Videos

Believes runner-up slot on Mount Etna shows he can fight for podium finish It’s been a long time coming, but yesterday’s stage to Mount Etna closed a six year gap and finally saw Jose Rujano return to the form which he showed in taking third overall in the 2005 Giro d’Italia. The Venezuelan was the surprise of that race, ending it just 45 seconds behind the winner Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel). He won the stage to Sestrière and also took the King of the Mountains and most combatitive awards. At 23 years of age, a big future was predicted but his career simply didn’t reach the same heights in the years after that. Unable to focus and get fully into shape, he moved from team to team. A stint with Quick Step in 2006 was followed by similarly quiet one-season contracts with Unibet and Caisse d’Epargne in 2007 and 2008, [...]

French rider hopes to recover during today’s rest day Garmin-Cervélo rider Christophe Le Mevel sounded optimistic in a video interview carried out before the start of yesterday’s stage of the Giro d’Italia, saying that he was going to make a big push for the Maglia Rosa, but the Frenchman appeared a very different rider by the end of the stage to Mount Etna. Coughing strongly and looking drained, he said that he had become ill during the stage. “It was a very bad day for me today because I am very sick,” he said at the finish. “I hope that the rest day I can get better, because today is not a very good day for me.” Le Mevel had started the stage fourth overall, just five seconds back, and was clear on what he needed to do. “It is an important day for me because Enta is a big [...]

Believes runner-up slot on Mount Etna shows he can fight for podium finish It’s been a long time coming, but yesterday’s stage to Mount Etna closed a six year gap and finally saw Jose Rujano return to the form which he showed in taking third overall in the 2005 Giro d’Italia. The Venezuelan was the surprise of that race, ending it just 45 seconds behind the winner Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel). He won the stage to Sestrière and also took the King of the Mountains and most combatitive awards. At 23 years of age, a big future was predicted but his career simply didn’t reach the same heights in the years after that. Unable to focus and get fully into shape, he moved from team to team. A stint with Quick Step in 2006 was followed by similarly quiet one-season contracts with Unibet and Caisse d’Epargne in 2007 and 2008, [...]

Belgian didn’t believe he could actually winHe held on to win stage seven in brilliant fashion, but it’s a fair bet to say that Bart De Clercq will be pinching himself for some time, making sure that his victory wasn’t a dream. “I’m not really a winner-type,” he told VeloNation after the stage. As a winner in the Giro d’Italia, though, we beg to differ. The neo pro seized the initiative on the final climb of the Montevergine di Mercogliano, accelerating clear inside the final ten kilometres to go and quickly opening a gap. Shoulders rocking but legs turning with some fluidity, he raced up the climb, fending off a chase behind from Jackson Rodriguez (Androni Giocattoli) and then Stefano Pirazzi (Colnago-CSF Inox). “I think it was about 8 kilometres to go when I attacked,” he said after the stage. “I found that the speed in the bunch wasn’t so [...]

Frenchman talks about his Giro d’Italia campaignHovering five seconds off the race lead, Christophe Le Mevel remains focussed on trying to take the Maglia Rosa in the Giro d’Italia. The French Garmin-Cervélo rider was tenth on today’s stage to Montevergine di Mercogliano, crossing the line just behind Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard) and remains fourth overall. Speaking to VeloNation prior to the start, he said that grabbing the race lead would be a goal for him in the days ahead. “I am just five seconds behind now. If I feel good, if my body is good and I have good power, I would like to take it. Every day I am top ten, I am like a sniper with the pink jersey. Maybe today is the day and I will take it.” Le Mevel was asked if he considered himself normally better on uphill finishes than race leader Pieter Weening. “It [...]