|
|
Stage |
Stage 4 was neutralized
Leopard-Trek and Wouter's best friend in the peloton, Tyler Farrar, crossing the finish together in Livorno
18 Big Photos from Stage 4 Tribute — sirotti/rcs
Stage neutralised as Giro d'Italia pays tribute to Wouter Weylandt — cyclingnewsIl Giro in processione
Un silenzioso "Ciao Wouter" — gazzetta.itLeopard Trek riders will decide whether to continue this evening — velonation 18 Big Photos from Stage 4 Tribute — sirotti/rcsThis stage preview is available in the following languages:
 |  |  |  |  |  |
(We are looking for translations in ALL other languages. Please submit your translation with the stage no. and language in the subject title. If you don't see your preview posted within 12 hours then please resend your preview as an attachment if you didn't already do so because we've had problems with some inline character sets like German.)
May 10 update: Leopard-Trek will stay in the race. The stage will be neutralized. — Steve
May 9 update: Don't expect much racing today after stage 3's tragic crash. It has been left to the peloton to decide how the stage will unfold according to the race director, Angelo Zomegnan. Leopard-Trek will stay in the race. — Steve
May 8 post: Stage 4 is basically the reverse of the 2006 Giro di Italia stage that ran from Livorno to Sestri Levante along the Italian Riveria which means most of the climbing on this stage is at the beginning.
Although, the second half of this year's stage is mostly flat, there is the cat 4 Castellaccio climb that will pose a problem for many sprinters with 20 km to go. As you can see from the profile it gets gradually steeper with a 18% maximum section at the midway point, but it's only 4.5 km in length and averages 6%. From the top of Castellaccio, it's 15 km to the finish on a technical, descending coastal road before the flat, wide finish in Livorno.
Paolo Bettini was born in Livorno 37 years ago, but since he retired at the young of 34 he won't have a chance for a sentimental win. The stage does pass by La Spezia where Lampre-ISD sprinter Alessandro Petacchi was born and if he survives the climb, he'll have a good shot at this stage win. Look for an escape to be chased down by the sprinter teams in the final kms.
— Steve