89th Giro d'Italia Stage 1 - Team Comments
Counting your losses or gains in seconds... Team CSC, Lampre/Fondital, Phonak Hearing Systems and T-mobile comments... Photos

Discovery Channel's  Paolo Savoldelli became the man to beat out of the favorites today throwing the gauntlet down on the first day out of the gate. Setting a fast time that had him taking ten seconds out of the favorites, he went to bed in the same color jersey he wore on his way home from the finish at the Giro last year.

"Paolo at work"     Photo c. Fotoreporter Sirotti

Team CSC
Basso and Voigt Just Outside Top 10
Ivan Basso was not exactly off to a flying start in the 6.2-kilometer first stage of this year's Giro d'Italia. The time trial with start and finish in the Belgian city of Seraing resulted in a 13th place for the Team CSC captain as well as a time loss of 23 seconds to last year's winner, Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel.) Savoldelli took the stage with a solid lead of 11 seconds to Bradley McGee (Francaise des Jeux) in second place.

Jens Voigt and Carlos Sastre were also in the top 20. The German rider was 14th - two seconds after Basso, while Sastre was 18th a further two seconds behind.

Ivan Basso"
”I had hoped for more, but I wouldn't exactly say I'm disappointed. Realistically I'd expected to be about four or five seconds faster, but I guess today wasn't my day. But there are a lot of tough stages ahead, and I'm not worried about the time I lost to Savoldelli today. It's plain to see that he's in great shape, but at the same time he is a specialist in this particular discipline. The Giro is rolling now and there's still a very very long way to Milan,” said Ivan Basso after the stage.

Bjarne Riis
”I have to take my hat off to Savoldelli, who was truly in a class of his own today. Like Ivan I'd also hoped for more from him, but there's no reason to panic. I know how hard he has worked to get ready for the Giro, and on the positive side of things at least we can spare the team a bit in the beginning, which will definitely prove an advantage later on,” said Bjarne Riis.

Kisses from the Miss's for "Paolo in Pink"  photo c. Fotoreporter Sirotti

Saunier Duval/Prodir
Team Directeur Sportif Matteo Algeri was pleased with the performance of his riders and said that Gilberto Simoni pleasantly surprised the team with his fast performance in the prologue today. The work in the wind tunnels and which helped in the design of Gibo's Scott Plasma showed the improvement in Gilberto's smoothness on the bike and improved aero position landing only 25 seconds away from Discovery's Savoldelli.
Marco Pinotti, Italian time trial champion was not totally satisfied with his day but is off to a good start for the Giro finishing at 39 seconds.
Peter Mazur finished at :56 in 107th place , and Aaron Olson (174th at 1:17) both performed well in their debut performances in a Grand Tour time trial. All bodes well for the team of Gibo for the Team Time trial that is crucial to controlling time in advance of the climbs in the third week.

Lampre/Fondital
Sun, hot, for a few minutes a pouring rain, a lot of people and a huge amount of times recorded. All for 6,2 kms of race. This is how the stage 1 individual time trial of the Giro d'Italia 2006, in a positive day for Lampre-Fondital, especially considering the results of the whole team.

Patxi Vila (37th at :37) second to Floyd Landis at Paris Nice; commented after his ride, "It was hard, the parcours was short so you had to ride fast all the time, with a short but intense effort". Photo courtesy Lampre/Fondital

The best Lampre-Fondital's rider was Marzio Bruseghin ("I'll ride as fast as possible" had said on the eve), 11th at 20" from the winner Savoldelli. Savoldelli covered the track in 7'50", and the others ended well with short reciprocal gaps: Damiano Cunego recorded the time of 8'15, finishing in 15th place.

These are the times recorded by the Lampre-Fondital's cyclists:
  11. Bruseghin con 8'10"
  15. Cunego con 8'15"
  32. Stangelj con 8'25"
  37. Vila con 8'26
  49. Petrov con 8'30"
  67. Szmyd con 8'35"
  68. Valjavec con 8'36"
135. Tiralongo con 8'54"
178. Fornaciari con 9'10"
 

Stefan Schumacher photo c. Fotoreporter Sirotti

Gerolsteiner with "Super prologue"
Stefan Schumacher Fourth and Best German Rider
Rebellin Ninth only 18 seconds away from Pink.
Which for a prelude for the team Gerolsteiner. Stefan Schumacher as the fourth and Davide Rebellin (place nine) gave the Eifel Equipe equal on the first stage 89. Giro d'Italia two Top ten placements and ensured in such a way on Saturday for a start after measure into the first Grand Tour of the pro route season.

"a super-prologue. It was completely worthwhile to study the course in detail. I hoped for a place in the top ten. But it went so well, it surprised me a little. Mainly, I am absolutely contented", explained the 24 years old Schumacher with the best time for German riders for the day.

Schumacher was only separated from third place and a podium position by José Enrique Gutierrez (SpainPhonak) - and only 13 seconds from last years winner Paolo Savoldelli (Italy, Discovery Channel).

After this strong prologue,  the Gerolsteiner team have their eye on the Maglia Rosa in the near future. With bothe Schumacher and Davide Rebellin in 9th they are in striking distance of the jersey, "Why not," said Rebellin, "I am in good form and I will try."

Phonak Hearing Systems
Giant success for José Enriqué Gutierrez
With the third place for José Enriqué Gutierrez the prologue ended extremely successfully for the Phonak team. The 32 year old Spaniard underlined his form in the 6,2 km. "I felt very good from the start, and was able to increase and hold my cadence throughout.", stated Guitierrez. "My form was perfect, as I was able to prove in the Tour de Georgia." There Jose was 4th to team leader Floyd Landis and second for Phonak.

Team manager John Lelangue was very pleased with the prologue stating that the success of José Enrique Gutierrez for the team is a good sign for the team time trial that is coming and looks to an excellent performance for the team.

T-Mobile
Serhiy Honchar and Michael Rogers finished a strong fifth (+ 0’15)
and eigth ( 0’17) respectively.
Michael Rogers:
"I started well and went hard on the climb, which was a long drag. The descent was very fast. I reckon I must have clocked close to 80 km/h on the open stretch before the first roundabout. Ultimately, though, I must have lost a few seconds on the second half of the course, but eighth was an ok placing for me here in the Giro prologue”, said the reigning ITT World Champion.
“The legs felt good and I’m confident about my form for the next week anyway.“ Rogers’ team mate Olaf Pollack clocked another remarkable time (8’23), making him the best sprinter in 28th place.

Ulle, "...a tough course... I didn't give it a 100% today."
Photo c. Fotoreporter Sirotti

Jan Ullrich finished in 80th with a time of 8’39. "It was a tough course, the final bend after the descent in particular was a little dangerous. I didn’t give it a100 percent today“, the 32-year old said post-race, adding he is “happy that the Giro has started now”.

Sporting director Rudy Pevenage was content with the outcome of his team. “Two riders among the top ten – that’s no small feat. Olaf also rode strongly today and put himself in a good position fort he next days“.

Young Gun Rabon kicks off Giro
T-Mobile young gun Frantisek Rabon had the honour of kicking off the 89th Giro d’Italia, leaving the ramp on the “Place Communale” at 2:34 pm.
A hair pin bend and some hard corners made the course made the course trickier than it looked at first sight. The two and a half kilometre climb favoured those riders able to turn a big-gear, but who can also pedal at a high cadence.

The Czech rider came in after 9’00, nine seconds faster than his Australian team mate Scott Davis, who started at 14:56 pm. “I was slightly nervous“, admitted Rabon post-race. “After all, it’s my first Grand Tour".

Ullrich clocks 8’39
In perfect weather conditions – temperatures of 20 degrees on a sunny spring day – the riders set out on the course in one-minute intervals.
At 16:24 pm Ullrich took to the course. Using the demanding race as a build-up to the Tour de France, the T-Mobile captain was not looking for results and posted a time of 8’39, placing 25th, 39 seconds slower than the leader Francisco Perez (Illes Balears).

Strong magenta team
Olaf Pollack put in a surprisingly strong performance posting a time of 8’23, which moved him into 4th. , and eventually landed in 28th place. Some time later, his team mate Honchar, the 155th rider to leave the ramp, clocked the new best time with 8:05 Minutes, dethroning Spaniard Perez. Mick Rogers eventually rounded off the good magenta placings, when he came in after 8’07, temporarily placing 4th, after Schumacher had powered to first place.

La prima tappa
Sole, caldo, uno scroscio di pioggia, tanta gente e un mare di rilevamenti cronometrici. Il tutto per 6,2 km di gara a cronometro.
Ha preso così il via con una cronometro individuale il Giro d'Italia 2006, in una giornata che si è rivelata positiva per la Lampre-Fondital, anche considerando i risultati ottenuti dall'insieme dei corridori del team lombardo.
Il migliore della Lampre-Fondital è stato Marzio Bruseghin ("la farò a tutta" aveva confidato alla vigilia), 11° a 20" dal vincitore di giornata, ovvero Savoldelli. A parte quest'ultimo, che ha chiuso in 7'50", gli altri big della corsa hanno accumulato distacchi minimi tra loro: Damiano Cunego ha ben figurato, facendo segnare il tempo di 8'15" che gli è valso il 15^ posto. "Una crono da fare sempre in spinta- ha detto il veronese - Magari osando qualcosa anche in discesa".
Questo l'elenco completo dei tempi degli atleti della Lampre-Fondital:
Patxi Vila (in foto) ha così commentato questa prima tappa: "E' stata molto dura: essendo corto il percorso, bisogna spingere sempre, dando tutto in uno sforzo breve ma molto intenso".

Gerolsteiner mit "Super-Auftakt" - Schumacher in Seraing als Vierter bester Deutscher, Rebellin belegt Rang neun
Was für ein Auftakt für das Team Gerolsteiner. Stefan Schumacher als Vierter und Davide Rebellin (Platz neun) bescherten der Eifel-Equipe gleich auf der ersten Etappe des 89. Giro d'Italia zwei Topten-Platzierungen und sorgten so am Samstag für einen Start nach Maß in die erste dreiwöchige Rundfahrt der ProTour-Saison. "Ein Super-Auftakt. Es hat sich voll gelohnt, die Strecke genau zu studieren. Ich habe auf einen Platz unter den besten Zehn gehofft. Aber das es so gut läuft, überrascht mich ja dann schon ein bisschen. Auf jeden Fall bin ich absolut hochzufrieden", erklärte der 24 Jahre alte Schwabe, der bei dem 6,2 Kilometer langen Zeitfahren im belgischen Seraing bester Deutscher war.

Letztlich trennten Schumacher - zeitgleich mit dem Dritten José Enrique Gutierrez (Spanien/Phonak) - nur 13 Sekunden von Giro-Vorjahressieger Paolo Savoldelli (Italien/Discovery Channel). Der Italiener schlüpfte durch seinen Erfolg im Kampf gegen die Uhr auch ins Rosa Trikot des Spitzenreiters. Nach diesem starken Auftakt nun dürfen nun auch die Gerolsteiner ein bisschen mit dem "Maglia rosa" liebäugeln. "Na klar wirft man ein Auge auf das Trikot, wenn man nur so wenig Rückstand hat. Toll ist daher auch der neunte Platz von Davide. Er hat auch Chancen", sagte der Großbettlinger, der erstmals eine große Landesrundfahrt bestreitet. Und nach seinem tollen Einstand kündigte der Gerolsteiner-Profi in Sachen "Rosa" an: "Warum nicht. Ich bin gut drauf und werde es auf jeden Fall versuchen."