Giro sound bites | Cyclingnews

Daniele Bennati won three stages and the points classification (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

Tinkoff

Directeur sportif Orlando Maini was happy that the aggressive racing that they have shown in the past finally paid off. "This Giro, we were protagonists from the beginning to the end. The two stage victories by Brutt and Kiryienka have delighted all of us, and outside of the crashes of Brutt and Loddo, which resulted in their eventual abandonment of the race, the team witnessed the talent of Kiryienka in the Dolomites, and the tenacity of Trusov."

Directeurs sportifs Antonio Bevilacqua and Oscar Pellicioli looked back at Milram's performance with mixed emotions. "We are semi-satisfied," Bevilacqua said. "We came close to winning with Zabel in the second stage, and we worked well in all the sprint stages. Our riders are the best in this kind of stage. To be honest, I'm a little angry about the San Vincenzo stage, when Zabel got boxed in in the last meters. I think we would have been able to win it. However, the guys did well in all the sprint finishes, showing that we are the best team in setting up a sprint."

Directeur sportif Matthew White was positively surprised about the team all the way until the end. "Well I'm gob-smacked! Just when you think the Giro has no more surprises left. Hats off to our boys, especially Danny Pate, who suffered through and survived the mega mountain stages." White explained, "He has really shown what an engine he is on the flats and in his specialty, the time trial. For Danny to achieve this result on the last stage of his first Grand Tour is an incredible achievement and a great sign for the Tour."

White also praised Christian Vande Velde. "Christian put in another classy ride with a very solid top 10. Dave [Millar] and Ryder [Hesjedal] gave all they had after a very demanding three weeks." White concluded that the "Next stop for these four is the tranquility and thin air of St Moritz, Switzerland. There, they will relax and unwind for ten days till the workload starts in the build up to the biggest race of the year - the Tour de France."

Team manager Roberto Amadio said that "These results demonstrate our abilities and confirm the success from last year, when we won the overall title. The success comes from a solid and united group, with two leaders capable of big things, Bennati and Pellizotti. Daniele has shown his professionalism in winning the points classification in a race dedicated to climbers. From Franco, we knew his determination. He won a historical stage and wore the pink jersey." Amadio also praised Vincenzo Nibali. "He is the future of Italian cycling in the Grand Tours."

Bennati was also happy. "I came with the objective of a minimum of winning one stage; now I am going home with three wins. With that comes a maglia ciclamino, which in the beginning I didn't think I would be able to carry all the way to Milano." After a brief visit in the United States, his next objective is the Tour de France. "I will try to win as many stages as I can and try to battle for the green jersey of the points classification. I know this is ambitious, but thanks to the support of Liquigas, not impossible."

Young rider classification winner Riccardo Riccò said, "I'd like to thank my team for their help throughout the Giro, all the assistants, all the riders and, above all, my coach, Pietro Algeri. He's an experienced man and he can always stay cool. Me, with my winner attitude, I can sometimes be quite problematic. This is who I am, I hope I can get tempered with time. Luck didn't help me much in this edition of the Giro, but I know next year, with one more season upon my shoulders, it will be difficult to beat me. I'm exhausted right now, both physically and emotionally. I'm going to Sardinia for a two-week holiday, and then I'll start thinking of my goals for the second part of this season: the World Championships and the Giro di Lombardia."