He hasn’t had the smoothest of buildups but Ivan Basso gave himself a thumbs up after yesterday’s opening stage of the Giro d’Italia in Herning. The Liquigas Cannondale leader placed a very solid 35th in the time trial, conceding 39 seconds to the standout winner Taylor Phinney but otherwise faring well against many of his rivals for the general classification.
Of the overall contenders for the race, only Marco Pinotti (BMC Racing Team), Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin Barracuda) and Roman Kreuziger (Astana) were fastest, finishing fifteen, ten and three seconds ahead of Basso.
Most of his GC rivals lost time, with Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago - CSF Inox), Frank Schleck (RadioShack Nissan), Damiano Cunego (Lampre ISD), Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD), José Rujano (Androni Giocattoli Venezuela) and John Gadret (Ag2r La Mondiale) all conceding between four and 37 seconds.
The Italian isn’t known as a time trial rider and so he ended day one of the Giro in a good position.
“I’m happy because to get off on the right start is an encouraging sign for the morale,” he said, weighing up the time gained on those rivals. “I thought about losing as few seconds as possible and I can be satisfied: I achieved more that I wanted.”
However he acknowledged that it was only the opening battle. “This is not the moment to be enthusiastic: the road to Milan is long and from tomorrow we have to face stages full of pitfalls,” he said. “It’s easy to lose the seconds earned today. We have to be as focused as today: let’s continue that way.”
Basso’s season until this point has been unspectacular; he crashed in Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya, pulling out of both. He was 22nd overall in the Giro del Trentino and finished back in 33rd in the more recent Tour de Romandie. Compared to some other Giro contenders, he’s been almost anonymous.
However prior to the start of the prologue, he insisted that he believed he had a chance. “I’ve had a rocky lead-up to the Giro, probably the worst since I turned pro, but if I’m here, it’s because I’m convinced I can be competitive,” he said. “April was crucial in this respect and I managed to make up for lost time and experience those feelings that generate determination and morale.
“Of course, I’d have preferred not to have had any hitches but I’m not the sort of person who lets it get them down. I’ve got a desire to race and that pushes me on, as does the trust conveyed by everyone around me.”
Basso will draw encouragement from the fact that in 2010, the year when he won his second Giro, he also had a very quiet buildup to the race. It explains why he didn’t panic when things were not going well for him.
He believes in his chances, while also refusing to put himself under too much pressure.
“I’m not in the habit of making assertions and I don’t feel like the number one favourite. I just know that I’m totally motivated to fight for the Maglia Rosa,” he said. “I’ve worked hard for this dream since the winter and overcome many difficulties: I’ll continue to fight until the last drop of sweat has fallen to win this race.”