Giro di Sardegna

Stage 2: Macomer to Nuoro, 175.3km/109mi

By Cathy Mehl and Philippe Maertens

Team RadioShack’s Chris Horner finished 2nd in the uphill finish in Nuoro in the 2nd stage of the Tour of Sardinia. Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) was the strongest of a dozen of riders who went to the final 8 K uphill on the Monte Ortobene.  The Liquigas rider takes over the race lead to Horner by four seconds.  Jani Brajkovic also put in a good ride, taking 6^th from the select group of riders that finished together on the climb.  Team riders Ivan Rovny and Ben Hermans came in just after twenty-seconds later.

After the stage Horner said, “I feel good, very good.  Even yesterday I could have won if the profile in the race book would have been correct (last K uphill instead of downhill…). Today Kreuziger was stronger. The climb was long but not so steep. Not steep enough for a real climber like me. We had the wind in the back. It was more a finish for riders with the real power in the legs.”

Markel Irizar was active in the first breakaway that formed after 34km of racing,  together with 9 other riders: Valerio Agnoli (Liquigas), Lorenzo Bernucci (Lampre), Simon Clarke (ISD), Serguei Kilimov (Team Katusha), Alan Marangoni (Colnago - CSF), Alessandro Maserati (Flaminia), Marcello Pavarin (Colnago – CSF), Matteo Montaguti (De Rosa) and Konstantin Volik (Amore & Vita). After 73km the ten had a maximum advantage of just over three minutes.  Accqua e Sapone was very active in the chasing work and the ten were caught with under 20km to go.

In the final climb only twelve riders could stay in the front. It was a long sprint and Kreuziger was the best. The former winner of the Tour de Suisse (and ex-junior-world champion Cyclocross) goes to stage 3 as the race leader.

“I am very happy about the atmosphere in the Team,” said Team Director Alain Gallopin. “Everybody works hard with a smile. There is a real good spirit in the Team. Winning or not winning, that’s the responsibility of the rider. We are close again. Maybe as important is the team spirit and that spirit is really good.”

The Giro di Sardegna continues on Thursday with stage 3 which travels 206km/128mi from Nuoro to Oristano in the longest stage of the race.   With three stages to go and only four seconds keeping Horner from the leader’s jersey, look for strategy to come in to play on the roads of Sardegna as Team RadioShack hope to move up.

Beyond the Finish Line:  The area surrounding Nuoro is wild and untouched, ideal for all nature lovers.  This natural environment offers forests full of oak, junipers and cork oak.  Visitors can also find wild boars, weasels, foxes and martens. There are also different species of birds such as Sardinian partridges, red woodpeckers, jays, buzzards, sparrow-hawks, eagles and hawks.  A nature lover’s delight.

Top Ten Results

1        Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas-Doimo    4:33:37        

2        Christopher Horner (USA) Team Radioshack                

3        Thomas Voeckler (Fra) BBox Bouygues Telecom                    

4        Damiano Caruso (Ita) De Rosa - Stac Plastic                  

5        Michele Scarponi (Ita) Androni Giocattoli            

6        Jani Brajkovic (Slo) Team Radioshack                  

7        Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Miche                 

8        Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox   0:00:03        

9        Cristiano Salerno (Ita) De Rosa - Stac Plastic      0:00:07        

10      Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Liquigas-Doimo 0:00:15

Team RadioShack on Stage 2

13      Ivan Rovny (Rus) Team Radioshack          0:00:24      

21      Ben Hermans (Bel) 0:00:26

34      Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) 0:01:41

41      Dimitriy Muravyev (Rus) 0:02:20

67      Markel Irizar Aranburu (Spa) 0:07:44

78      Matthew Busche (USA) 0:09:03

General Classification after Stage 2

2        Christopher Horner (USA) Team Radioshack     0:00:04        

3        Thomas Voeckler (Fra) BBox Bouygues Telecom         0:00:06        

4        Damiano Caruso (Ita) De Rosa - Stac Plastic       0:00:10        

5        Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Miche                 

6        Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Team Radioshack               

7        Michele Scarponi (Ita) Androni Giocattoli            

8        Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox   0:00:13        

9        Cristiano Salerno (Ita) De Rosa - Stac Plastic      0:00:17        

10      Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Liquigas-Doimo 0:00:25

Team RadioShack on General Classification  

15      Ivan Rovny (Rus) 0:00:34

19      Ben Hermans (Bel) 0:00:36

32      Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) 0:01:51

41      Dimitriy Muravyev (Rus) 0:04:37

66      Matthew Busche (USA) 0:17:27

83      Markel Irizar Aranburu (Spa) 0:23:51

Photo courtesy of Graham Watson