Team Liquigas must have loved Stage 18, as cyclist Eros Capecchi won the team's first victory at the 2011 Giro d'Italia in San Pellegrino Terme.
The 25-year-old joined a 15 to 20 man breakaway that developed more than halfway through the 151km (94 miles) race, then joined the three-man break that survived to the finish.
Meanwhile, overall leader Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) relaxed in the peloton with a 4:58 lead over his closest rival, Michele Scarponi (Lampre).
The race from Morbegno to San Pellegrino Terme was mostly flat, except for a Category 2 climb — Pallo di Ganda — that topped out 30km from the finish.
That's where Capecchi, Macro Pinotti (HTC Highroad), and Kevin Seeldrayers (Quickstep) attacked the other members of the breakaway. From the summit they had a mostly downhill run to the end of the stage.
With nearly a 2-minute gap to a chase group, the three men in the front predictably played a game of cat and mouse. Pinotti was stuck in front of the trial and couldn't flick the others off.
Capecchi attack within the final 200 meters and took the win.
Friday's Stage 19 is another summit finish on a Category 3 climb, preceded by a Category 1 slope.
Top 5
overall
1. Alberto Contador
(Saxo)
2. Michele Scarponi (Lampre) – 4:58
3. Vincenzo
Nibali (Liquigas) – 5:45
4. John Gadret (AG2R) –
7:35
5. Kanstantsin Sivtsov – 9:12
See all
the results at
Giro d'Italia
website.
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