With twelve stage wins to his credit, Robbie McEwen has some of the best results of those competing in this year’s Giro d’Italia. The Australian RadioShack rider was in a good mood this morning, enjoying the sun at the start in Alba, and also looking forward to the chance to grab another stage victory.
He was first home of his team in yesterday’s team time trial and had they not been beaten by HTC Highroad, he would have been in the Maglia Rosa today.
“Yesterday was a really good result for the team. We are very pleased with how we went…second at ten seconds is really great,” he told VeloNation, queuing in the line of riders waiting to sign on. “[As regards] crossing the line first…we didn’t have a plan as to who was going to cross the line first, it just happened that is how it worked out. I probably took the last corner a bit quicker than the rest.
“Now I am within striking distance of the pink jersey. Of course I would be mad not to try to go for it. I have got the first opportunity, a sprinters’ flat stage, so I will try to be up there. Primarily I am going to try to win the stage, and the rest happens by itself. If I can get bonus seconds and take the jersey, that would make it fantastic. But first I’ll just concentrate on doing a good sprint.”
McEwen’s last Giro stage victory came in 2007. In the years since he has had injury issues which meant that he lost the top level of his form. He’s also 38 years of age, so he’s also battling against time. However he’s still a strong rider and with his experience, can’t be ruled out.
Surprisingly, despite his strong finish yesterday, he feels he still has to gain some condition. “I have got to admit I am not 100 percent. My last race was Paris-Roubaix, then I took a break,” he said. “I have only done two weeks of training to get ready for this race, and no racing. It hurt yesterday in the team time trial, but I was kind of surprised that I was still there at the end and did as well as I did. Hopefully I get better every day. “