Italian in contention for final win as race enters Alps
He suffered through a tough pre-Tour de France buildup, but Ivan Basso (Liquigas Cannondale) has come through the first two weeks in a good position, and he will now prepare for a difficult, decisive trek through the Alps.
Basso crashed while descending Italy’s Mount Etna during a block of May training, having skipped the Giro d’Italia to focus solely on the Tour. While he only suffered some bruising and facial abrasions, it set him back in training, made obvious by his sub-par showing and 26th place overall in the Criterium du Dauphine. But Basso seems to have found his form for the Tour. He starts today’s stage to Gap fifth overall, three minutes 16 seconds back, and is a contender for the final yellow jersey.
Speaking at the Italian team’s rest day press conference, he reflected on his Tour to this point. “We’ve worked unbelievably hard so far and I can’t remember such a tough and exhausting Tour in my career,” he stated. “It’s the weather, the routes, the battle for every finish – we’ve been flat out since the start.”
“The Pyrenees were demanding and the group of contenders is clear, but the time gaps are small,” he went on to say. “Personally, I’m very happy with Luz-Ardiden but less so with Plateau de Beille. The Basso you saw was good with strong legs but not at the top of his game. I’m not one to settle and I always try to be the best. I wanted to do better and shake up the classification.”
The battle-tested Liquigas captain is also cognizant of the tests that await him in the final week. “I’m well aware of what’s ahead and just how taxing the Alps can be. Your head and motivations can make the difference but you also need the legs and the strength,” he said.
On decisive mountain climbs, Basso has preferred to set steady fast tempo in an attempt to discourage the constant accelerations from punchy attackers like Andy Schleck or Alberto Contador. Basso named them, as well as Cadel Evans, Samuel Sanchez, and current yellow jersey holder Thomas Voeckler as his biggest rivals, but he indicated that particular styles may not matter on the way to Paris. “Whoever wants to win will need a really great day and hope that the others have just an average day. This goes for all the Alpine stages. We need to wear down the rivals and split them,” he explained.
Basso also expressed a strong belief in his Liquigas Cannondale teammates. Most notably, he will count on Polish climber Sylvester Szmyd, who set a fast tempo at the front of the favorites group on the stage 12 climb to Luz Ardiden. “My team and I know what needs to be done,” Basso said. “My team-mates are ready to give it everything they’ve got to support me and that will be my strength. I feel fresh and on form and I know I can give everyone a run for their money.”
In a Tour with many ups and downs so far, Basso knows he must remain attentive. “All the stages can be deciders,” he concluded. “My philosophy is one step at a time. Take the Tour day by day. You always need to be ready for anything and live every day as if it’s the decider.”
“That’s the only way to hope and dream.”