Cipollini explains McEwen

Fabio Sacchi's secret weapon (Image credit: Tim Maloney)

Milram millkmen sour on Aussie's tactics

Mario Cipollini explained today after today's Stage 6 the nuances of sprinting against a rider like Robbie McEwen, who appears to be unbeatable in the mass finishes at this year's Giro d'Italia. "To follow McEwen is almost impossible; if you just take his wheel and expect to come around him, you're already beaten. And even to jump him early is hard, because he's very explosive. Today was not that fast of a sprint; McEwen was at 71km/h, while I was at 75 km/h. And he totally works the other teams."

Robbie has been riding Alessandro Petacchi's strong Team Milram train to victory since the get-go at this Giro, saying, "Yes, Milram has the best train at this race", a fact the blue Milram milkmen are fully aware of. Today after Stage 6, after trying unsuccessfully to their launch young sprinter Elia Rigotto, Milram's most experienced riders Fabio Sacchi and Alberto Ongarato exploded with frustration about trying to beat the Magnificent McEwen. "We did a great job today, but maybe we need Ongarato to be our sprinter," declared Sacchi post-stage today. And Ongarato added that, "We can't beat McEwen like this; we have to find a way to beat him...you have to jump him from behind or something. Anyway, we'll try again when we get the chance."