93rd Giro d'Italia - Stage 8
Chris Anker Sörensen adds his name to the palmares of the
Terminillo - arriving on the summit solo for the best win of his pro career...
© 210
Gazzetta dello Sport
2010 Giro d'Italia
Jersey Leaders - Stage 8
Maglia Rosa: Alexander Vinokourov
Maglia Rossa: Tyler Farrar
Garmin/Transitions
KOM: Matthew Lloyd Omega Pharma/Lotto
U26: Richie
Porte Saxo Bank
Team: Saxo Bank
Giro d'Italia
- Big Mountains
25 year old Chris Anker Sörensen attacked on the final 6 kilometers out of
the 17 man escape that animated the stage and won solo riding through the fog on
the summit of the Terminillo.
24 year old Simone Stortoni (Colnago/CSF Inox) finished second at
30 seconds. Cervélo's climber Xavier Tondo who attacked out of the Maglia Rosa
group with 4 km to go was next to finish having passed escapees Petrov both
Gadret and Petrov to take third only six seconds off Stortoni's pace.
The last survivor of the break Evgeny Petrov of Katusha and
Ag2r's John Gadret filled out the top 5 ahead of Damiano Cunego who led the
favorites to the finish just four seconds short of a minute.
This is Sörensen most prestigious win in his 3 year pro career, delivering
the first win at the Giro for Saxo Bank who he started signed with in 2007; his
first since the Japan Cup last year.
After the tough stage yesterday the battle of the Terminillo was one of
attrition with the favorites arriving on the climb together as the break of 17
did with a 3 minute lead. The Lampre team got in 4 hours of TV exposure for
their sponsors leading the chase throughout the day with four riders on the
front.
Race leader Alexander Vinokourov isolated on the latter part of the
climb playing a defensive game as Damiano Cunego testing the legs of Vino, Cadel
Evans et al with most content to chase down any with any chance of moving
up the ranks.
Carlos Sastre again had a tough day losing more time dropping out of the
Maglia Rosa group in the final 6 kilometers of the climb; Sastre finished 27th
losing a minute to the favorites. Garmin's David Millar also had an off day on
the steeps of the Terminillo finishing 129th at 17:55, now in 33rd place.
Stage 8 Chianciano Terme - Monte Terminillo 189 km
The big news at the start to day was overnight rain and snow on the summit of
the Terminillo. Out of the gate it was the Omega Pharma/Lotto team leading the
parade out of town and into the opening kilometers of the first of the Giro's
climbing festivals.
17 km into the stage Andrea Masciarelli suffering from his crash on Friday
pulled the plug on his race, 3 km later Lampre's sprinter Alessandro Petacchi
who had to give up his mission of adding to this 22 Giro victories this year due
to bronchitis.
graphic © 210 Gazzetta dello Sport
Escapes were tried but none had any success as the peloton started the first
climb of the day started; Cat. 3 Valico Di Monte Nibbio after 36 km. over the
summit current mountain king Omega Pharma's Matthew Lloyd took the points
explaining the strong presences of his team on the front. Ag2r's Yuriy Krivtsov
and Androni's Jose Carlos Ochoa took the remaining mtn. points.
An attack on the descent by Androni's Jackson Rodriguez set the race in
action, he's quick to open a gap of a minute with 139 km to go... The pusuit for
Rodriguez splits the peloton in two as Cummings and Kruijwijk attempt to bridge
to the Venezuelan. The two riders are caught within 5 km; but the damage is done
with the second group of half the riders one minute back.
split peloton is separated by a minute as the chase continues. It's all too
much for Acqua & Sapone rider Francesco Masciarelli who abandons.
An attack of 12 riders opened a gap at the 78 km marker and are followed by a
counter of 5. The two groups merge and open a gap of over two minutes with 100
km to go. The Lampre/Farnese Vini blue and fucsia jerseys dominate the front of
the peloton pegging the gap back to 1:30.
The 17 on the front include: Bbox duo Johan Tschopp and Thomas Voeckler, Team
SKY's Chris Froome and Steven Cummings, David Moncoutie (Cofidis),
Colnago's Simone Stortoni, Jackson Rodriguez (Androni Giocattoli), Caisse
d'Epargne's Rigoberto Uran; and...
Matthais Brandle (Footon/Servetto), Rabobank's Steven Krujiswijk, Katusha's
Dimitri Petrov, Chris Anker Sorensen (Saxo Bank), Tunarrosa Sarmiento (Acqua &
Sapone), Anthony Ravard and Sebastien Hinault (Ag2r La Mondiale), and Addy
Engels (Quick Step).
The abandon's continued with Milram's Fabian Wegmann, Rabobank's Dmitry
Kozontchuk and BMC's John Murphy abandoning the race.
4 Lampre's on the front with Astana tucked in with Vino... Through the sprint
in Terni with 60 km to go our 17 are led by Hinault, Brandle and Sorensen with a
gap of 2:15
Over the Cat. 3 Marmore with 50 km to go Hinault takes the max points,
followed by Jackson Rodriguez and Tommy Voeckler. The group of 17 continued to
work well together as the blu and Fucsia riders continued to dominate the chase
keeping the gap at 2:15.
On the approach to the Terminillo the escapees doubled their efforts as
Thomas Voeckler took long pulls on the front opening the gap to 3:20 on the
peloton. Behind Milram joined the Lampre's on the front.
With 15 km to go our optimists looked good with a gap of 2:40 as Hinault,
Voeckler and Sorensen led on the climb. The pace put Rodriguez, Tschopp and
Froome in difficulty as Anthony Ravard followedout the back... the gap
fell to 1:45; but no worries, this is always the place where optimism and
reality meet.
The winners will repeat Possiamo farcela (We can do it) and the
nay sayers will say it can be done and those rung out by the road will claim "CHISSENEFREGA" ("who really cares about
it?")
Behind the Lampre riders continued to lead as the peloton started to shed
riders out the back with a group of 45 riders following - Vinokourov, down to
two support riders.
An attack by. Simone Stortoni at 10 km to go reduced the group of 14 to 8 riders,
with 1:50 on the Vinokourov group that was having its own attrition even faster
attrition; now only 14
riders as they picked up and dropped some of the former escapees.
Chris Sorensen joined Stortoni on the quest with Petrov and Sarmiento
fighting to return at 8 seconds and the others at 24. Behind Michele Scarponi
attacked the leaders opening a gap of 30 seconds, it takes a minute for a
reaction, but he is chased down.
With just over 5 km to go Sorensen attacked Stortoni as the peloton closed in
on the escapees to 1:30. Scarponi goes again, Basso reels in Scarponi's attack. Cunego
immediately charges up the right side of the road from the right on the counter
attack Garzelli jumps to join the 'little prince' but Nibali and Basso shut
down the move... Sastre goes off the back on the acceleration reducing the maglia
rosa group to 13.
A counter attack with 4 km to go for Xavier Tondo proved more successful as
he quickly caught and passed the raiders ahead of him.
Sorensen has opened a gap on Stortoni and was campaigning for a solo victory
as Stortoni, and Petrov fought to deny the chase. Meanwhile the leaders are
absorbing the riders who lost Sorensen's wheel.
Sorensen looked deep in concentration on the climb purging the pain with each
revolution of his wheels with 2 km to go he had 22 seconds on his only rival for
the victory at this poiit Simone Stortoni.
Entering the final km Sorensen is back out of the saddle surrounded in the
thick fog of the summit with a look of determined exhaustion.
Sorensen emerged out of the fog on the summit to the cheers of the
tifosi taking a stunning solo victory,
smiling and raising both hands over his head as he went under the finish
banners.
Behind a the attacks in the leaders group were over as a watchful peace was
reached as they raced to the summit.
Tomorrow's stage from Avellino to Bitonto over 230 kilometers
will be a fight between the stage hunters and the sprinters as our top ten
riders try to have an easy day after they have approved the selection of
optimists that will be given an opportunity of to beat the sprinters into the
finish in Bitonto town. You can read a more detailed preview in
Giles Belbin's
Parcours Preview Week 2.
Stage 8 Results
Chianciano Terme - Monte Terminillo
8189 km - 4:50:48- 38.995 km/h.
1 Chris Anker Sörensen Saxo Bank 4:50:48
2 Simone Stortoni Colnago/CSF Inox 0:30
3 Tondo Volpini Xavier Esp Cervello TestTeam 0:36
4 Petrov Evgeni Rus Katusha
0:49
5 John Gadret Ag2r La Mondiale
0:55
6 Damiano Cunego Lampre/Farnese Vini 0:56
7 Stefano Garzelli Acqua & Sapone/d'Angelo 0:56
8 Vinokourov Alexandre Astana 0:56
9 Evans Cadel BMC Racing 0:56
10 Basso Ivan Liquigas/Doimo 0:56
11 Nibali Vincenzo Liquigas/Doimo 0:56
12 Scarponi Michele Androni Giocattoli 0:56
13 Mollema Bauke Rabobank 0:56
14 Pozzovivo Domenico Colnago/d'Angelo 1:12
15 Kiserlovski Robert Liquigas/Doimo 1:16
General Classification After Stage 8
1 Vinokourov Alexandre Kaz Astana 29:01:26
2 Evans Cadel Aus BMC Racing 1:12
3 Nibali Vincenzo Ita Liquigas/Doimo 1:33
4 Basso Ivan Ita Liquigas/Doimo 1:51
5 Pinotti Marco Ita Thr HTC Columbia 2:17
6 Porte Richie Aus Saxo Bank 2:26
7 Karpets Vladimir Rus Katusha 2:34
8 Garzelli Stefano Ita Asa Acqua & Sapone 2:47
9 Cunego Damiano Ita Lamre/Farnese Vini 3:08
10 Scarponi Michele Ita Androni Giocattoli 3:09
11 Arroyo Duran David Esp Caisse d'Epargne 4:22
12 Kiserlovski Robert Cro Liquigas/Doimo 4:25
13 Agnoli Valerio Ita Liquigas/Doimo 4:42
14 Weening Pieter Ned Rabobank 5:42
15 Mollema Bauke Ned Rabobank 6:05
Giles Belbin's
Parcours Preview Week 1
Giles Belbin's
Parcours Preview Week 2
93rd Giro
d'Italia - Favorites Preview
2010 Giro
d'Italia Team & Rider Start List
2010 Giro
d'Italia - At a Glance
93rd Giro
d'Italia - Start List
Stage 5 Report
Stage 6 Report
Stage 7 Report
After Stage
Interviews
Celebrating our tenth year!
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