05/12/2008
Daniele Bennati won the third stage of the Giro d'Italia on Monday in a massive sprint finish, and Liquigas teammate Franco Pellizotti held onto the overall lead.
Bennati finished the 221-kilometer (137-mile) leg from Catania to Milazzo in an unofficial time of 5 hours, 37 minutes, 1 second. Erik Zabel finished second, followed by Danilo Hondo.
“I've won at the tour and the Vuelta but never at the Giro, so this is special,” Bennati said.
Pellizotti arrived with the main group of riders in the same time and leads with an overall time of 11 hours, 52 minutes, 17 seconds.
A group of six riders broke away at the 58-kilometer mark to build a four-minute lead before the main group caught up after 140 kilometers (87 miles).
A light rain fell for part of the day causing several crashes, one of which entangled about 30 cyclists including Riccardo Ricco who won Sunday's stage and was one of the pre-race favorites to finish in the top three. Ricco was expected to go to the hospital for x-rays on his hand.
“It's probably broken, we'll see,” Ricco said. “This course was too dangerous.”
Bradley McGee, a time trial specialist who was eighth in the overall standings coming into Monday's leg, pulled out of the race after breaking his collarbone in a separate crash.
Another time trail specialist, David Zabriskie, pulled out Sunday after a crash.
Mauricio Soler, who was the best climber in last year's Tour De France, also fell Sunday and, although he rode Monday, said he might have to pull out because of pain in one of his hands.
“The first days of a stage race are always dangerous, but today was particularly dangerous,” Bennati said.
The Giro joins the mainland Tuesday with a 183-kilometer (114-mile) leg from Pizzo Calabro to Catanzaro Lungomare
Results from the third stage:
1. Daniele Bennati, Italy, Liquigas, 5 hours, 37 minutes, 1 second.
2. Erik Zabel, Germany, Milram, same time.
3. Danilo Hondo, Italy, Gerolsteiner, same time.
4. Thomas Fothen, Germany, Gerolsteiner, same time.
5. Alberto Loddo, Italy, Tinkoff, same time.
6. Koldo Fernandez de Larrea, Basque Country, Euskaltel-Euskadi, same time.
7. Tiziano Dall'Antonia, Italy, CSF-Navigare, same time.
8. Marlon A. Perez Arango, Colombia, Caisse d'Epargne, same time.
9. Mark Cavendish, England, High Road, same time.
10. Oscar Gatto, Italy, Gerolsteiner, same time.
Overall Standings
1. Franco Pellizotti, Italy, 11 hours, 52 minutes, 17 seconds.
2. Christian Vandevelde, United States, 1 second behind
3. Danilo Di Luca, Italy, :07.
4. Morris Possoni, Italy, :08.
5. Vincenzo Nibali, Italy, same time.
6. Nicki Sorensen, Denmark, :17.
7. Kanstantsin Siutsou, Belarus, :18.
8. Paolo Savoldelli, Italy, :19.
9. Andrea Noe, Italy, :22.
10. Enrico Gasparotto, Italy, :25.
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