Saturday, May 23, 2009

Gerrans climbs to Giro stage win

Simon Gerrans
Gerrans sprinted clear on the brutal final 2km climb

Australian Simon Gerrans sprinted clear on the final 2km climb to claim victory for the Cervelo team in the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia.

Russian Denis Menchov of Rabobank maintained his overall lead with a 34-second advantage over 2007 winner Danilo Di Luca.

With five climbs along the 172km from Campi Bisenzio to Bologna, a dozen riders broke away early on.

But when it came to the final ascent, Gerrans had the strongest legs.

The head of the peloton finished just over a minute back with Levi Leipheimer and Ivan Basso losing three seconds on their rivals as they struggled with the furious pace set by Franco Pellizotti.

606: DEBATE
pigeons in the park

Briton Mark Cavendish, who won stage 13, was pulled out of the race by Team Columbia on Friday to allow him to concentrate on his preparations for July's Tour de France.

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