incessant attacks from Di Luca.
“I think I was at my best during this Giro. I was really confident,” he said. “I hope it’s a natural and logical progression. I’ve been improving the past few years. I am at the right age to win big tours.”
The inevitable question came: can he win the Tour? By then, Menchov had pulled back behind his mask. All he said was, “we’ll see; now I want to enjoy this victory. You have to have luck to win the Tour.”
He obviously had the legs to win the Giro.
Stage 21 results
1 Ignatas Konovalovas (Ltu) Cervelo Test Team 18.42
2 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin – Slipstream 0.01
3 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Team Columbia – Highroad 0.07
4 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Astana 0.11
5 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Lampre – N.G.C. 0.16
6 Giovanni Visconti (Ita) ISD 0.18
7 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick Step 0.20
8 Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Rabobank 0.21
9 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone – Caffe Mokambo 0.23
10 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 0.24
10 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana 0.27
16 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) LPR Brakes – Farnese Vini 0.45Final general classification
1 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 86.03.11
2 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) LPR Brakes – Farnese Vini 0.41
3 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas 1.59
4 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Cervelo Test Team 3.46
5 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas 3.59
6 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 5.28
7 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone – Caffe Mokambo 8.43
8 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia – Highroad 10.01
9 Tadej Valjavec (Slo) AG2R La Mondiale 11.13
10 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Lampre – N.G.C. 11.28Source: Velonew.com
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Pellizotti pounces at Blockhaus; Menchov defends lead
Posted on May 27th, 2009 No comments
2009 Giro d'Italia, stage 17: Pellizotti gets the stage win at Blockhaus
Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) climbed to a solo victory in stage 17 of the 2009 Giro d’Italia on Wednesday, a short, tough ride from Chieti to Blockhaus.
Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes) fought like a wildcat to take time from his rivals, but race leader Denis Menchov (Rabobank) stuck to him like a decal, and Stefano Garzelli (Acqua e Sapone) had the audacity to sucker-punch the Killer at the line for second place on the day.
“I started this Giro with the ambition of winning. To win the Giro is hard, especially this year with the high level of participation and the diffciluty of the course,” Pellizotti said. “We’re making a good Giro, we’re attacking, now we’ve won a stage. I think we deserved to win today and the podium is very much an option.”
Lance Armstrong (Astana) showed some flash on the ascent to Blockhaus, making a bid to follow Pellozotti’s attack, but he and teammate Levi Leipheimer both lost more time on the day as the favorites for the overall rolled up the road without them.
“It was good to see that Lance tried,” said Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel. “He was able to maintain a good rhythm and once we saw that Pellizotti was gone, we were just informing him that Menchov and Di Luca were coming and that was a little too fast. Definitely he is coming to another level again. That’s exactly what I hoped for.”
“Levi was OK,” Bruyneel continued. “We had just to see if what we saw on Monte Petrano is a trend which continues to go down or not. Fortunately we saw that Levi can stay at the same level, maintain his position and climb with the best riders. I am happy about the day.”
Menchov had little difficulty staying with Di Luca’s manic attacks, though he did lose the wheel in the final charge to the line.
“The most important thing was to stay with Di Luca until the finish line. In the last 250m, in the end I had too much gear, a little bit tired, I lacked a little rhythm,” Menchov said. “One day I got bonuses, he gets one back, we’re playing a little game with these bonuses. Today was tranquilo.”
2009 Giro d'Italia, stage 17: Cardenas and Voeckler in the break
Short and decidedly unsweet
The stage was only 83 kilometers long, but it was far from an easy spin. It began with a descent for the first few kilometers and then stayed relatively flat for the next 28km or so. A couple of small, unrated climbs and a short descent followed before the road began its gradual rise to the day’s only climb, a tough haul that began to steepen at the 65km mark. The 18-kilometer climb to the finish averaged 7 percent, but the steep parts reached grades of 13 percent.The ever-active Thomas Voeckler (Bbox Bouygues Telecom) had an early go and quickly found himself with company: Felix Rafael Cardenas (Barloworld); Giovanni Visconti (ISD–Neri); Ruggero Marzoli and Giuseppe Palumbo (Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo); Mauro Facci (Quick Step); Matteo Bono (Lampre-N.G.C.); Riccardo Chiarini (LPR Brakes Farnese Vini); Delio Fernandez Cruz and Gonzalo Rabunal Rios (Xacobeo Galicia).
With 49km to go, the LPR and Rabobank teams were sharing the chase work, keeping the gap around two minutes. By midrace it had gone out slightly, to just over three minutes. The Cervélos then came to the fore and started bringing the gap down.
Voeckler had another dig at the base of the climb that cracked the break into bits. LPR’s Chiarini quickly latched on, along with Cardenas, Marzoli, Gonzalo Rabunal and Delio Fernandez. But their advantage was falling, and 15km from the finish — with the climb just starting to bite — the bunch was coming up fast.
Stage 17 results
1 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas 2.21.06 (35.294 km/h)
2 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone – Caffe Mokambo 0.42
3 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) LPR Brakes – Farnese Vini 0.43
4 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 0.48
5 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas 0.57
6 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Lampre – N.G.C. 1.54
7 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Liquigas 1.55
8 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia – Highroad 1.59
9 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Cervelo Test Team
10 Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana
11 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana
12 Tadej Valjavec (Slo) AG2R La Mondiale
13 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) S. Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli 2.05
14 Francesco Masciarelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone – Caffe Mokambo 2.09
15 Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Team Columbia – Highroad 2.17General classification after stage 17
1 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 72.28.24
2 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) LPR Brakes – Farnese Vini 0.26
3 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas 2.00
4 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas 3.28
5 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Cervelo Test Team 3.30
6 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 4.32
7 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia – Highroad 7.05
8 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone – Caffe Mokambo 8.03Source: Velonews.com
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Sastre conquers Monte Petrano
Posted on May 25th, 2009 No comments
2009 Giro d'Italia - Stage 16: Sastre used a strategy that's worked for him before.
Carlos Sastre (Cervélo TestTeam) surged out of the anonymity of the peloton Monday with a dramatic stage victory in a grueling, seven-hour march across the Apennines to re-energize his hopes of overall victory at the Giro d’Italia.
Denis Menchov (Rabobank) rode shrewdly to sprint to second, expanding his lead over second-place Danilo Di Luca (LPR), while Levi Leipheimer (Astana) saw his hopes of winning the Giro fade when he ceded 2:51 to drop from third to sixth, 3:21 back.
“I was not as strong as those guys, it is plain and simple,” Leipheimer said at the finish line.
Sastre bolted back into the headlines with a decisive attack with about 8.5km to go. Menchov knew he had a nearly three-minute head start on the defending Tour de France champion and let him chase the stage victory.
Former CSC teammate Ivan Basso (Liquigas) gave chase, but Sastre nursed a 20-second gap before blowing past the solo-attacking Yaroslav Popovych (Astana) with less than 2km to go to win and vault into third place.
“I am very content. I went to the maximum, gave all I could and I was able to win the stage and take some time,” Sastre said. “Menchov has demonstrated that he’s strong, but the final week of the Giro is hard. The heat, the speed, the distance is starting to add up.”
Sastre thrives in the final, decisive weeks of grand tours and his attack Monday reminded many of his winning assault on L’Alpe d’Huez last year that catapulted him toward overall victory at the Tour.
“Whenever you win a big race, whether it’s the Tour, the Giro of the Vuelta, it’s always beautiful, especially against the best riders in the world,” Sastre said. “Today was very important for me, for my motivation and for this Giro. The last week always decides everything.”
With two more summit finishes on deck following Tuesday’s rest day, Sastre isn’t discounting his own chances of overall victory despite Menchov’s apparent stranglehold on the pink jersey.
Sastre said he’s like a dormant volcano, making the allusion to the climbing stage up Mont Vesuvio on Friday.
“I’m quiet, dedicated, I don’t make a lot of noise or respond to rumors,” Sastre said. “I concentrate on my work and I prepare for the important races. When it comes time to attack, I do.”
Thomas Lövkvist (Columbia-Highroad) lost the grip on the best young rider’s jersey, slipping to 24th, as Kevin Seeldrayers (Quick Step) climbed to 15th to take the maglia bianca.
“Yesterday we noticed that Lövkvist was having some trouble on climbs, but we also had to watch out for (Francesco) Masciarelli,” Seeldrayers said. “In today’s stage I tried to stay among the best as far as I could and for the final I tried to keep a decent advantage over my direct adversaries in the standings for the white jersey.”
Surprisingly for such a grueling day, only three riders abandoned, including Colombian climber Mauricio Soler (Barloworld).
Stage 16 results
1 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Cervelo Test Team 7.11.54
2 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 0.25
3 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) LPR Brakes – Farnese Vini 0.26
4 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas 0.29
5 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone – Caffe Mokambo 1.19
6 Francesco Masciarelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone – Caffe Mokambo 1.21
7 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas
8 Tadej Valjavec (Slo) AG2R La Mondiale 2.11
9 Jose Serpa S. Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli 2.35
10 Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana 2.51
11 Levi Leipheimer (USA) AstanaGeneral classification after stage 16
1 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 70.06.30
2 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) LPR Brakes – Farnese Vini 0.39
3 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Cervelo Test Team 2.19
4 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas 3.08
5 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas 3.19
6 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 3.21
7 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia – Highroad 5.54
8 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone – Caffe Mokambo 8.24Source: Velonews.com
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Bertagnolli outlasts a crumbling break, chase
Posted on May 25th, 2009 No comments
2009 Giro d'Italia - Stage 15: Leonardo Bertagnolli survives all the way to the finish.
It was two-for-one again in Sunday’s 15th stage, as the Giro d’Italia unfolded with two races within one that was almost as hot and blistering as the searing temperature on the tarmac.
Leonardo Bertagnolli (Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni) won the battle for the kisses from the podium girls, the sole survivor of a 16-man breakaway that went clear early in a tremendously hot, hilly 161km from Forli to Faenza.
Then there was the GC tussle, with 2006 Giro champ Ivan Basso (Liquigas) uncorking a series of scorching attacks with two climbs to go to put maglia rosa Denis Menchov (Rabobank) and the other podium contenders on notice.
Despite opening a promising 1:15 advantage to Menchov and Co. with 32km to go, the fireworks fizzled after he and fellow aggressor Stefano Garzelli (Acqua e Sapone) were snuffed out by the chasing favorites on the flat run into the finish.
After the dust settled, there were no major shakeups in the overall standings ─ with the lone exception of two-time winner Gilberto Simoni, who sunk to 26th overall at 20:21 back ─ but Basso’s attacks provided an enticing preview of what’s expected in Monday’s showdown on Monte Petrano.
“We had to do that to see what the situation was. It was a good try. At the end it wasn’t enough but it was still a good move,” said Basso, who stayed stuck in sixth overall at 3:03 back despite the effort. “We’ve got to continue along these lines, try every day, and hope something good happens.”
2009 Giro d'Italia, stage 15: Ivan Basso (Liquigas) took a late flyer.
Levi Leipheimer (Astana) didn’t panic when Basso surged away. With Garzelli hitching a ride to hunt for a stage win and more King of the Mountains points, the risky pair created major fractures within the over-heating peloton.
“When Ivan went, I didn’t think it was a good idea and I didn’t even try, and obviously it wasn’t,” Leipheimer said. “We didn’t expect Liquigas to attack on the downhill. That was a really dangerous downhill, I don’t know if anyone died behind, but I wouldn’t be surprised (smiling).”
Astana put spindly Spanish climber Dani Navarro into the day’s winning breakaway, providing Leiphemier with an extra set of legs on the Trebbio climb to neutralize the two former winners.
Promising Belgian climber Kevin Seeldrayers (Quick Step) led the maglia rosa group across the line at 1:56 back. Menchov defended his 34-second pink-jersey lead to Danilo Di Luca (LPR) and Leipheimer retained third at 43 seconds adrift.
“I had Dani (Navarro) up front and Popo and Lance just behind, so long as Menchov and Di Luca didn’t react, I wasn’t going to react,” Leipheimer continued. “I was OK, there was no way around it, you’re not going to feel good when you’re with the five or six best uphill in this kind of heat, but I was there and I wasn’t going to get dropped.”
Rollercoaster at 95 degrees
The 161km leg from Forli to Faenza began with a gradual incline through the foothills of the Appenino to the base of the Cat. 2 Passo dell’Eremo at 44.1km, a 10.7km climb averaging 4 percent, but with maximum grades of 10 percent.Next up was the Cat. 3 Colle Carnevale at 66.1km, a 6km climb with an average grade of 6.2 percent, with a maximum grade of 10 percent.
Two unrated climbs followed — the Colle Albano at 100.2km and the Valico la Valletta at 107.9km — before the riders faced the final two ranked ascents.
2009 Giro d'Italia, stage 15: Bertagnolli in the break.
The first, at 116km, was the Cat. 3 Monte Casale, an 8.7km climb averaging 4.7 percent with the occasional 12 percent leg-breaker. The finale was the Cat. 2 Monte Trebbio, which averages 6.7 percent, but reaches grades as steep as 16 percent.
From there it was a fast downhill dash to the finish in Faenza, with a false-flat section before the line.
Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes) provided what proved to be an accurate pre-race prediction: “Today is a difficult stage and we cannot overlook it. It’s ideal for a breakaway, so teams will be attacking to get into the break. Tomorrow’s stage is fundamental to this Giro. There are always surprises. What’s sure is that the attacks will come.”
And indeed they did. Jens Voigt (Saxo Bank) and Dries Devenyns (Quick Step) had an early go, but 26km into the stage it was gruppo compatto.
Ten kilometers later a large group had formed off the front with a gap of nearly two minutes: Bertagnolli and teammate Jose Rodolfo Serpa Perez (Serramenti); Lars Ytting Bak (Saxo Bank); Daniel Navarro Garcia (Astana); Eduard Vorganov (Xacobeo Galicia); Andriy Grivko (ISD-Neri); Marco Pinotti (Columbia-High Road); Pablo Lastras Garcia (Caisse d’Epargne); Marco Marzano (Lampre-N.G.C.); Serge Pauwels (Cervélo TestTeam); Nikita Eskov (Katusha); Gorazd Stangelj (Liquigas); Hector Gonzalez Baeza (Fuji-Servetto); Mauro Facci (Quick Step); Alessandro Donati (Acqua & Sapone); and Matteo Montaguti (LPR). Serpa Perez was best placed, sitting 20th overall at 9:52 back.
Stage 15 results
1 Leonardo Bertagnolli (Ita) S. Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli 4.18.34
2 Serge Pauwels (Bel) Cervelo Test Team 0.54
3 Marco Pinotti (Ita) Team Columbia – Highroad 0.54
4 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Team Saxo Bank 0.54
5 Marco Marzano (Ita) Lampre – N.G.C. 0.56
6 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) ISD 1.27
7 Mauro Facci (Ita) Quick Step 1.49
8 Tadej Valjavec (Slo) AG2R La Mondiale 1.51General classification after stage 15
1 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank
2 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) LPR Brakes – Farnese Vini 0.34
3 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 0.43
4 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas 2.00
5 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Cervelo Test Team 2.52
6 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas 3.03
7 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia – Highroad 3.05Source: Velonews.com
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Menchov wins stage 12 time trial at Cinque Terre and takes lead
Posted on May 21st, 2009 1 comment
2009 Giro d'Italia - Stage 12: Menchov moves into the overall lead.
A spectacular 60km course along Italy’s stunning Cinque Terre lived up to expectations Thursday as Denis Menchov (Rabobank) pulled the double, winning the stage and snatching away the maglia rosa from Danilo Di Luca (LPR).
Levi Leipheimer (Astana) – who’s won three time trials in three starts this season ─ almost walked away with the jackpot, finishing just 20 seconds slower than Menchov and climbing into third at 40 seconds back.
“Twenty second is not a lot. Menchov was better than me today, so I have to congratulate him today, but 20 seconds is hard to swallow on a course like today because I wanted to win,” Leipheimer said. “Even though we lost Horner, I am confident in our team. Lance is getting better. I think we can still win it.”
Menchov ─ the first Russian since Pavel Tonkov to wear the famed pink tunic – erased his 1 minute, 20 second deficit to overnight leader Di Luca on the punishing, two-climb course to win in 1 hour, 34 minutes, 29 seconds (38.482kph).
“Today was one of the decisive stages of this Giro and it’s an important step in trying to win,” said Menchov, who dedicated the victory to Pedro Horrillo. “Nothing’s decided yet. There are still a lot of hard stages to come.”
The grueling time trial course – one of the longest and most difficult seen in a grand tour in a decade – tightened up the battle for the pink jersey, with the top 3 separated by just 40 seconds.
Behind them, there are four heavy hitters – Franco Pellizotti, Carlos Sastre, Michael Rogers and Ivan Basso ─ still within three minutes of Menchov with the hardest part of the Giro still ahead.
“We can expect attacks. Liquigas is perhaps the strongest team with the most interest in this race, but you cannot discount the others,” Menchov said. “Perhaps the most dangerous rider now is Di Luca. You can see how motivated he is, how he’s climbing, how he sprints for the bonuses.”
Lance Armstrong (Astana) rode well in his first major time trial since retiring in 2005.
2009 Giro d'Italia - Stage 12: Leipheimer is in a strong position on GC.
The seven-time winner of the Tour de France demonstrated his form continues to improve, stopping the clock in 1h36:55 at 2:26 off the pace to climb to 12th overall at 6:34 back. He left the race without speaking to reporters.
Stefano Garzelli (Acqua e Sapone) rode well to post an early fast time and ended up third on the stage at 1:03 slower. The 2000 Giro winner is out to defend his King of the Mountains jersey and aim for a stage victory.
Favorites duke it out
Di Luca ─ who held the pink jersey since stage 5 ─ did his best to defend the maglia rosa, stopping the clock at 1:54 slower than Menchov.The 2007 Giro champion slipped to second at 34 seconds back, stayed ahead of Leipheimer and widening his gap to such rivals as Ivan Basso (Liquigas) and Carlos Sastre (Cervélo) by more than two minutes.
“I have to be content. I gave everything to defend the maglia rosa,” said Di Luca, who rode decked out in pink head-to-toe. “Menchov was super-strong today. I said the Giro starts today. There are still a lot of stages to suit me well. I want to take back the jersey as soon as possible.”
Despite the difficulty and length of the course, huge gaps were not opened up as expected by some pundits.
Rogers dropped from third to sixth, now 2:59 back, but otherwise there were reshufflings among the top 10 with the leading three taking important gains.
Pellizotti, Sastre and Gilberto Simoni (now 8th at 4:38 back) all moved up, while Lovkivist slipped from eighth to 10th, but retained the best young rider’s jersey.
2009 Giro d'Italia - Stage 12: Garzelli set the early mark, but finished third, at 1:03.
Basso and Sastre finished 11th and 12th, respectively, at 2:17 and 2:18 off the pace. Both ceded ground, but expressed satisfaction with their respective performances.
“I have to be pretty satisfied. The race is still open,” Basso said. “There are still the hardest stages ahead of us. It was a very hard time trial and the downhills weren’t good for me. Menchov was clearly the best man today with the long, hard climbs. I am taking things with tranquility right now. There are still some hard stages to attack.”
Sastre – who started this Giro with the goal of finishing on the top-3 podium ─ realizes he’s still in with a shot.
“I went at my maximum and I felt pretty good. I didn’t set any real objectives, except to go all out, without thinking of any specific result,” he said. “I went full-gas on the climbs and eased back a little on the descents, because I didn’t want to take any risks. I climbed up to fifth. There are three key stages, and with the speed that we’re racing this Giro, everything is still possible.”
With Pellizotti now fourth at 2:00 back and Basso stuck in seventh at 3:00 back, one of the big questions, at least among the Italians, was who would take over the leadership for Liquigas.
“We always said from the start that Ivan and I would share the leadership of the team,” Pellizotti said. “I am demonstrating that I have some good form. It’s always the journalists who are saying there’s some sort of problem within the team. We started as equals and we will both race to win. What’s important is that someone from Liqugas win the Giro.”
Stage 12 results
1 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 1.34.29
2 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 0.20
3 Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone – Caffe Mokambo 1.03
4 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana 1.14
5 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas 1.27
6 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) LPR Brakes – Farnese Vini 1.57
7 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin – Slipstream 1.59
8 Gabriele Bosisio (Ita) LPR Brakes – Farnese Vini 2.04
9 Jose Serpa (Col) Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli 2.13
10 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Lampre – N.G.C. 2.17General classification after stage 12
1 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 50.27.17
2 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) LPR Brakes – Farnese Vini 0.34
3 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 0.40
4 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas 2.00
5 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Cervelo Test Team 2.52
6 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia – Highroad 2.58
7 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas 3.00
8 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli 4.38
9 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Team Columbia – Highroad 5.53
10 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 5.55source: velonews.com