CASTELFRANCO VENETO, Italy, June 1 (Reuters) - Mario Cipollini
celebrated his 29th success as a Giro d'Italia stage winner on Tuesday before bowing out
of the race.
Cipollini unleashed a sprint that swept him clear enough to look back at the pack at
the finish of stage 17 over 215 kms from Lumezzane.
Exactly to the day in 1989 Cipollini was a fresh-faced 22-year-old when he held off
Spain's Jose Rodriguez and Dutchman Jean Paul van Poppel to open his Giro account at Mira,
near Padua.
"How many sprinters are still winning after 10 years at this level? Very few, I
know," he said.
"Even after all this time I am still strongly motivated to win. It's personal
satisfaction and makes my sacrifices seem worthwhile.
"I am going home now because I need to recuperate. I don't want to be worn out
next month because of the Tour de France, and also because I have to race until
October."
Tuesday's win was his fourth in this Giro, but the real battle for the leader's pink
jersey is shaping up.
Marco Pantani still holds an overall lead of 2:05 over fellow Italian Paolo Savoldelli,
and is bracing himself for a big challenge in Wednesday's time trial.
His chief threat is Frenchman Laurent Jalabert who won the first time trial at Ancona
eight days ago, and lies third overall, 2:06 in arrears.
"I will not be happy to lose two minutes," said Pantani. "Possibly I
could drop three seconds with each kilometre, but there are three mountainous stages when
I can make amends."
Jalabert is convinced that he can take back the leader's color in Wednesday's 45
kilometres against-the-clock at Treviso, but is ready for Pantani to bounce back in the
Dolomites.
Pantani remains cautious.
"If I have a bad day on Wednesday, the whole Giro has to start again from
scratch," he said.
