LIVIGNO, Italy, 23 May 2005 — Colombian Ivan Parra claimed his second consecutive stage victory on the Tour of Italy here yesterday on a 14th stage which saw Ivan Basso virtually drop out of contention for overall victory.
Parra, the winner of the 13th stage for his Selle Italia team, rode alone over the finish line of the grueling 210km climbing stage in just over 6hr 46min.
In what proved to be a dramatic day in the Italian Dolomite mountains, former race leader Basso virtually dropped out of contention after trailing the stage winner by 19 minutes towards the end of the stage. CSC team leader Basso, a third place finisher on last year’s Tour de France, had been hoping to win the pink jersey this year and only a few days ago was primed to do battle with 2002 Giro winner Paolo Savoldelli of the Discovery Channel team.
Savoldelli managed to retain the race lead after coming over the finish in just over three and a half minutes. Basso’s earlier collapse means that former two-time winner Gilberto Simoni and reigning champion Damiano Cunego, both of the Lampre-Caffita team, could now relaunch their bids for the pink jersey.
Simoni, who was spectacularly upstaged by Cunego last year while both were riding for the Saeco team, attacked Savoldelli late in yesterday’s stage and took a small lead before the Italian reacted and gave chase. Simoni eventually came over the finish line ahead of Savoldelli and 3min 15sec behind Parra, although Simoni finished just behind Liquigas’ Pro Tour series leader Danilo Di Luca, who sprinted for the extra bonus seconds.
Popovych Coasts to Tour of Catalonia Victory
In Barcelona, Spain, Ukrainian Yaroslav Popovych coasted through a trouble free seventh and final stage to win the Tour of Catalonia yesterday.
The 25-year-old, third in the 2003 Giro d’Italia and fifth in the same event last year, had raced for just eight days this season because of visa problems but was fit enough to clinch the biggest win of his career. Second overall in Tour of Catalonia was Italian Leonardo Piepoli, 20 seconds behind, with Frenchman David Moncoutie third.
