Farnese Vini-Selle Italia misses out on breakaway victory as British team holds it back
Farnese Vini-Selle Italia general manager Luca Scinto was less than impressed with the race strategy of Team Sky in today’s third stage of the Giro d’Italia, between Sorrento and Marina di Ascea. The ‘giallo flou’ team put Fabio Taborre into the seven-man break that escaped early in the 212km stage, but the British team – which held the Maglia Rosa through Italian Salvatore Puccio – prevented the group from gaining more than seven minutes up the road, and then steadily pulled it back on the hilly approach to the finish.
Taborre rode away from the rest of the break with 55km left, but was caught with 25km to go. Puccio was dropped on the way to the finish as the overall favourites began to attack one another, and Team Sky ceded the Maglia Rosa to stage winner Luca Paolini. Had the team allowed the break more time, Scinto thinks, it could have been Taborre taking the glory, rather than the Katusha rider.
“If it was not for Team Sky, who didn’t want to let the breakaway go we would be celebrating a stage victory and a beautiful jersey today,” Scinto opined after the stage.
Katusha now has the responsibility of the Maglia Rosa, which will suit Team Sky as it will be able to save its riders’ energies until later in the race, which is why Scinto question’s the British teams motives for chasing down his rider’s breakaway.
“Since we would have had to defend it at least until the Saltara time trial, I really don’t understand why Team Sky used this strategy,” he said.
“But that’s cycling, and we will attack again tomorrow,” Scinto added.
The stage wasn’t all bad for the ‘giallo flou’ team, however, since Mauro Santambrogio stayed with the leaders on the final, tricky descent to the finish, and sprinted to fourth place. The 28-year-old, who is in his first season with Vini Fantini-Selle Italia, now sits 11th overall, just 39 seconds behind Paolini.