VALMONTONE, 15 May 2004 — Alessandro Petacchi bounced back from being boxed in by a teammate in Thursday’s sprint in Spoleto to win yesterday’s rain-drenched sixth stage of the Tour of Italy.
The Italian is experiencing a drama-filled domestic tour. He started brightly taking the first stage, and overcame a fall to follow up in the fourth, before losing any chance of victory after being hemmed in by another rider from his Fassa Bortolo team when holding a winning position on the final bend on Thursday.
Shrugging off that setback Petacchi prevailed in 4hr 55sec after the 164km run between Spoleto and here to pip German Olaf Pollack and Alejandro Borrajo of Argentina in a bunched sprint to the line. For Pollack this was the fourth time he’s filled the runners-up spot this week.
Italy’s Gilberto Simoni, riding for Saeco, holds onto the overall leader’s pink jersey with a 13sec lead on compatriot Damiano Cunego with Ukraine’s Yaroslav Popovych third at 21sec. The stormy weather made conditions at times treacherous for the peloton as Estonian Andrus Aug is sure to testify.
Already implicated in Mario Cipollini’s crash on Wednesday Aug clipped the rear wheel of a rider in front of him in the dash for the line. Flung to the ground he slid unceremoniously across the line and is reported to have picked up a back injury. Aug’s accident comes after criticism from Cipollini about the nature of the finishes in this year’s Giro.
“They are picturesque, interesting, but they shouldn’t present any danger,” the rider known as Super Mario said, adding that perhaps local mayors and sponsors should see what riders had to contend with by taking their seats in the peloton.
Cipollini, still hurting after the wounds left by his fall, came in ten minutes behind the main body of riders. Up front Petacchi’s team were controlling the race for their leader after a 72km lone break by the Italian Fortunato Baliani.
Australia Win Three Golds in World Cup
In Sydney, Australia won three of the six gold medals on offer on the opening night of the Cycling World Cup yesterday.
Former keirin world champion Jobie Dajka won the event and also qualified for the Athens Olympics, while Anna Meares took out the women’s sprint final and Alexis Rhodes surprised in winning the 20-kilometer points race.
Other winners were Dutchman Robert Slippers in the 15km scratch race final, Britain’s Paul Manning in the men’s individual pursuit and compatriot Chris Hoy in the kilometer time trial.
While the Australian team has yet to be ratified Dajka booked his ticket to Athens by making it through to the final. Meares was edged out in the first race of her semifinal by Canadian Commonwealth Games silver medallist Lori-Ann Muezner but came back strongly to take out the next two races to progress to the final. She beat American Tanya Lindenmuth to take out the event.
Rhodes, 19, powered home to win the women’s 20km points race in her first senior year of cycling, but she was unlikely to qualify as one of three members for the women’s team in Athens.
