Enrico Poitschke's Giro debut ends early

Publiceret af: danny 2008-05-15

Team MILRAM must face the rest of the Giro d'Italia with only seven riders after the sixth stage.  After former World Champion Spaniard Igor Astarloa had to drop out of the second stage with fever and stomach problems, Enrico Poitschke had to cut short his Giro debut because of a cold.  The day's victory in Peschichi went to Italian Matteo Priamo (CSF Group Navigare) ahead of Alan Perez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Nikolay Trusov of Tinkoff Credit Systems.  Team MILRAM's rider came over the finish line with the peloton.  The new overall leader and wearer of the „Maglia Rosa“ is Italian Giovanni Visconti (Quick Step).

„I have been having breathing problems because of a cold for several days now,“ MILRAM's Enrico Poitschke said.  „Today's stage started right off at a hight speed.  In my condition it was just not possible to keep on.  Too bad that my Giro premiere was so short.“

Eleven escapees including the eventual winner and the two Germans Matthias Russ (Gerolsteiner) and Paul Martens (Rabobank), dominated the sixth stage of the Giro.  Their lead was up to 14:40, so that they could take not only the stage win but also the Maglia Rosa.  Eleven km before the finish line, Matteo Priamo and Alan Perez escaped out of the group and were thus able to decide the stage win for themselves. The Italian champion Giovanni Visconti was able to attack in the last few meters to take over the pink leader's jersey and now leads with the same time as second-placed Matthias Russ.

The stage from Potenza to Peschichi, which was supposed to run over 265 km, was shortened to 231 km after the riders protested, in part against the long transfers.  Tomorrow's seventh stage of the Giro will be the most challenging to date. The 180 km from Vasto to Pescocostanzo indlued three ranked climbs and a five-km long final climb.