May 11, 2008

Riccò wins stage 2 of the Giro!

Riccardo Riccò scored a spectacular win in today´s stage two of the 91st Giro d´Italia (Cefalù-Agrigento, 207 kilometres). With the invaluable help of his teammates (first Benítez and then Piepoli), the young SAUNIER DUVAL-SCOTT star shot out to claim victory. At the one-kilometre mark, Joaquim Rodríguez (Caisse d´Epargne) took off and built up a sizeable lead. It looked like he would take the win, but with barely 100 metres to go, a small group helped by Paolo Savoldelli (LPR Brakes) and "red bird" Leonardo Piepoli came up from behind. Then "La Cobra" showed what he was capable of doing and outsprinted Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes) and Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) to take the win. This is how Riccò (24) managed to break the jinx haunting him in the early season, adding the eighth triumph in his career and with SAUNIER DUVAL, the team in which he made his debut as a pro three years ago. Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) finished fourth, taking enough time off of Christian Vandevelde (Slipstream Chipotle) to take over the leader´s "maglia rosa." Tomorrow, the sprinters should be ready to blast for the first time in this year´s "Corsa Rosa" with the 221-kilometre run to Milazzo, starting in Catania. 

COMMENTS
Riccardo Riccò: "After so much bad luck, I can have my victory at last. I want to thank my teammates, who´ve been wonderful, especially Leonardo Piepoli, who´s helped a lot in the final stretch. Paolo Savoldelli helped too, with his job for Danilo de Luca, which led to the final sprint. I took off with 200 metres remaining and, to be honest, I myself was surprised at my strength. This is the sign I´d been waiting for, telling me I´m OK. This triumph is for my team, my family, and my girlfriend."