2004 Giro d'Italia

2004 Giro d'Italia
Race details
Dates 8–30 May
Stages 20 + Prologue
Distance 3,423.9 km (2,128 mi)
Winning time 88h 40' 43” (38.56 km/h or 23.96 mph)
Palmares
Winner  Damiano Cunego (ITA) (Saeco Macchine per Caffè)
Second  Serhiy Honchar (UKR) (De Nardi)
Third  Gilberto Simoni (ITA) (Saeco Macchine per Caffè)
Points  Alessandro Petacchi (ITA) (Fassa Bortolo)
Mountains  Fabian Wegmann (GER) (Gerolsteiner)
Intergiro  Raffaele Illiano (ITA) (Colombia-Selle Italia)
Team Saeco Macchine per Caffè
Team Points Alessio-Bianchi

The 2004 Giro d'Italia was the 87th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Giro began in Genoa with a 6.9 km (4.3 mi) prologue. The race came to a close with a 133 km (82.6 mi) mass-start road stage that stretched from Clusone to Milan.[1] Nineteen teams entered the race that was won by the Italian Damiano Cunego of the Saeco Macchine per Caffè team.[1][2] Second and third were the Ukrainian Serhiy Honchar and Italian Gilberto Simoni.[1][2]

In the race's other classifications, Gerolsteiner rider Fabian Wegmann won the mountains classification, Raffaele Illiano of the Colombia-Selle Italia team won the intergiro classification, and Fassa Bortolo rider Alessandro Petacchi won the points classification.[1][2] In addition to the points classification, Petacchi also won the secondary most combative and Azzurri d'Italia classifications.[1] Saeco Macchine per Caffè finished as the winners of the Trofeo Fast Team classification, ranking each of the nineteen teams contesting the race by lowest cumulative time.[1][2] The other team classification, the Trofeo Super Team classification, where the teams' riders are awarded points for placing within the top twenty in each stage and the points are then totaled for each team was won by Alessio-Bianchi.[1][2]

Teams

A total of 19 teams were invited to participate in the 2004 Giro d'Italia.[3] Each team sent a squad of nine riders, so the Giro began with a peloton of 171 cyclists.[3][4] Out of the 171 riders that started this edition of the Giro d'Italia, a total of 140 riders made it to the finish in Milan.[1]

The 19 teams that took part in the race were:[3]

Route and stages

A mountain top.
The Corno alle Scale hosted the finish of the 191 km (119 mi) third stage.

The route for the 2004 Giro d'Italia was unveiled by race director Angelo Zomegnan on 8 November 2003 in Milan.[5][6] It contained two time trial events, all of which were individual. The organizers divided the remaining nineteen stages into three categories: flat stages, rolling stages, and mountain stages. Twelve of the stages were declared flat stages. Of the seven stages remaining, three stages were designated rolling stages and three were ranked as mountain stages. In the stages containing categorized climbs, three had summit finishes: stage 3, to Corno alle Scale;[7] stage 7, to Montevergine di Mercogliano;[8] and stage 18, to Bormio 2000.[9][10] The organizers chose to include two rest days. When compared to the previous year's race, the race was 52.6 km (33 mi) shorter, contained the same amount of rest days, and the same amount of time trials. In addition, this race opened with a prologue, which the last year's race did not.

Stage characteristics and winners[11]
Stage Date Course Distance Type Winner
P 8 May Genoa 6.9 km (4 mi) Individual time trial  Bradley McGee (AUS)
1 9 May Genoa to Alba 143 km (89 mi) Medium mountain stage  Alessandro Petacchi (ITA)
2 10 May Novi Ligure to Pontremoli 184 km (114 mi) Medium mountain stage  Damiano Cunego (ITA)
3 11 May Pontremoli to Corno alle Scale 191 km (119 mi) Medium mountain stage  Gilberto Simoni (ITA)
4 12 May Porretta Terme to Civitella in Val di Chiana 184 km (114 mi) Flat stage  Alessandro Petacchi (ITA)
5 13 May Civitella in Val di Chiana to Spoleto 177 km (110 mi) Flat stage  Robbie McEwen (AUS)
6 14 May Spoleto to Valmontone 164 km (102 mi) Flat stage  Alessandro Petacchi (ITA)
7 15 May Frosinone to Montevergine di Mercogliano 214 km (133 mi) Medium mountain stage  Damiano Cunego (ITA)
8 16 May Giffoni Valle Piana to Policoro 214 km (133 mi) Flat stage  Alessandro Petacchi (ITA)
9 17 May Policoro to Carovigno 142 km (88 mi) Flat stage  Fred Rodriguez (USA)
18 May Rest day
10 19 May Porto Sant'Elpidio to Ascoli Piceno 146 km (91 mi) Medium mountain stage  Alessandro Petacchi (ITA)
11 20 May Porto Sant'Elpidio to Cesena 228 km (142 mi) Medium mountain stage  Emanuele Sella (ITA)
12 21 May Cesena to Treviso 210 km (130 mi) Flat stage  Alessandro Petacchi (ITA)
13 22 May Trieste to Trieste 52 km (32 mi) Individual time trial  Serhiy Honchar (UKR)
14 23 May Trieste to Pula 175 km (109 mi) Flat stage  Alessandro Petacchi (ITA)
15 24 May Poreč to San Vendemiano 234 km (145 mi) Flat stage  Alessandro Petacchi (ITA)
16 25 May San Vendemiano to Pfalzen 217 km (135 mi) Mountain stage  Damiano Cunego (ITA)
26 May Rest day
17 27 May Bruneck to Fondo/Sarnonico 153 km (95 mi) Mountain stage  Pavel Tonkov (RUS)
18 28 May Cles to Bormio 2000 118 km (73 mi) Mountain stage  Damiano Cunego (ITA)
19 29 May Bormio to Presolana 122 km (76 mi) Mountain stage  Stefano Garzelli (ITA)
20 30 May Clusone to Milan 149 km (93 mi) Flat stage  Alessandro Petacchi (ITA)
Total 3,423.9 km (2,128 mi)

Race overview

The 2004 Giro d'Italia began with a 6.9 km (4.3 mi) prologue around the Italian city of Genoa.[12] Bradley McGee won the first leg of the race after besting the second place rider Olaf Pollack by ten seconds.[12] The race's first mass-start stage came down to a sprint finish in the city of Alba.[13] The stage was won by Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi and Pollack managed to take the race lead after earning a twelve second time bonus by finishing second on the stage.[13] Stage 2 saw the race lead switch back to McGee after he finished second to the stage winner Damiano Cunego.[14]

Success in stages was limited to eight of the competing teams, three of which achieved multiple stage victories, while two individual riders won multiple stages. The riders that won more than once were Alessandro Petacchi in stages 1,[13] 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, and 20 and Damiano Cunego in stages 2,[14] 7, 16, and 18. Fassa Bortolo won nine stages with Petacchi. Saeco Macchine per Caffè won five stages, four with Cunego and one with Gilberto Simoni in stage 3. Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie won two stages, with Pavel Tonkov in stage 17 and Stefano Garzelli in stage 19.

FDJeux.com, Lotto-Domo, Acqua & Sapone, Ceramica Panaria-Margres, and De Nardi each won one stage at the Giro d'Italia. FDJeux.com won the opening prologue with Bradley McGee.[12] Lotto-Domo's Robbie McEwen won stage 4 by out-sprinting the rest of the field for the stage win, as did Acqua & Sapone rider Fred Rodriguez in stage 9. Ceramica Panaria-Margres's Emanuele Sella won the hilly stage 11. De Nardi rider Serhiy Honchar won the stage 13 individual time trial.

Classification leadership

In the 2004 Giro d'Italia, four different jerseys were awarded. For the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers on mass-start stages, the leader received a pink jersey.[4] This classification is considered the most important of the Giro d'Italia, and the winner is considered the winner of the Giro.[15]

Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a mauve jersey.[4] In the points classification, cyclists got points for finishing in the top 15 in a stage. The stage win awarded 25 points, second place awarded 20 points, third 16, fourth 14, fifth 12, sixth 10, and one point fewer per place down the line, to a single point for 15th. In addition, points could be won in intermediate sprints.[15]

A mountain road with writing on it.
The Passo di Gavia was the Cima Coppi for the 2004 Giro d'Italia.

There was also a mountains classification, which awarded a green jersey.[4] In the mountains classifications, points were won by reaching the top of a mountain before other cyclists. Each climb was categorized as either first, second, or third category, with more points available for the higher-categorized climbs. The highest point in the Giro (called the Cima Coppi), which in 2004 was Passo di Gavia, afforded more points than the other first-category climbs.[15]

The fourth jersey represented the intergiro classification, marked by a blue jersey.[4][15] The calculation for the intergiro is similar to that of the general classification, in each stage there is a midway point that the riders pass through a point and where their time is stopped. As the race goes on, their times compiled and the person with the lowest time is the leader of the intergiro classification and wears the blue jersey.[15]

There were also two classifications for teams. The first was the Trofeo Fast Team. In this classification, the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added; the leading team was the team with the lowest total time. The Trofeo Super Team was a team points classification, with the top 20 placed riders on each stage earning points (20 for first place, 19 for second place and so on, down to a single point for 20th) for their team.[15]

The rows in the following table correspond to the jerseys awarded after that stage was run.

Classification leadership by stage
Stage Winner style="background:#efefef; style=;"width:14%;"| General classification
 style="background:#efefef; style=;"width:14%;"| Points classification
 style="background:#efefef; style=;"width:14%;"| Mountains classification
 style="background:#efefef; style=;"width:14%;"| Intergiro classification
 Trofeo Fast Team Trofeo Super Team
P Bradley McGee Bradley McGee not awarded not awarded not awarded not awarded not awarded
1 Alessandro Petacchi Olaf Pollack Alessandro Petacchi Fabian Wegmann Marlon Pérez Arango Lampre FDJeux.com
Lampre
2 Damiano Cunego Bradley McGee Damiano Cunego Alexandre Moos Ruggero Marzoli FDJeux.com
3 Gilberto Simoni Gilberto Simoni Gilberto Simoni Saeco Macchine per Caffè Saeco Macchine per Caffè
4 Alessandro Petacchi Alessandro Petacchi Alessandro Vanotti
5 Robbie McEwen Robbie McEwen Crescenzo d'Amore
6 Alessandro Petacchi Alessandro Petacchi Fabian Wegmann Acqua & Sapone
7 Damiano Cunego Damiano Cunego Damiano Cunego Massimo Strazzer Saeco Macchine per Caffè
8 Alessandro Petacchi
9 Fred Rodriguez
10 Alessandro Petacchi Crescenzo d'Amore
11 Emanuele Sella Fabian Wegmann Marlon Perez Arango Alessio-Bianchi
12 Alessandro Petacchi
13 Serhiy Honchar Yaroslav Popovych Alessio-Bianchi
14 Alessandro Petacchi Crescenzo d'Amore
15 Alessandro Petacchi
16 Damiano Cunego Damiano Cunego Saeco Macchine per Caffè Acqua & Sapone
17 Pavel Tonkov Alessio-Bianchi
18 Damiano Cunego Damiano Cunego
19 Stefano Garzelli Fabian Wegmann Raffaele Illiano
20 Alessandro Petacchi
Final Damiano Cunego Alessandro Petacchi Fabian Wegmann Raffaele Illiano Saeco Macchine per Caffè Alessio-Bianchi

Final standings

Legend
  Pink jersey   Denotes the winner of the General classification[1][16]   Green jersey   Denotes the winner of the Mountains classification[1][17]
  Purple jersey   Denotes the winner of the Points classification[1][18]   Blue jersey   Denotes the winner of the Intergiro classification[1][19]

General classification

Rider Team Time
1  Damiano Cunego (ITA) Pink jersey Saeco Macchine per Caffè 88h 40' 43"
2  Serhiy Honchar (UKR) De Nardi + 2' 02"
3  Gilberto Simoni (ITA) Saeco Macchine per Caffè + 2' 05"
4  Dario Cioni (ITA) Fassa Bortolo + 4' 36"
5  Yaroslav Popovych (UKR) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago + 5' 05"
6  Stefano Garzelli (ITA) Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie + 5' 31"
7  Wladimir Belli (ITA) Lampre + 6' 12"
8  Bradley McGee (AUS) FDJeux.com + 6' 15"
9  Tadej Valjavec (SLO) Phonak + 6' 34"
10  Juan Manuel Gárate (ESP) Lampre + 7' 47"

Points classification

Rider Team Points
1  Alessandro Petacchi (ITA) Purple jersey Fassa Bortolo 250
2  Damiano Cunego (ITA) Pink jersey Saeco Macchine per Caffè 153
3  Olaf Pollack (GER) Gerolsteiner 148
4  Alexandre Usov (BLR) Phonak 111
5  Marco Zanotti (ITA) Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie 102
6  Fred Rodriguez (USA) Acqua & Sapone 96
7  Bradley McGee (AUS) FDJeux.com 88
8  Gilberto Simoni (ITA) Saeco Macchine per Caffè 78
9  Stefano Garzelli (ITA) Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie 76
10  Iván Parra (COL) De Nardi 73

Mountains classification

Rider Team Points
1  Fabian Wegmann (GER)Green jersey Gerolsteiner 56
2  Damiano Cunego (ITA) Pink jersey Saeco Macchine per Caffè 54
3  Gilberto Simoni (ITA) Saeco Macchine per Caffè 36
4  Stefano Garzelli (ITA) Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie 33
5  Alexandre Moos (SUI) Phonak 27
6  Vladimir Miholjević (CRO) Alessio-Bianchi 20
7  Raffaele Illiano (ITA) Blue jersey Colombia-Selle Italia 16
8  Niki Aebersold (SUI) Phonak 15
9  Luis Felipe Laverde (COL) Formaggi Pinzolo Fiavè 14
10  Bradley McGee (AUS) FDJeux.com 13

Intergiro classification

Rider Team Time
1  Raffaele Illiano (ITA) Blue jersey Colombia-Selle Italia 49h 39' 14"
2  Crescenzo d'Amore (ITA) Acqua & Sapone + 13"
3  Mariano Piccoli (ITA) Lampre + 19"
4  Marlon Alirio Perez Arango (COL) Colombia-Selle Italia + 22"
5  Alessandro Vanotti (ITA) De Nardi + 36"
6  Aart Vierhouten (NED) Pink jersey Lotto-Domo + 39"
7  Robert Förster (GER) Gerolsteiner
8  Daniele Righi (ITA) Lampre + 44"
9  Alessandro Bertolini (ITA) Alessio-Bianchi + 56"
10  Yaroslav Popovych (UKR) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago + 1' 05"

Trofeo Fast Team classification

Team Time
1 Saeco Macchine per Caffè 265h 52' 05"
2 Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie + 19' 15"
3 Lampre + 26' 12"
4 Alessio-Bianchi + 29' 13"
5 Saunier Duval-Prodir + 39' 21"
6 Ceramica Panaria-Margres + 43' 02"
7 Acqua & Sapone + 57' 54"
8 Phonak + 1h 03' 04"
9 De Nardi + 1h 20' 18"
10 Formaggi Pinzolo Fiave + 2h 04' 05"

Trofeo Super Team classification

Team Points
1 Alessio-Bianchi 384
2 Saeco Macchine per Caffè 359
3 Fassa Bortolo 339
4 Lampre 327
5 Acqua & Sapone 315
6 Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie 301
7 Ceramica Panaria-Margres 273
8 Phonak 265
9 Gerolsteiner 250
10 De Nardi 217

Minor classifications

Other less well-known classifications, whose leaders did not receive a special jersey, were awarded during the Giro. Other awards included the Combativity classification, which was a compilation of points gained for position on crossing intermediate sprints, mountain passes and stage finishes.[15] Italian Alessandro Petacchi won the Most Combative classification.[1][20] The Azzurri d'Italia classification was based on finishing order, but points were only awarded for the top three finishers in each stage.[15] The Azzurri d'Italia classification was also won by Alessandro Petacchi.[1][21] The Trofeo Fuga Piaggio classification rewarded riders who took part in a breakaway at the head of the field, each rider in an escape of ten or fewer riders getting one point for each kilometre that the group stayed clear.[15] The classification was won by Daniele Righi.[1][22] Teams were given penalty points for minor technical infringements.[15] Phonak was the most successful in avoiding penalties, and so won the Fair Play classification.[1][23]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 Chris Henry (2004-05-30). "The 2004 Giro: A tale of two Italians". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Cungeo, un soplo de aire fresco" [Cungeo, a Breath of Fresh Air] (PDF) (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 31 May 2004. p. 41. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Start List". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Summary of the Race". La Gazzetta dello Sport. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  5. ↑ "2004 Giro d'Italia revealed". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
  6. ↑ Fabio. "87th Giro d'Italia Route Presentation: Special Report". Daily Peloton. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
  7. ↑ "Stage 3 - May 11: Pontremoli - Corno Alle Scale, 191 Km". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
  8. ↑ "Stage 7 - May 15: Frosinone - Montevergine Di Mercogliano, 214 Km". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
  9. ↑ "2004 Giro d'Italia revealed". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
  10. ↑ "Stage 18 - May 28: Cles Val Di Non - Bormio 2000, 118 Km". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
  11. ↑ "87° Giro d'Italia - Le Règlement" [87th Giro d'Italia - The Regulations] (PDF). La Gazzetta dello Sport (in French). pp. 1–24. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Tim Maloney (2004-05-08). "Superb McGee takes Maglia Rosa in Genova". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Tim Maloney (2004-05-09). "Who's The Man? I'm The Man!". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Tim Maloney (2004-05-10). "The kid comes good again". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 15.8 15.9 Laura Weislo (13 May 2008). "Giro d'Italia classifications demystified". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 17 June 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  16. ↑ "Classifica generale" [General Classification]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2004-05-30. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  17. ↑ "Classifica GPM Generale" [Mountains Classification]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2004-05-30. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  18. ↑ "Classifica a punti generale" [Points Classification]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2004-05-30. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  19. ↑ "Classifica Intergiro" [Intergiro Classification]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2004-05-30. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  20. ↑ "Classifica combattività generale" [Combativity Classification]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2004-05-30. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  21. ↑ "Class. azzurri d'italia generale" [Azzurri d'Italia classification]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2004-05-30. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  22. ↑ "Fuga piaggio generale" [Trofeo Fuga Piaggio]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2004-05-30. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  23. ↑ "Classifica FAIR PLAY" [Fair Play Classification]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2004-05-30. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2004 Giro d'Italia.