Steady as she goes

ByEurosport

Published 19/05/2006 at 11:29 GMT

Having built a healthy lead over his main rivals, Ivan Basso can take it easy on the Giro's flat Stage 12 journey along Italy's western coast. The CSC star gained ground on his main challengers with a strong second-place on Thursday, but can let the sprin

Eurosport

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"I went full-gas in the time-trial from the first kilometre, that was my tactic," Basso said, happy to finish second-place 28 seconds behind Tour de France adversary Jan Ullrich.

"The wind was a factor, but it was the same for all the riders. I am satisfied, but there's still a lot of this Giro, so we cannot say anything is over."

With only two minor climbs, the 171-kilometre stage twelve trip from Livorno to Sestri Levante gives Basso, Paolo Savoldelli, Damiano Cunego, Danilo Di Luca, and Gilberto Simoni a chance to lay low in the peloton and let the sprinters have their say at the end of the race.

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After winning stage eight on a mountain attack on Sunday and adding to his lead margin with the strong time-trial, Basso has reason to be confident when the Tour of Italy heads into the Dolomites for a final week of gruesome climbing starting this weekend.

2006 Giro d'Italia 11a tappa

Image credit: Imago

"The fact that I go into the mountains with this discreet advantage gives me some serenity, but it doesn't take away in the slightest my motivation," Basso said.

"This Giro is not finished and you can always have a bad day and lose a lot of time. I have a great team supporting me so we'll see what happens."

Despite losing massive amounts of time in Thursday's time-trial, Basso's principal rivals all issued similar warnings to the Italian star.

"Now, fortunately my bad Giro is finished," Cunego, the 2004 winner, said after losing five minutes to Basso in stage eleven.

"Now the mountains come and I'll attack everywhere. People think the Giro is finished. I say that my Giro is starting now."

Gilberto Simoni, the 2001 and 2003 winner, issued a starker challenge to Basso going into this weekend's opening Dolomites stage with a terrifying mountain finish at the Colle San Carlo in Thuile.

"Now at every stage there will be a battle," Simoni said. "Let's start in La Thuille"

A new speciality?

Basso, never previously a time-trial expert, trained hard over the winter to improve all of his skills in the hopes of being prepared for his bid to win both the Giro D'Italia and the Tour de France in 2006.

"I've worked very hard the past three years to improve in the time trial," Basso told the CSC team website.

"I've ridden more than 120 kilometres since this winter to perfect my position on the bike. I've made important strides that now I can make advantages in the time trial as if they were a mountain stage."

2006 Giro d'Italia 11a tappa

Image credit: Imago

CSC team manager Bjarn Riis praised his young protégé after Basso finished right behind Jan Ullrich in a discipline the German is used to dominating.

"Ivan did his best ever time trial. He did really brilliant, and I'm very proud of what he's accomplished in this discipline," Riis said.

"Ullrich was in a league of his own and deserves great respect, even though the time difference would've turned out entirely different had he not had the advantage of the tailwind earlier in the day.

"But we have every reason to be satisfied with our result today. We increased the gap to our competitors, and we now enter the final and toughest part of the race with a solid margin."

Follow LIVE coverage of the Giro D'Italia all the way up to the last finish line in Milan on May 28 right here on www.eurosport.com .

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