polsongrizz
May 9th, 2005, 12:53 AM
May 8, 2005
TROPEA, Italy (AP) -- Olympic champion Paolo Bettini of Italy won the first stage of the Giro d'Italia, beating some of cycling's top sprinters to take the overall lead.
Bettini claimed the leader's pink jersey from Australia's Brett Lancaster, who finished first Saturday in the time trial prologue of the most important cycling race after the Tour de France.
Bettini, the road race gold medalist at the Athens Games, pulled away during a short uphill stretch in the final mile of the 129-mile race.
``It was not an easy finish. ... The sprinters were sure to try, as they did, to stay ahead and the leading men didn't want to lose precious seconds,'' he said
http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpcWU3ZWcyBF9TAzk1OTEyNTc0BHNlYwN0 aA--?slug=ap-giroditalia&prov=ap&type=lgns
TROPEA, Italy (AP) -- Olympic champion Paolo Bettini of Italy won the first stage of the Giro d'Italia, beating some of cycling's top sprinters to take the overall lead.
Bettini claimed the leader's pink jersey from Australia's Brett Lancaster, who finished first Saturday in the time trial prologue of the most important cycling race after the Tour de France.
Bettini, the road race gold medalist at the Athens Games, pulled away during a short uphill stretch in the final mile of the 129-mile race.
``It was not an easy finish. ... The sprinters were sure to try, as they did, to stay ahead and the leading men didn't want to lose precious seconds,'' he said
http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpcWU3ZWcyBF9TAzk1OTEyNTc0BHNlYwN0 aA--?slug=ap-giroditalia&prov=ap&type=lgns