Sagan Takes Top Honors in Sardegna
Giro di Sardegna
Stage 5: Oristano - Gesturu 174km/108mi
By Cathy Mehl
Italian Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) took the victory Saturday in the final stage of the Giro di Sardegna. A difficult mountaintop finish at the end of a 5km climb took a toll on the peloton after a difficult week of racing but all Team riders finished the race, with Ben Hermans holding a spot in the top ten. After leading the race in every stage but one, Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) held three seconds to Jose Rodolfo Serpa Perez (Androni Giocattoli) to claim the top spot on the podium. Third on the classification went to Damiano Cunego of Lampre-ISD.
Team RadioShack’s Hermans had a steady week of strong finishes, including today’s 8th place on the stage, giving him sixth place on GC. The wind on the final climb made tough-going for the Belgian rider, but showed good promise for the races upcoming races in March and April.
The Shack was well-represented in the breakaway by fan-favorite Yaroslav Popovych, who joined a group of six in the escape of the day after 22k of racing. Liquigas-Cannondale controlled the main field, actually hoping someone from the break would take the win, but Scarponi attacked on behalf of Cunego on the final climb, hoping the one-two punch from teammates would wear down Sagan. It wasn’t enough to pull his teammate ahead of Sagan, but the reward for his effort came in the form of the stage victory for Scarponi.
Sunday brings a final day of racing in Sardegna, the one-day Classica Sarda. It’s never easy racing in Sardegna but riders from The Shack maintain their focus and will continue the hunt for a victory on Italian soil.
Top Ten Results
1 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD 4:24:40
2 Jose Rodolfo Serpa Perez (Col) Androni Giocattoli 0:00:03
3 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:00:08
4 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:11
5 Emanuele Sella (Ita) Androni Giocattoli 0:00:14
6 Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Pro Team Astana
7 Stefano Pirazzi (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox 0:00:21
8 Ben Hermans (Bel) Team RadioShack
9 Pavel Brutt (Rus) Katusha Team 0:00:25
10 Eros Capecchi (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:34
Team RadioShack Results
19 Matthew Busche (USA) 0:01:01
26 Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) 0:02:09
27 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra)
33 Philip Deignan (Irl) 0:02:11
40 Benjamin King (USA) 0:03:25
75 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) 0:06:18
85 Robbie McEwen (Aus) 0:09:42
Final General Classification
1 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale 22:28:24
2 Jose Rodolfo Serpa Perez (Col) Androni Giocattoli 0:00:03
3 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:00:07
4 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:00:18
5 Emanuele Sella (Ita) Androni Giocattoli 0:00:32
6 Ben Hermans (Bel) Team RadioShack 0:00:43
7 Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Pro Team Astana 0:00:47
8 Pavel Brutt (Rus) Katusha Team 0:00:57
9 Eros Capecchi (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:01:02
10 Vladimir Miholjevic (Cro) Acqua & Sapone 0:01:26
Team RadioShack on Final General Classification
17 Matthew Busche (USA) 0:02:13
22 Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) 0:04:06
26 Philip Deignan (Irl) 0:04:32
33 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) 0:07:10
38 Benjamin King (USA) 0:09:28
64 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) 0:20:09
87 Robbie McEwen (Aus) 0:41:02
Photo courtesy of Glenn Kasin
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