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FEATURES: BEING THERE: MILAN-SANREMO, PART ONE
Tim Maloney
March 20, 2011
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On a mild Saturday morning in front of the Castello Sforzsesco in the heart of Milano, 200 riders gathered for the 102nd edition of La Classicissima, the opening classic of the 2011 season. In a traditional rite of spring for Italian cycling, media scrummed and thousands of tifosi mingled in an unabashed love fest of cycling, as Italian fans thronged in front of the 15th century castle looking for their favorite riders before the 300 kilometer jaunt to Sanremo, the city pf flowers on the Italian Riviera.
Japanese champion Takashi Miyazawa (Farnese Vini) was clearly moved by the support of the Milano-Sanremo peloton for the Japanese earthquake victims. Miyazawa is wearing a Japanese flag that was signed by all of the riders in the race and will eventually be auctioned off to help earthquake victims
Lampre's chief mechanic Enrico Pengo performs a last minute check of two-time junior world champion Diego Ulissi's Wilier Cento1 SLR before Milano-Sanremo. Pengo told Road Bike Action "I always do a final check of the shifting before the riders go to the race start. Even if the bike is perfectly adjusted, I just want to be certain."
Pengo puts some Morgan Blue race oil on the chain of Alessandro Petacchis's custom Wilier Cento1 SLR moments before the start of Milano-Sanremo. Petacchis's bikes are always custom geometry with a long top tube and a 140 stem for his low sprinters position.
Specialized's Simone Taccafondi (L) and Chris D'Alusio proudly display Specialized's new aero bike, the McLaren Venge. Specialized's pro team guy Taccafondi said "We are debuting the McLaren Venge at Milano-Sanremo with nine Specialized sponsored riders, across our three ProTeams, HTC, Astana and Saxo Bank." Later that day, the Specialized crew had a big celebration as HTC's Matt Goss brought home the win in Sanremo for McLaren Venge on it's first race test.
"Forza Cavendish…sei grande!" (translation: Go Cavendish…you are great!). Although he didn't repeat as Milano-Sanremo champ this year, HTC's Mark Cavendish is one of the one of the most popular riders in the peloton. At the start of Milano-Sanremo at the Castello Sforzsesco, an elegantly attired Italian tifoso chats with Cav, who lives in Italy's Tuscany region.
Movistar sprinter Fran Ventoso's Pinarello Dogma 60.1. Campagnolo has equipped the Spanish squad with it's "experimental" EPS (Electronic Power System) 11 speed electric groupset and Ventoso has already picked up two wins on the system at the Tour Down Under in Australia and Ruta del Sol in Spain. Note the white cloth tied under the saddle in support of Japanese earthquake victims.
Close up of the Campagnolo EPS 11 speed electronic groupset. Note the Campy Tech Lab logos, the first time the Italian component manufacturer has ever branded any products as"Campy". A Movistar mechanic told RoadBikeAction "The battery is very reliable and lasts at least one month before charging. The battery charge takes about an hour and has a LED light that shows how much charge remains. So far, our riders are very happy with the system."
Unlike the Shimano Di2 system, the Campagnolo EPS 11 speed groupset uses curved gear levers on the inside of brake hoods, similar to Campagnolo non-electronic 11 speed shifters. Campagnolo EPS also offers progressive shifting, an improvement over the sequential Shimano Di2 system.
Ag2r mechanic Greg Bucci shows off Rinaldo Nocentini's Kuota KOM Evo before Milano-Sanremo, featuring Reynolds RZR 46 Team wheels making their classics debut. |
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