They way that Ivan Basso scampered up the final climb in Stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia leaves little doubt why he's favored to win the bike race this year.
Basso — what's he called, the Smiling Assassin — is a strong climber, decent time trial racer, and has adopted the high revolution spinning style of Lance Armstrong. Also, Basso rides for an excellent team — Team CSC — with one of the best managers, former Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis.
No wonder Armstrong changed his mind about who he's favoring as winner of the Tour de France — Basso over T-Mobile's Jan Ullrich. VeloNews says Basso could become the 13th cyclist to win both the Giro and the Tour de France.
Basso's Stage 8 win Sunday also puts him in the leader's pink jersey, one-minute and 34-seconds ahead of nearest challenger Jose Gutierrez, 1:48 ahead of Damiano Cunego, and 2:35 ahead of last year's winner Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery).
Basso's win on the first mountainous stage of the Giro reflects another Armstrong strength, according to CyclingNews, attacking and winning on the first hard climb to put some distance over other competitors early in the three-week bicycle race.
The Italian cyclist could have used a wider margin than that last year, however, as he was felled by illness part way through the race.
Sunday's stage included two climbs midway in the 106-mile bike ride between Civitanova Marche – Maielletta before the final 7.4-mile climb. Ten riders, mostly all the leaders, had joined a group at the front as the climb started.
Team CSC's Carlos Sastre did what he could to split the group, then Cunego attacked with 2.5 miles to the finish line and briefly got ahead of Basso, who reeled him in, then accelerated away. Cunego finished 30 seconds later, followed at 45 seconds by Gutierrez.
Savoldelli finished 2 minutes and 20 seconds behind Basso, explaining that he went into the red zone early in the climb. Teammate Tom Danielson helped his teammate limit his losses.
Monday's Giro stage along the Adriatic coast is fairly flat, benefitting the sprinters. It's unlikely to result in major changes in the overall classification.
More results and reviews at CyclingNews and VeloNews. Also watch the Giro live video streaming at OLN's website or broadcasts from 5-7 p.m. (ET) Sundays at OLN.
Recent Comments