Italy's Ivan Basso, right, surged up the steepest climb at this year's Giro d'Italia to win Stage 15 atop Monte Zolcolan on Sunday and leap-frog eight other cyclists into 3rd place.
Overall leader David Arroyo survived in the maglia rosa, although his days at the front appear numbered. Tuesday marks the beginning of the Giro's final hellish week highlighted by two high mountain stages and an individual time trial.
Basso, a 32-year-old Liquigas rider, slipped away from the leader's group along with Australia's Cadel Evans and Italy's Michele Scarponi. Basso and Evans dropped Scarponi, then paced each other for a few miles of the climb up Monte Zolcolan, an awesome 6-mile finish that rises 4,000 feet at an average 11% slope.
Basso steady
Along the way, the pair passed the final three members of a six-man breakaway that at one time had more than a 9-minute gap on the peloton.
With about 2 miles to go on the climb, Basso steadily began pulling away from Evans. The BMC cyclist was in and out of the saddle as he struggled to keep up on the steepest parts of the climb, which kicked up to 18% in places.
Basso never broke cadence as he weaved through the cheering crowds along the way and passed through a narrow tunnel before the finish line. It was his first stage win at the Giro since 2006, when he won the championship. Basso spent much of 2007 and 2008 on suspension in connection with a doping case (he never admitted to doping, but did say he made contacts with the intention of doping).
Re-gaining time
Basso gained 3:51 on overall leader Arroyo, the 11th cyclist to cross the finish line. The Caisse d'Epargne cyclist lost time to such early favorites as Evans, Michele Scarponi (Androni), Damiano Cunego (Lampre), Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana), Carlos Sastre (Cervelo), Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas), and Marco Pinotti (HTC-Columbia). Richie Porte (Saxo Bank) survived in 2nd place overall.
Porte and Arroyo were members of a breakaway on Wednesday that gained an amazing 12:30 on the early favorites for General Classification victory. Either of the two have worn the leader's jersey for the past four stages.
Cyclists like Vinokourov (who was in the maglia rosa on Stage 11), Evans, Basso, Sastre and Nibali have used the past two mountain stages to regain the massive time losses they suffered that day.
Day of rest Monday
Stage 15 on Sunday was a 137-mile bike race from Mestre to Zolcolan. There were four mountain climbs in all, and Liquigas rode at the front of the peloton most of the day with a breakaway out front.
Monday is a rest day, and the final stages begin Tuesday. The race ends next Sunday in Verona.
More race details and rankings at CyclingNews and VeloNews.
Top 10 overall
1. David Arroyo, Caisse d'Epargne
2. Richie Porte, Saxo Bank – 2:35
3. Ivan Basso, Liquigas – 3:33
4. Carlos Sastre, Cervelo – 4:21
5. Cadel Evans, BMC – 4:43
6. Alexandre Vinokourov, Astana – 5:51
7. Vincenzo Nibali, Liquigas – 6:08
8. Michele Scarponi, Androni – 6:34
9. Linus Gerdemann, Milram – 7:12
10. Robert Kiserlovski, Liquigas – 8:13
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