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< >After posting solid results in Flèche Wallonne (finishing 14th at 22 seconds) and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (28th at 25 seconds), Popovych appears to be coming into form at just at the right time; whether he repeats or betters his 2003 Giro placing will in large part depend on the strength of his team, with Simoni's Saeco and Garzelli's Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie squads boasting some serious back-up.</P>Last chance for Noe'
Phot © Sirotti Steady improver: Franco Pellizotti
Phot © Sirotti <>With a Giro palmarès that includes two fourths and one sixth overall, veteran <B>Andrea Noe'</B> is <B>Alessio-Bianchi's</B> best bet for the <I>classifica generale</I>, and at 35 years old and after 12 years in the peloton, this may well be his last chance to crack the podium.</P><>At one point or another, Noe' was tipped to be a Giro winner, coming closest in 2000 and 2003, but for one reason or another, he has come up short, lacking that edge in the time trials and the killer instinct in the <I>montagne grandi</I>.</P><P>Noe's team-mate, 26 year-old, curly-haired blonde <B>Franco Pellizotti (Alessio-Bianchi)</B> will provide solid back-up for his leader, having the ability to do well in both one-day classics and stage races, with two and three wins respectively in each, among them the Giro del Friuli, Stage 4 of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco and Stage 6 of Tirreno-Adriatico in 2002 and most recently, the GP Chiasso semi-classic in February this year.</P><P>In Grand Tours, he has been steadily improving his overall placing, from his 20th placing at the 2001 Vuelta a España to 16th in his first Giro d'Italia the following year, and at last year's Giro, Pelizzotti finished ninth overall at 14.26 behind Simoni. So if Noe' cracks and he has the form, 2004 could be Pellizotti's year - all he needs is a little more power to stay with the best on the toughest mountain stages and limit his losses on the Stage 13 time trial in Trieste.</P><P>At 33 years of age, <B>Wladimir Belli (Lampre)</B> may well be past his prime, but don't discount this rider from a top 10 placing on the general classification at the very least. In his thirteen years on the pro circuit, Belli has excelled in week-long stage races, having finished on the podium three times at the Tour de Suisse, twice at the Tour de Romandie, Tour Méditerranéen and Volta a Portugal, and once at the Vuelta a Murcia, Vuelta al Pais Vasco, Vuelta Valenciana, Dauphiné Libéré, Setmana Catalana, Giro Della Liguria and the Giro del Trentino, the latter which he won way back in 1996.</P><P>With his string of solid stage race performances, great things were expected of Belli at the Giro and the Tour de France, but it seems Belli lacks the consistency required to finish on the podium in the Grand Tours, more often than not having one or two off days interspersed with moments of brilliance. Belli has finished as high as ninth at the Tour (1999) and sixth at Giro (1997), and was on song for his best-ever result at the 2001 Giro before his temper got the better of him on the fourteenth stage, with Belli punching a spectator in the face and being subsequently thrown out of the race while lying third overall. The spectator, from the "Simoni Hooligans" fan club, turned out to be Simoni's nephew - who somewhat surprisingly admitted afterwards he understood why got he got KO'd, and that Belli's disqualification was unjust. Unfortunately, race director Carmine Castellano didn't see it that way.</P><P>For Saunier Duval-Prodir, <B>Juan Carlos Dominguez</B> is probably their best hope for a high finish on the overall classification, though like Belli, Dominguez appears to excel in shorter stage races and crumble come the Tours. A twice winner of the Vuelta a Aragon and Vuelta a Asturias, with stage victories also in the Setmana Catalana, Vuelta Valenciana, Vuelta a Murcia, Bicicleta Vasca and the Ruta del Sol - including numerous podium places in time trials - 32 year-old Dominguez exhibits all the qualities to be a great Grand Tour rider, but for one reason or another, has neve |
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发表于 2004-5-9 14:06
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发表于 2004-5-9 15:59
发表于 2004-5-9 23:46
