93rd Giro d'Italia - Stage 20 Team & Rider Reactions
Comments and reactions to the final mountains stage:
Johann Tschopp, Cadel Evans, Cervélo's Carlos Sastre & Marcel Wyss, Saxo Bank's
Richie Porte and more...
© 210
Gazzetta dello Sport
2010 Giro d'Italia
Jersey Leaders - Stage 20
Maglia Rosa:
Ivan Basso Liquigas/Doimo
Maglia Rossa
Points:
Cadel Evans BMC Racing
KOM Maglia Verde:
Ivan Basso Liquigas/Doimo
U26 Maglia Bianca: Richie
Porte Saxo Bank
Team: Liquigas/Doimo
Stage 20 Live
Report
Bouygues Telecom
Johann Tschopp Tschopp, what a triumph!
Moved to tears on the line, Johann Tschopp began to realize the scope of his
achievement after his victory on stage as the best moment of his career. It
deciphers the reasons for his comeback.
Were very excited on the line, what did you think
of?
I'm not afraid to say, I cried. I thought about my son and my wife. It was
really very emotional, I had a great great day. I still can not find the words.
On knowing Vinokourov and Sastre were chasing him...
I was never discouraged. But I knew I must escape because in the fight, they are
stronger than me. I looked and I saw that Sastre is not strong, I let Vino ride
because he has a debt to me. In 2007 at the Tour de France, I'm alone in
front during the 15th stage, he returned to me before taking the stage. Later,
he was caught for doping. Anyway, I was focused on the job. Then, Simoni
attacked, I had the legs to follow. I felt that I was good because I like the
altitude. The Italians resent me because I did not let him win. But hey, he won
many races, not me ... (Laughs)
The descent?
The descent is my thing, I do a lot of mountain biking and cyclo cross. I knew
that was where I could make the difference. I did not take any risks, I was calm
and sure of myself. Secondly, it was a waking dream, the greatest moment of my
career when a real apotheosis. My dream was to win a big stage on a great ride.
I was really keen to show I can win by riding clean. Unfortunately, not everyone
is yet. I proved that by being clean, you could succeed on a big mountain stage,
it makes me very proud.
We felt you ramp up for some time...
The Plan de Corones -trial boosted my morale since I competed with the best.
(13th) My family came to see me during the rest day, it made me a very happy; I
was refreshed.
You seem to be reborn after a 2009 season
Last year, I really doubted, my season was very difficult. I was sick at the
Giro, everything went wrong.. Didier Rous supported me a lot, he got to
know me. He knows I do not need to ride a lot, I need to see my family; but that
does not prevent me from being very professional. So this season, he gave me a
program that suited me very well with a lot of recovery. Today, all the hard
work has paid off.
Lampre/Farnese Vini
Righi & Simoni Protagonists in the mountains
Two blue-fucsia protagonists with Gilberto Simoni and Daniele Righi; the two
blue-fucsia athletes tried to join the various breakaway attempts that
characterized the early part of the race: Righi was at the front of the race in
the beginning kilometres, and was joined on Passo d'Eira and on Foscagno climb
by Simoni and Cunego, who later went back to the pink jersey group.
On the Gavia it was Simoni's turn to search for the glory: riding with Johan
Tschopp, Lampre-Farnese Vini's climber reached the Cima Coppi with a good
advantage on the other attackers, but he was preceded by the Austrian cyclist in
the final meter.
In the downhill Simoni was caught by the pink jersey bunch, but Righi gave
his best joining with Karpets in an outstanding action by Vinokourov: until 2 km
to go, Righi battled for the victory but then he had to surrender to Tschopp
(winner) and to the battle between Evans, Scarponi and Basso.
Righi reached the arrival in 9th position at 57" to Tschopp, while Simoni was
32nd at 6'50"; Cunego, after the breakaway attempts, crossed the finish line in
13th position at 1'39". In the overall standing, Cunego is 11th at 16'45".
Cadel Evans
I had a go at bridging to the remainder of the break in the final, but left my
run some 15 seconds too late. Second place for me today.... Tomorrow, a 15k
individual time trial. A strange and intense distance for the close of a
mountainous three weeks stage race. All being 'normal', Basso has a safe enough
lead to hold onto pink.
BMC Racing
Cadel Evans Secures Points Jersey with Attack
With an impressive attack in the last three kilometers, Cadel Evans of the BMC
Racing Team made up 13 seconds on the race lead and finished second on
Saturday's stage at the Giro d'Italia.
Cadel Evans
"I was trying to close the gap toward fourth and third on GC and possibly
get the stage win. Tomorrow, the goal is the same as usual: to go from the start
line to the finish line as fast as I can."
BMC Racing Team President Jim Ochowicz
said Evans's attack was well-planned. "It guaranteed his victory in the points
jersey, which is something he had in mind, as well as moving closer to a podium
position."
Team Saxo Bank
Richie Porte Advances to 6th
Saxo Bank's Richie Porte did another fantastic stage by following the leaders
until the very last kilometers of the demanding mountain stage. The young Aussie
is now sixth overall.
Richie Porte on the Maglia Bianca...
“This is incredible. I haven't really allowed myself to think about this huge
achievement until now. The last three weeks have been a fantastic journey for me
and for the whole team. Actually, I am just happy to hang out with experienced
and great riders on our team. On top of that, I have achieved something I
previously would never even dream of. Tomorrow's TT suits me but it will be
interesting to see what's left in the legs after three weeks of extreme racing
but there is no pressure on my shoulders at all and I will enjoy the last stage
of the race.”
D.S. Dan Frost.
”I was a bit nervous on the first climb where Richie (Porte) was dropped and had
a gap of 30 seconds. But as the stage progressed he found his pace which the
Liquigas-team kept for him all the way to Passo Gavia. On the final climb, his
spirit was high and that restored his energy level. Naturally, we are very
content with we now have in the bag and if he loses a little ground tomorrow, it
won't spoil our mood at all.”
Cervélo TestTeam
Sastre & Wyss On the Attack!
Carlos Sastre and
Marcel Wyss got away in the15-man breakaway. Sastre was eventually caught with
about 4 km to go, and slipped down to eighth overall at 8:55 back, but the 2008 Tour de
France winner had no regrets about playing all his cards in the five-climb stage
over the legendary Gavia climb.
Carlos Sastre...
“After winning the Tour and being on different podiums, often among the top-10,
it was worth the risk. It was the only option we had to be able to try something
different, so we tried it from very far to seek the maximum,” said Sastre, who
was whisked away by helicopter following the stage.
“We started with the maximum
ambitions, but it’s difficult in this Giro to find riders who will work well
together. Without a lot of communication between us (peleton), we were not able
to achieve very much. I am pleased to have tried and have fought to the end of
this Giro, which Liquigas has controlled from the beginning to end.”
Wyss drove the breakaway over the snow-bound Cat. 1 Forcola climb midway through
the stage to assure it would stay clear. Sastre later attacked over the Passo di
Gavia climb – the highest point in this year’s Giro at 2618m – but was reeled in
with 4 km to go.
Cervélo sport director Alex Sans Vega...
“There are not a lot of riders in the peloton who would do what Carlos did
today. That’s the kind of rider he is. We didn’t want to leave this race without trying and we were the brave
ones today. That’s our style to race. Carlos went for everything. We had nothing
to lose. What he did today and what the entire team did, it’s hat’s off to
them.”
Tondo & Rasch Abandon
Sastre led Cervélo in the stage with 27th at 3:40 back. Cervélo’s Xavier Tondo
(ESP) and Gabriel Rasch (NOR) both abandoned during the stage, the first two
Cervélo riders to leave the Giro.
“Tondo was taking antibiotics since the second week of this Giro and Gabriel was
feeling the fatigue of three hard weeks of racing. It’s normal, this Giro has
been very difficult,” Sans Vega said. “They have given everything during this
race, and they both worked hard in the beginning of today’s stage to make sure
we had our men in the breakaway.”
Marcel Wyss
Wyss was especially proud to be in the decisive move. The Swiss climber often
trains on these climbs and was motivated to show what he had in the final
challenging stage in what’s been a very successful grand tour debut.
“I am
really proud about today. When we passed the Swiss border, we had nobody in the
break, so I attacked. It’s my country. It was my time. Then, shortly after,
Carlos came to us. I stayed 110 percent until the middle of the Gavia, and then
just made it to the finish,” Wyss said. “We did all the work in the break. The
other guys let us do the work.”
The pair attacked on the first of five climbs in the last hard mountain stage of
the 2010 Giro to form a 15-rider group as the race tackled the snowbound climbs
along the Swiss-Italian border. Wyss did great work pacing Sastre up the Cat. 1
Forcola climb to open up a 1:47 gap to the maglia rosa group at 72km. There’s
too much respect in the peloton to let Sastre get too far up the road, however,
and Liquigas quickly put its men on the front of the main pack to trim the
difference.
No Help in the Break...
“Today we wanted to have someone in the breakaway. First, Wyss went, then Carlos
attacked on the Livigno. If Liquigas would have given us more time, we went for
the stage with Wyss and the GC with Carlos,” Sans Vega said.
“It’s difficult when there’s a super-team like Liquigas. If they didn’t
have this super team, things might have been different. No one helped us in the
breakaway. Wyss was doing all the work in the break, making the gap 1 minute, 2
minutes. Bbox had two riders in the break, they didn’t do anything to help, and
they end up winning the stage. Cycling is like that sometimes.”
Alex
Sans Vega on the final time trial in Verona
“The last time trial is always one of strength. Everyone will be tired at
the end of three weeks, so specialists don’t have such an advantage. If Ignatas
(LIT-Konovalovas) feels good, he’ll try to win. And Carlos never does a bad time
trial, either. You have to fight until the last day of a grand tour, because you never
know what can happen. Last year, no one expected Ignatas to win the final time
trial in Rome.”
Giles Belbin's
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