91st Giro d'Italia - Stage 1 TTT Live
Coverage
And the riders are off with Milram leading the grand high speed parade to decide
the first wearer of pink in the 2008 tour of Italy.
Stage 1: Palermo 23.6 km Team Time Trial
Click on map for larger image -
 Welcome
to our live coverage - It was the Milramen that kicked off the 91st
edition of the first Grand Tour of the season in downtown Palermo.
More teams, like Tinkoff and Saunier Duval, as well as Cofidis, followed on the
roads of Sicily's main city. Milram have made it to the first time check
already: the Petacchi-less squad set a time of 11'51" and averaged over 52 kph.
But Tinkoff came with a better record: 11 minutes and 36 seconds, flying at more
than 53 kilometres per hour. Gibo Simoni's, aka Serramenti PVC
Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli have been the last ones to take it to the
startline thus far, at 0350 PM local time.
Cofidis have made it to the km.10 check too. But Verbrugghe and associates are
not much up to the challenge today. They were losing 32 seconds to the Tinkoff
armada at the very first check. Tinkoff are going so fast that two of their
riders (one of whom is Albert Loddo) have lost contact to their teammates
already.
Graphics courtesy Gazzetta della Sport
The Milram squad are getting closer and closer to the finish, while Caisse
d'Epargne just started their own effort against the clock. Only a few hundred
metres to go for the boys in blue .. here they go .. 300m ... 200m ... 100 ...
one last sprint ... and here they are: 27 MINUTES, 16 SECONDS. Saunier's time
after 10 kilometres: 11''56". They lost 20 seconds to the current leaders (Tinkoff)
Milram navigates the turn on the course. Photo ©
2008 Fotoreporter Sirotti
1558 CEST - The situation so far (after 10
kms):
1. Tinkoff Credits System 11'36"
2. Milram: 11'51"
3. Saunier Duval-Scott 11'56"
4. Cofidis 12'08"
Diquigiovanni-Androni should be next to the same, first time check
1600 CEST - Tinkoff went under the red
pennant. 1K TO GO for the leaders.... Tinkoff makes the rush to the finish. As
predictable, Tinkoff bettered Milram's time to the finish: 27'04". They were
faster by a dozen seconds.
1604 CEST - The mighty Slipstream-Chipotle
are also running. The team many picked as today's winners got in the saddle
about six minutes ago. Slipstream are down to eight men as Sutton lost contact
after a few miles only. A sign of the high pace they're setting?
1606 CEST - Cofidis to the finish too: their
time across the line was by far the worst (and third) time so far. Gibo
and Diquigiovanni made it to the 10-kilometre check, where they were losing
sixteen seconds to Tinkoff.
1610 CEST - Quickstep are on the road too.
And Astana are at the start line ...here they go!
1611 CEST - Saunier has entered the final
kilometre. If they want to beat Tinkoff they should cover the last thousand
metres in 40 seconds, averaging 90 kph or so. Quite hard task, isn't it? They
cross the line - without three riders- setting 27'34" 29 seconds down on Tinkoff.
Three seconds better than Cofidis.
1613 CEST - The big guys are coming:
Slipstream to the first check; and they set the best time of course: 11 minutes
32 seconds. Better than Tinkoff's by 4 secs. But watch out for the mighty
Astana, with Levi, Contador and especially Kloeden. As much as many other top
guys.
1615 CEST - Riccardo Riccò crossed the line
in third place ... in his team's ranking. And Saunier is currently the third
team ... out of four finishers: Again: 1. Tinkoff 2. Milram 3. Saunier
4.Cofidis.
But Diquigiovanni-Androni are coming: 1k to go for Gibo Simoni and his
lieutenants. They were losing 21 seconds to Tinkoff at km. 19. And now... they
end up with a time of 27'23". Their finish time is the third one. 18 seconds
behind Tinkoff.
1618 CEST - Strange things happening in the
Slipstream zone: both McCarty and Pate are struggling to stay with their
teammates. Struggling? Nope, they have been dropped. The Slipstream peloton is
down to six men only! Sutton, Pate, McCarthy are no longer part of it.
1620 CEST - Bettini's QuickStep scored a
decent 11'50" at the first time check, losing 18 secs to Slipstream after 10
kilometres. Caisse d'Epargne nearing the finish line. They are under the flame
rouge. But their time is not that great. No way they are going to win today.
1622 CEST - Astana after 10 km: 11'41". Nine
seconds down to Slipstream, and five down to Tinkoff.
1624 CEST - Caisse d'Epargne weren't that
bad either: 27'26" as finish time. That's the fourth time thus far, worse than
Tinkoff's only by 21 seconds. The Spanish squad averaged 51.616 kph.
Zabriskie leads the Argyle squad to the win. Photo ©
2008 Fotoreporter Sirotti
1625 CEST - SLIPSTREAM ROCKS!! They
increased their lead over Tinkoff to 21 seconds at the km. 19 check. And they go
so fast ... even Millar gets dropped. Sorry David, you are NOT gonna wear that
jersey today. One turn to go for Slipstream ... 26'32" to the
finish. 53.336 KPH !! Christian Vandevelde was the first across the line. So
he's VERY likely to be the first Maglia Rosawearer in this Giro. But we'll
see...
By the way, Slipstream gained a further 12 seconds over Tinkoff in the last
4,000 metres. Their particular build-up to this stage (and the other challenges
against the clock) seemingly paid off. Curiously Slipstream didn't check the
parcours prior to 0100 PM today. But that wasn't much of a problem to the
current race leaders.
1630 CEST - CSF Group Navigare are in the
saddle too. The former Panaria are racing with one rider less than all other
teams, as Argentina's Max Richeze was excluded from the race after news came
that he tested positive at a Circuite de la Sarthe stage a few weeks ago.
1634 CEST - Quick Step, the team of Paolo
Bettini but also today's only "home rider" Giovanni Visconti, crossed the
finishing line in 27'14". The fourth time to finish thus far.
Astana the late entry led by Levi Leipheimer. Photo ©
2008 Fotoreporter Sirotti
1635 CEST - Astana lost a few more seconds
to Slipstream by km. 19. The gap was up to 20 secs. Contador and teammates are
taking is (comparatively) easy. The guys are still all together. Less than 1k to
go for them now. Astana are on the final straight. They take on the last turn.
One more banner advertising a Czech-made car to goooo ... and here they are...
Their time was 27'01". They lost 29 seconds to unstoppable Slipstream. But
still, they managed to set the second best time, kicking Tinkoff down to stop
number three.
1639 CEST - Lampre and FDJ are in the saddle
too. And what has been called "CSC's B team" is gonna be soon. The Danish
Dynamite (so to speak) are lining up at the start. Here they go. Enjoy the ride,
dudes!
1640 CEST - In his first comments in front
of the RAI cameras, David Millar admitted that he ran out of gasoline in the
last portion of the stage. But he was happy that Vandevelde crossed the line
first.
1642 CEST - The Rabo-boys to the line: 27
minutes, 35 seconds. Poor time, poor place (9th). Only Cofidis did worse, and by
just two seconds.
1643 CEST - Lampre, led by legendary Marzio
Bruseghin, are doing fine instead: they were losing just eight seconds to
Slipstream at the first check. The boys in blue and fucsia averaged over 53kph
too.
1644 CEST - Seven teams have to take to the
start line: AG2R La Mondiale, Barloworld, High Road, Liquigas, Gerolsteiner,
Silence-Lotto and Di Luca's Team Lpr .
1645 CEST - AG2R are going now.
1647 CEST - Euskaltel to the line: 27'49".
The orange warriors are definitely NOT ITT specialists, they lost a good (BAD,
if looking from their perspective) 01'17" to Slipstream.
Francaise des Jeux ~ a hard day at the office last in the first stage.
Photo ©
2008 Fotoreporter Sirotti
1649 CEST - And, strange but true, some team
managed to do even worse than Cofidis at the first time check. It was another
French squad, FDJ, that got such accomplishment.
1650 CEST - Barlworld at the startline. High
Road will be next. Again, here are the current Top 5 places at the finish:
1. Slipstream Chipotle - 26'32"
2. Astana at 29"
3. Tinkoff at 33"
4. Quick Step at 42"
5. Milram - at 45"
1652 CEST - WOW! CSC made it to the first
check. AND GOT THE BEST TIME!! 11 Minutes 24 seconds. They were faster than
Slipstream by 8 seconds (at that point)! Did we say "B TEAM"? NOOOO WAY -
Expect a great battle in the second half of the parcours.
CSF Group-Navigare made it to the finish, but their time was basically as poor
as Euskaltel's (more or less).
1655 CEST - Cavendish and High Road are in
the saddle. They started their challenge about a minute ago.
Discuss this race and the sport with other cycling fans from around the world
on the Daily Peloton.com Forums
and Chat Room. Sponsor
the daily peloton & advertise your product or service to cyclists and cycling
fans on
www.dailypeloton.com -
contact us.
Stage 1 Start Time
15.30 Milram
15.35 Tinkoff
15.40 Cofidis
15.45 Saunier Duval-Scott
15.50 Diquigiovanni-Androni
15.55 Caisse d’Epargne
16.00 Slipstream
16.05 Quick Step
16.10 Astana
16.15 Rabobank
16.20 Euskaltel-Euskadi
16.25 CSF Group-Navigare
16.30 Lampre
16.35 Française des Jeux
16.40 CSC
16.45 AG2R La Mondiale
16.50 Barloworld
16.55 High Road
17.00 Liquigas
17.05 Gerolsteiner
17.10 Silence-Lotto
17.15 Lpr
| 
