Cavendish blitzes rivals to win Giro stage 9

Mark Cavendish Giro d Italia 2009 stage 9

Giro d'Italia stage nine photo gallery, by Graham Watson>>

Mark Cavendish (Columbia-Highroad) has won today's city centre stage of the 2009 Giro d'Italia in Milan, taking his first solo win in this year's race.

After Alessandro Petacchi (LPR Brakes) denied Cavendish the victory on stage two by sweeping around him, Cavendish and his team were leaving nothing to chance.

It was a clinically executed sprint, and confirms the Manxman's position in the top echelon of the world's best fastmen.

Before the race kicked off last weekend in Venice, Cavendish had already singled out this stage as one he could win, and he duly delivered a textbook victory for his dominant Columbia squad.

Cavendish's victory today gives Columbia-Highroad three consecutive wins, after Edvald Boasson Hagen and Kanstantsin Siutsou won the previous two stages. You can also add a win in the opening team time trial and Cavendish and team-mate Thomas Lovkvist's subsequent spells in the pink leader's jersey to the squad's 2009 Giro success.

In the fight for second place, Allan Davis (Quick Step) took the honours with Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Slipstream) in third. Double stage winner Petacchi was off the pace in fifth. Britain's Ben Swift (Katusha) and Ian Stannard (ISD) were 12th and 20th.

With no time gaps awarded and no time bonuses given on the stage, there was no change at the top of the overall classification table. Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes) still leads Thomas Lovkvist (Columbia-Highroad) to earn the right to don the pink leader's jersey.

How it happened

After a day of action-less riding thanks to a rider protest (see below), Thomas Voeckler (Bbox Bouygues Telecom) broke the deadlock by launching a solo attack at the 9km-to-go mark. The Frenchman quickly built up a gap.

But behind him the Columbia-Highroad and Garmin-Slipstream teams were driving the pace and organising themselves to respectively fire Cavendish and Farrar to the line. Ominously, Petacchi was shadowing Cavendish.

With that level of firepower advancing behind him, Voeckler's moment in front was short lived and he was swallowed up by a reduced bunch containing the sprinters and their lead-out men.

Passing under the one kilometre to go banner, the Columbia team muscled their way to the front. First, Edvald Boasson Hagen wound up the pace to a blistering speed, then Mark Renshaw took over with Cavendish glued to his back wheel.

When Renshaw peeled off, Cavendish used every scrap of energy to propel himself to the line, avoiding a repeat of his stage two defeat. Today, no one was able to challenge him. This was classic Cavendish.

It's Cavendish's ninth victory this year, and the 37th in his short professional career. It cements his second place position in Cycling Weekly's all-time list of British pro winners just behind Chris Boardman.

Muted centenary stage

Today's stage was supposed to be a showcase event for the many fans who had turned out to watch some fast-paced city centre racing in Milan.

However, after being presented with roads still lined with parked cars the riders agreed to stage a go-slow protest, bumbling around the circuit at a leisurely 32 kilometres an hour and refusing to race.

Race leader Danilo Di Luca said "We're sorry for the public but the circuit isn't safe. We don't want to risk anything."

Former pro Mario Cipollini, watching from the roadside, had a different take: "I'm not a rider anymore, I'm a tifoso and in Milan, and the tifosi deserved to see a spectacular day of racing. I think they could have protested differently, without being so aggressive."

Giro race director Angelo Zomegnan was less than happy with the go-slow protest, issuing a thinly-veiled threat to the riders: "If they don?t want to race we?ll take some decisions this evening?"

Whether they have to spend the evening sitting on the naughty step or not, the riders can now take a short breather - tomorrow is the race's first rest day before the action resumes on Tuesday.

RESULTS
Stage nine: Milan Show 100, 163km
1. Mark Cavendish (GB) Columbia-Highroad

2. Allan Davis (Australia) Quick Step

3. Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Slipstream

4. Matthew Goss (Australia) Saxo Bank

5. Alessandro Petacchi (Italy) LPR Brakes

6. Robert Forster (Germany) Milram

7. Robert Hunter (RSA) Barloworld

8. Davide Vigano (Italy) Fuji-Servetto

9. Said Haddou (France) Bbox Bouygues Telecom

10. Thomas Fothen (Germany) Milram all same time.

Other

12. Ben Swift (GB) Katusha

20. Ian Stannard (GB) ISD

78. Jeremy Hunt (GB) Cervelo

82. Chris Froome (GB) Barloworld

86. Daniel Lloyd (GB) Cervelo

97. David Millar (GB) Garmin-Slipstream

98. Bradley Wiggins (GB) Garmin-Slipstream

120. Danilo Di Luca (Italy) LPR Brakes

158. Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana

182. Charly Wegelius (GB) Silence-Lotto

Overall classification after stage nine
1. Danilo Di Luca (Italy) LPR Brakes

2. Thomas Lovkvist (Sweden) Columbia-Highroad at 13sec

3. Michael Rogers (Australia) Columbia-Highroad at 44sec

4. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana at 51sec

5. Denis Menchov (Russia) Rabobank at 58sec

6. Ivan Basso (Italy) Liquigas at 1-14

7. Carlos Sastre (Spain) Cervelo at 1-24

8. Christopher Horner (USA) Astana at 1-25

9. Franco Pellizotti (Italy) Liquigas at 1-35

10. David Arroyo (Spain) Caisse d'Epargne at 1-49

Other

25. Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana at 4-39

27. Bradley Wiggins (GB) Garmin-Slipstream at 4-45

34. Chris Froome (GB) Barloworld at 6-00

65. Charly Wegelius (GB) Silence-Lotto at 26-14

112. Ben Swift (GB) Katusha at 54-42

122. David Millar (GB) Garmin-Slipstream at 57-19

144. Daniel Lloyd (GB) Cervelo at 1-09-51

150. Ian Stannard (GB) ISD at 1-12-15

151. Mark Cavendish (GB) Columbia-Highroad at 1-12-27

182. Jeremy Hunt (GB) Cervelo at 1-22-12

Giro d'Italia 2009

Mark Cavendish takes his first 2009 Giro stage win

Giro d'Italia 2009

Cavendish thanks team-mates Edvald Boasson Hagen and Mark Renshaw. Photo by Stephen Farrand

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Find the pink jersey competition

Find the jerseys throughout the Giro and you could win a £400 Parker International voucher.

Giro d'Italia 2009

18 pink jerseys will be hidden around the Cycling Weekly and Parker International websites over the course of the three week race - all you have to do is decipher the clues at the end of the stage reports to find them.

Sunday, May 17. Clue number eight:

Today's pink jersey can be found under a slick folding tyre that's vreally good.

Today's jersey is on www.parker-international.co.uk

Full details of CW's find the pink jersey competition>>

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Giro d'Italia 2009 links

Stage reports

Stage eight: Siutsou makes it two in a row for Columbia-Highroad

Stage seven: Boasson Hagen takes treacherous stage

Stage six: Scarponi wins longest stage with big break

Stage five: Menchov wins mountain battle as Di Luca grabs the pink jersey

Stage four: Di Luca denies Soler on the line; Lovkvist takes pink jersey

Stage three: Cavendish loses pink jersey after being caught behind late crash

Stage two: Petacchi denies Cavendish the stage win

Stage one: Cavendish in pink as Columbia prove their point to Garmin

Photo galleries

Stage nine photo gallery

Stage eight photo gallery

Stage seven photo gallery

Stage six photo gallery

Stage five photo gallery

Stage four photo gallery

Stage three photo gallery

Stage two photo gallery

Stage one photo gallery

Desktop wallpaper photos

News

No sympathy for Armstrong from Giro boss

Boasson Hagen celebrates his birthday early

Cavendish overjoyed for Boasson Hagen

Armstrong 'livid' at dangerous Giro stage

Astana riders wear faded kit in protest over unpaid wages

Armstrong sees Leipheimer in pink

Giro news round-up: 14 May

Wiggins: 'I can't keep smashing away on the climbs'

Wiggins eyes top 20 finish overall

Armstrong after Giro stage 5: 'That was hard'

Cavendish looking for Giro revenge

Armstrong happy with stage four performance

Lovkvist will fight to keep Giro lead

Giro could be last race for Armstrong's team

Vande Velde crashes out of Giro

Petacchi claims he didn't know of Cavendish crash

Cavendish struggles to find consolation in pink jersey

Petacchi: I've been working out how to beat Cav

I'm wearing pink on behalf of the team, says Cavendish

Wiggins ready to win Giro team time trial

Friday, May 8: Giro news round-up

Cavendish out to topple Garmin in Giro team time trial

Team time trial start times

Cycling Weekly's Giro d'Italia top ten prediction

Brits in Venice for Giro presentation

Armstrong overshadows overall favourites at Giro presentation

Armstrong confident of finding new sponsor for Astana

Armstrong working to save Astana team

Wiggins in top form for Giro

Garmin Slipstream kitted out for Giro opener

Dan Lloyd gets late Giro call-up

Armstrong's special Giro bikes unveiled

Daniel Lloyd overlooked for Giro ride

Cummings and Thomas not selected for Giro d'Italia

Cavendish tests Giro form at Tour of Romandie

David Millar confirms he's riding in 2009 Giro

Bennati to take on Cavendish in Giro 2009 sprints

2009 Giro d'Italia to start in Venice

Evans and Silence-Lotto disagree on Giro 2009 ride

Armstrong to ride 2009 Giro

Tuttosport reveals 2009 Giro d'Italia route

Dolce & Gabbana design new Giro jersey

2009 Giro d'Italia guide and features

Find the pink jersey competition

Giro d'Italia 2009: The Big Preview

British riders to have led the grand tours

CW's Giro top ten prediction

Brits in the Giro 2009

Brits in the Tours: From Robinson to Cavendish

CW Classic: the 1987 Giro d'Italia

2008 Giro d'Italia archive

Giro d'Italia 2008 coverage index - race reports, photos, results

From rule Britannia to cruel Britannia

Giro 2008: The final word on this year's race

Brits at the 2008 Giro: photo special

Five days to go, what's in store?

Giro d'Italia 2008: Rest day review (May 27)

Giro d'Italia 2008: Rest day review (May 19)

Giro d'Italia 2008 preview

Follow Cycling Weekly on Twitter>>

image

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.