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LATEST FEATURES: LIVE FROM LAKE COMO: KING OF PLAN DE CORONES
Gregor Brown
May 27, 2010
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(Photo: Roberto Bettini)
The battle between Cadel Evans and Ivan Basso dominated the Giro d'Italia headlines Tuesday at the top of the Plan de Corones climb, but someone else won the stage: Stefano Garzelli of team Acqua & Sapone.
Garzelli finished the 12.9-kilometer mountain time trial in 41 minutes and 28 seconds. Garzelli is same the bald-headed climber who was Marco Pantani's domestique in 1998 and 1999, though then he had hair dyed blond, and who went on to win the Giro d'Italia for himself in 2000.
The Italian, now 36 years old, looked destroyed when he crossed the line 2273 meters up in the Dolomite mountains and 1086 meters higher than from where he started, in San Vigilio. His trainer put his arm around Garzelli and helped him continue to the team's recovery area.
He got his first telephone call of congratulations there from his wife at their home in Valencia, Spain, and his children, one named Marco after his former team captain.
 Garzelli gets his crown (Photo: Roberto Bettini)
"I don't know how to even begin to describe what I accomplished," told the press that had gathered afterwards. "All I can say is that in the last kilometer I had goose bumps. And they are still with me. That has never happened."
Plan de Corones has a complicated past. Organizer RCS Sport first tried to include the hard-packed gravel climb in 2006 at the end of a road stage, but snow meant that the stage had to conclude at the Passo Furcia.
Hoping to avoid complications, it was re-introduced as a mountain time trial in 2008. It was a success, fans were able to sit along the climb all the way up to the top, enjoying the race and the panoramic view of the valleys below. RCS Sport was anxious to re-use the climb and inserted it into this year's race following the second rest day.
Garzelli was thankful. After a career of 14 years, he won his first time trial. How, though, did he beat riders, like Evans and Basso, who are at their peak and poised to win the Giro d'Italia?
 Garzelli on his way to victory (Photo: Roberto Bettini)
"I managed myself well up to the Passo Furcia, in the last 300 meters I hardly even pedaled, I slowed down. Then, I gave it all I had using the easiest gearing I had, a 34x29," Garzelli continued. "I was calm because I had nothing to lose. Whereas, the guys going for the overall might have been under some amount of stress not to make a mistake."
"In the last years, it has become harder and harder to win, however, I usually go well after rest days. In 2006, I finished third on the Alpe d'Huez behind Fränk Schleck and Damiano Cunego, for example."
The win capped what has been a successful career so far for Garzelli: the Giro d'Italia in 2000, the Tour de Suisse in 1998 and Tirreno-Adriatico this year. Plan de Corones wasn't his only success at the Giro d'Italia since 2000, either, in 2007, he won two stages and last year, he won the green jersey of best climber.
When will he stop?
"It's hard to say. I have made a lot of scarifies and I have been away from my wife and kids for long periods. However, I think I can still ride at least another season at the top. I will still be in the group in 2011."
And maybe he will take another beautiful stage win. |
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