Last year the sprinters let Alessandro Petacchi's Fasso Bortolo team lead them to sprint finishes at the Giro d'Italia bike race; now it's “Ale-Jet's” new Team Milram leading the charge.
And like last year, the sprinters in Sunday's Stage 2 used their own tactics and speed to beat Petacchi to the finish.
Robbie McEwen, an Australian sprinter on Davitamon-Lotto, won the sprint, passing Olaf Pollack who had led him past Petacchi. Paolo Bettini finished third, Petacchi fourth.
Still in the leader's maglia rose jersey is last year's overall winner Paolo Savoldelli of Discovery.
La Gazzetta dello Sport wrote that Petacchi was angry after the race and reported his new Team Milram is not as strong as last year's Fasso Bortolo team. CyclingNews, however, said it looked like a perfect lead-out for Petacchi, but he just didn't have the legs.
Monday's 125-mile stage from Perwez ends with a cobblestone hill climb into Namur. The peloton is opening the three-week Giro with four days of bicycle racing in Belgium to commemorate Italian workers killed in a Belgium coal mine accident 50 years ago.
Full results at CyclingNews and VeloNews, as well as the English version of the Giro website.
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