Marzio Bruseghin, 33, has been known for being a super domestique and having 17 donkeys at home. Now he's finally recognized as a winner, too. Wearing the Italian National Time Trial champion's jersey on his back, he claimed the stage 13 uphill time trial to Oropa in the Giro d'Italia. Friday's win brought his total as a pro to two since his career started ten years ago.
"This is the first stage of the Giro that I won," Bruseghin said. "I went flat out. I pushed as much as I could. I took maximum advantage on the first part of the climb."
Although smiling after his win, he was a bit unhappy with his appearance. "In fact, I didn't shave because the grandmother of my friend Marco said I shouldn't shave before winning, so I didn't. "Burseghin doesn't think boycotting the razor is the key to more success. "I'm not like (French movie star) Alain Delon..." he said.
Bruseghin is second in the General Classification as the only rider within one minute of maglia rosa Danilo Di Luca, but he is not focusing on the GC. "I remain a domestique," he stated. "I'm here for helping Damiano Cunego to win the Giro. Nothing has changed."
Teammate Cunego was happy with his ninth position in Oropa. "First of all, I'm very happy for Marzio who is a great specialist in time trialling, and he's a good climber as well," said Cunego. "As for myself, I've done pretty much as well as the other contenders for GC. I've lost 30 seconds on Di Luca, but I can sleep with serenity tonight. My team manager Giuseppe Saronni is also happy with what I did. Now there is a lot of work to be done. I'm up for it."
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