Stage 3 Preview and Results

Post Stage Analysis

All Alessandro!
Alessandro Petacchi wins the stage, takes the Pink

May 11 update: The narrow serpentine roads of the run-in to Valdobbiadene made for hectic racing in today's stage 3. Liquigas set a high pace, that left many riders scrambling out the back. Inside 20 kilometers to ride, Thomas Voeckler made a short-lived dash for freedom. Ex-rider and Eurosport commentator Sean Kelly did not approve, calling the move a wasted effort. Kelly proved correct, as the field brought Voeckler back into the fold. With approximately 10 kilometers to ride, a crash brought the bunch to a complete halt. At the time, small break, which included general classification rider Levi Leipheimer, was up the road, and looked ready to run away with the stage. Some quick work from Liquigas and LPR Brakes soon brought the field back together, and a sprint looked increasingly likely. Caught behind the split, Mark Cavendish never made it back to the main field, out of the sprint and the race lead.

Liquigas did significant work in the closing kilometers today, prompting some to wonder exactly what they were up to. In a post-race interview, co-captain Franco Pellizotti explained that the pace-making represented an effort to stay out of trouble. Ivan Basso lost approximately 15 seconds on yesterday's stage after being caught behind a split. Am I the only one who thinks that this morning's team meeting might have involved a bit of arm waving from the directeur sportif?

With just over 2 kilometers to ride, Marzio Bruseghin of Lampre-Ngc took a flyer. With the uphill finish and twisty roads, it looked like a good move. Bruseghin is local in Valdobbiadene. A nice show for the tifosi. The move proved short-lived, but set up a nice counter-attack from former Italian national road champion Giovanni Visconti of ISD. Visconti's father travels to the races, and can often be seen in the final kilometers cheering enthusiastically for his son. There were no podium kisses for Visconti today, though, as the sprinters engulfed him in sight of the line.

At the line, it was all Alessandro. Petacchi took the stage win, and with time bonuses, the race lead. A stage win carries a generous 20 second bonus. American Tyler Farrar of Garmin finished a close second, and showed his growing strength in the bunch sprints. Petacchi also holds the lead in the points classification, but Farrar will wear the Ciclamino for tomorrow's stage. Thomas Lövkvist will wear Farrar's white jersey for best young rider. Musical jerseys, all the way around.

General Classification Update: Rough Day for Garmin

Team Garmin-Slipstream suffered a rough day at the races. Christian Vandevelde crashed at kilometer 140, and left the race in ambulance. Team Garmin-Slipstream reports that Vandevelde suffered two broken ribs and a sprain to his lower back. He is on his way home to Girona for further examination. The Tour de France is Vandevelde's main objective of the year, so he will hope for a speedy recovery from this setback.

Dave Zabriskie also got mixed up in the crash, and finished well down on the stage at 4.10. Tom Danielson, apparently caught out by the split in the field, also lost time on the stage and finished more than 2 minutes down. It was not all bad news today for Garmin, though, as young sprinter Tyler Farrar finished second, and currently sits second in the general classification. Farrar looks increasingly close to scoring a sprint stage win.

Denis Menchov of Rabobank also lost time today, falling behind the split with 10 kilometers to go. Menchov was in the gruppo Maglia Rosa, before setting off on his own. He managed to chase back, limiting his losses to 24 seconds. The Russian sits 24th in the general classification at 1.20 down. He will have his work cut out for him when the race hits the mountains, beginning tomorrow.

Quote of the Day: Filippo Pozzato of Katusha: "I am here to win, otherwise, I might as well go on vacation."

Into the Mountains!

Tomorrow, the Giro heads into the Dolomiti for the first mountain-top finish of the race at San Martino di Castrozza. The road to the summit is wide, with sweeping corners. The climb should be a fast one, with a sizeable group reaching the finish together. The gradients are not especially steep, and it's early in the race. Everyone will be fresh and ready for action. Danilo Diluca sits 40 seconds behind in the general classification. No doubt he will be motivated to chase the stage win and the 20 second bonus on the line.

After today's surprising fifth place finish, Damiano Cunego looks to be on excellent form. His placing today was somewhat surprising, because Cunego is not known as a bunch sprinter. The 2004 Giro winner rides well in mountains, and has the speed to win at the line from a group. Tomorrow's finish will also suit Stefano Garzelli for much the same reason. Interviewed before today's stage, Carlos Sastre said that tomorrow's finish is a good place to attack for the climbers. Laughing, he also said that the whole course is important, and did not give any hints as to his plans for the coming days.

In the general classification, sprinters Alessandro Petacchi and Tyler Farrar should drop from their spots at the top. The Pink Jersey could pass to Michael Rogers, Thomas Lövkvist, Lance Armstrong, or Danilo Diluca, who currently sit 3rd through 6th in the general classification and typically have good legs when the road tilts up. Mario Cipollini, interviewed by Gazzetta dello Sport after the team time trial, believes that the mountains will put Armstrong into difficulty. We shall see soon enough if the Lion King's prediction is correct.

On to the mountains!

Course Preview

Stage 3: Grado-Valdobbiadene
Date: Monday, 11 May
Distance: 198 km.
Terrain: Flat, then rolling hills. Uphill finish.
GC Importance: Low. An opportunist could try to gain a bit of time in the rolling climbs near the finish in Valdobbiadene, but he won’t find much to work with here. Better to save the legs.

The Giro pays one last visit to the white sand beaches of the Adriatic coast. The stage departs from Grado, a short distance from Stage 2’s finish in Trieste. If we weren’t yet convinced that Italy’s Adriatic coastline makes a lovely vacation destination, the Giro makes one last effort to change our mind. Grado has all the necessary ingredients: beaches specked with umbrellas, boat-lined canals, and a stone-built old town.

The finish town, Valdobbiadene, sits surrounded by vineyard-covered rolling hills. These are the foothills of the mountainous Trentino region to the West. Valdobbiadene is fertile country, enriched by the silt and run-off from the high mountains.

Profile Details. From Grado, the course heads inland, saying adio to the coast. The terrain is flat for nearly 120 kilometers, though the road rises a slight 50 meters as the course passes through Udine at kilometer 47. No one will notice. With approximately 65 kilometers to ride, the course hits a 100 meter climb in San Pietro di Feletto. Here, the course enters the rolling hills outside the finishing town of Valdobbiadene.

The riders will climb twice more before the uphill finish. First comes 200 meters of climbing at Combai, which lies just over 40 kilometers from the finish. Then, with 20 kilometers to go, comes the final obstacle of the day, a smaller, more gentle 90 meter bump just inside Valdobbiadene. From the top of the climb, there remains just 17 kilometers to ride. The run-in to the finish is mostly flat, but there is a quick climb to the finish.

Tactics Talk. The finishing climb does not, squinting at the profile, look especially steep. If the field arrives together, it should not slow down the sprinters too much. The final three climbs, though short, could provide a nice springboard for a breakaway, but so early in this Giro, plenty of legs will stand ready to chase down the opportunists. It’s possible that a small group will reach the finish, but don’t be surprised if it comes down to a sprint.