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Giro d' Italia 2008
| DEIGNAN IN GIRO D'ITALIA By Shane Stokes May 9, 2008, | © Shane Stokes |
Having ridden well in his Grand Tour debut last season, Philip Deignan will continue his progression as a pro cyclist when he starts the three-week Giro d’Italia this weekend.
The 24 year old Ag2r La Mondiale competitor finished tenth, twelfth and sixteenth on stages of last year’s Tour of Spain and was a solid 71st overall. He had a tough start to this season but more recently showed good form in the Giro del Trentino in Italy. He was 20th on the tough 178.6 kilometre mountain leg to Peio Terme and finished 26th overall there.
If his form continues to rise, Deignan’s climbing ability means he could register more solid performances in the high mountains. The Giro d’Italia begins on Saturday with a 23.6 kilometre team time trial in Palermo, Sicily, and then one day later features a hilly leg between Cefalù and Agrigento
Irishcycling.com had a quick chat with him on Friday:
Shane Stokes: Philip, you have been riding well lately but things were tougher for you at the start of the year. What was the reason for that?
Philip Deignan: I think I might have over-done it over the winter. That is really the only explanation I have for it. I did a good winter, looking after myself, but I just felt really tired all the time when it came to the races. It just felt like I had nothing my legs.
Then I got sick with a vomiting bug in Paris-Nice. I was dead for a week, lying on the couch, and then I was sent straight to a stage race in Italy. I wasn’t really ready to do that, and then the team sent me straight from there to Pays-Basques. In those races, if you are not 100% you don’t have a chance.
SS: Things picked up then...
PD: Yes, I had a good showing in the Tour of Trentino a week or ten days ago. I had a good break after the Tour of Pays Basques and felt like I was coming around a little bit. In Trentino I was feeling a lot better, so hopefully I should be better again for the Giro.
SS: What are your aims?
PD: Looking at the profile of this race and the Vuelta, it is a lot harder here and the stages are a lot longer. There are a lot more mountains. I will just take it day by day and see how I feel. I’d love to go for a top 30 in the general classification. I will find out pretty soon…if that is not possible, I am not going to ride flat out every day just to finish 40th or 50th overall.
If I can’t finish in the top 30, I will try to go for a stage win.
SS: How does your form compare to the Vuelta?
PD: I think it is a bit better. I did the Vuelta last year after the Tour of Germany and the Tour of Ireland. I started the race pretty tired as a result. In theory I should be better this year; I’ve got some good racing done and then got a good break in these last ten days. My form should be better [than at the Vuelta] but in cycling, you never know. We will see...
| DEIGNAN STARTS TOUR OF ITALY By Shane Stokes May 11, 2008, | © Shane Stokes |
Philip Deignan got his second-ever Grand Tour underway yesterday when he lined out in the 23.6 kilometre time trial which began the Giro d’Italia.
His Ag2r La Mondiale team finished 17th of the 22 starters, conceding 1 minute and 5 seconds to the winners Slipstream – Chipotle.
The 24 year old Irishman ended the day 122nd overall. The race continues today with a the second of three stages in Sicily, a tough, 207 kilometre undulating leg from Cefalù to Agrigento.
Deignan is aiming to move up the general classification in the high mountains, and ideally wants to target a top 30 place overall.
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Giro d'Italia (Grand Tour), Italy, May 10-June 1:
Stage 1 - Saturday, May 10: Palermo (Team Time Trial), 23.6km
1, Slipstream – Chipotle, 23.6 kilometres in 26 mins 32 secs
2, Team CSC, at 6 secs
3, High Road, at 7 secs
4, Liquigas, at 9 secs
5, Barloworld, at 14 secs
6, LPR Brakes – Ballan, at 28 secs
Other:
17, Ag2R La Mondiale, at 1 min 5 secs
General classification after stage 1:
1, Christian Vande Velde (Slipstream Chipotle Presented By H30) 26 mins 32 secs
2, David Zabriskie (Slipstream Chipotle Presented By H30)
3, Ryder Hesjedal (Slipstream Chipotle Presented By H30)
4, Julian Dean (Slipstream Chipotle Presented By H30)
5, Magnus Backstedt (Slipstream Chipotle Presented By H30) all same time
6, Michael Blaudzun (Team CSC) at 6 secs
Irish:
122, Philip Deignan (AG2R La Mondiale) at 1 min 5 secs
| DEIGNAN 59TH ON STAGE TWO By Shane Stokes May 11, 2008, | © Shane Stokes |
Philip Deignan finished a solid 59th on today’s second stage of the Giro d’Italia, a tough hilly leg from Cefalù to Agrigento. The stage finished with a hard climb to the line, where Deignan came in 54 seconds after the stage winner Riccardo Riccò (Saunier Duval – Scott). Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes) and Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) were second and third.
Another Italian Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) was fourth and took over the pink jersey from American rider Christian Vande Velde. Deignan is 70th overall heading into tomorrow’s third stage, a mainly flat 221 kilometre stage to Milazzo.
“It was real hard all day, constantly up and down,” he said after the finish. “Slipstream rode a good tempo all day, then it got a bit crazy coming in toward the line. I got into a good position on the last lap, but I didn’t have the legs at the very end.
“My saddle slipped down earlier in the stage. I went over a bump and it went down a wee bit.”
Deignan is hoping to ride into top condition during the race. “I will take things day by day, but so far so good,” he stated.
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Giro d'Italia (Grand Tour), May 10-June 1:
Stage 2 - Sunday, May 11: Cefalù – Agrigento:
1, Riccardo Riccò (Saunier Duval – Scott) 207 kilometres in 5 hours 48 mins 35 secs (35.629 km/h)
2, Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes)
3, Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner)
4, Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas)
5 Paolo Savoldelli (LPR Brakes)
6, Joaquin Rodriguez (Caisse d'Epargne) all same time
Irish:
59, Philip Deignan (AG2R La Mondiale) at 54 secs
General classification after stage 2:
1, Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) 6 hours 15 mins 16 secs in 6 hours 15 mins 16 secs
2, Christian Vande Velde (Slipstream Chipotle Presented By H30) at 1 sec
3, Chris Anker Sørensen (Team CSC) at 7 secs
4, Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes) same time
5, Morris Possoni (Team High Road) at 8 secs
6, Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) same time
Irish:
70, Philip Deignan (AG2R La Mondiale) at 1 min 50 secs
| DEIGNAN 26TH ON DAY THREE By Shane Stokes May 12, 2008, | © Shane Stokes |
Irish pro Philip Deignan was a solid 26th in the bunch sprint which decided the third stage of the Giro d’Italia, the Ag2r La Mondiale rider crossing the line in the same time as the winner Daniele Bennati (Liquigas).
Bennati’s team-mate and Italian compatriot Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) held on to the race leader’s pink jersey, maintaining his one second advantage over the American Christian Vande Velde (Slipstream Chipotle Presented By H30).
Deignan is now 63rd overall, 1 minute and 50 seconds back. He is a non-sprinter and so his high placing today indicates that his form is good as the race move towards the first mountain stages.
The Giro d’Italia continues tomorrow with a 183 kilometre stage from Pizzo Calabro to Cantanzaro.
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Giro d'Italia (Grand Tour), Italy, May 10-June 1:
Stage 3 - Monday, May 12: Catania – Milazzo:
1, Daniele Bennati (Liquigas) 221 kilometres in 5 hours 37 mins 1 sec (39.523 km/h)
2, Erik Zabel (Team Milram)
3, Danilo Hondo (Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli)
4, Thomas Fothen (Gerolsteiner)
5, Alberto Loddo (Tinkoff Credit Systems)
6, Koldo Fernandez De Larrea (Euskaltel – Euskadi) all same time
Irish:
26, Philip Deignan (AG2R La Mondiale) same time
General classification after stage 3
1, Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) 11 hours 52 mins 17 secs
2, Christian Vande Velde (Slipstream Chipotle Presented By H30) at 1 sec
3, Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes) at 7 secs
4, Morris Possoni (Team High Road) at 8 secs
5, Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) same time
6, Nicki Sørensen (Team CSC) at 17 secs
Irish:
63, Philip Deignan (AG2R La Mondiale) at 1 min 50 secs
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, May 13 2008, 5:39 AM EDT
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