ORTISEI, 22 May 2005 — Italy’s Paolo Savoldelli took the pink jersey at the Giro d’Italia yesterday after leaving rival and previous race leader Ivan Basso behind on the climb to the finish.
Basso struggled with stomach problems during the 218-km mountain stage and was unable to counter Savoldelli’s attack.
He crossed the line 68 seconds after Savoldelli and slipped to second place overall, 50 seconds behind. Fellow Italian Danilo di Luca is third at 53 seconds.
Colombia’s Ivan Parra won the stage after being part of a group of 20 riders that attacked after only 28 km.
The Selle Italia rider finished 23 seconds ahead of Juan Manuel Garate of Spain and Jose Rujano of Venezuela with Savoldelli in ninth, four minutes off the winner.
Savoldelli won the Giro d’Italia in 2002 but has been dogged by crashes and illness ever since.
His stage win in Zoldo Alto on Thursday was his first victory for three years but showed he could still be a threat.
“When Gilberto Simoni attacked I went with him. I saw that Basso didn’t move and so I accelerated and went clear on my own,” Savoldelli said.
“I faded near the top of the climb but hung on and managed to keep a decent gap on Basso.”
The Italian added: “On the last climb of a mountain stage it’s about whoever has the most energy and I was the strongest today. That’s what’s great about cycling, anything can happen.”
Savoldelli will wear the race leader’s jersey going into today’s 210-km 14th stage to Livigno — another hard day in the mountains which takes in the Passo dello Stelvio, the highest climb of the 2005 Giro.
First Win for Frenchman Charteau: Tour of Catalonia
In Palleja, Spain, a daring charge off the front of a break in the final kilometer gave Anthony Charteau victory in stage six of the Tour of Catalonia yesterday.
The Frenchman attacked from a 10-man move to take the first win of his career in the 198.7-km penultimate stage.
The Bouygues Telecom rider clocked four hours 16 minutes 54 seconds with closest pursuer Swiss Beat Zber four seconds back. Spaniard Jose Luis Arrieta finished third.
Ukrainian Yaroslav Popovych came in 25 seconds behind the winner but kept his overall lead of 20 seconds. Charteau is only the second Frenchman to notch a win in cycling’s top league, the ProTour.
Popovych had a tough day after Australian Michael Rogers, fourth overall, got in a dangerous early 13-man break.
Hard work by Popovych’s Discovery Channel teammates finally reeled in the move following a spectacular 70-km chase.
So fast was the pace that 42 riders were eliminated from the race for finishing outside the maximum permitted time limit. The Tour of Catalonia finishes today with a 113-km stage.
