Bettini has just put in a devastating attack, nobody 's responded, and he's already taken 20 seconds off Boogerd and Rodriguez' lead. Bettini won't be beaten in a 3-up sprint if that happens. Vino and horner looking at each other. Bettini!!
Bettini didn't get there, but he brought the whole group to life and they're getting it back together! The plot is getting much thicker all of a sudden, and the Cote de Saint Nicholas is looking quite interesting.
Damn, Boogerd just got the gap back up to 29 seconds as they roll through Seraing, site of the Giro start. Maybe he is the strongest... the other teams are really playing with fire here.
22 seconds now as Lampre hit the front. Some hard work here. This is a real nailbiter now... 6.5 km left, on the St. Nick, 11% for 1km with some stretches even worse.
16 seconds! DiLuca attacks! Horner hanging on! Plenty of others sucking wheels on this one. Massive Italian flag sighting... Perdiguero jumps and catches Boogie!
Here it comes... Sinkewicz joins the leading trio... Valverde slides in... what a finish is brewing!!
Schleck there too! Can CSC pull off the nearly-unprecedented triple this week?
Cunego, Basso, Bettini... nobody's been eliminated! Oh, except Vino.
3km to go, about to hit the finishing climb in a moment, where we're destined for a huge uphill sprint. How do you beat Valverde like that? Schleck tries an attack, but everyone's on alert now...
Rodriguez jumps and Perdiguero responds! 1.2km uphill to go to the line!! Boogerd and the pack get them back!! Valverde?!?! Seriously, who's got a better finish? His teammate is softening them up. Sinkewicz gets going, drags Basso with him. Who's got the legs?
Valverde!!!!!!!!!!!
Valverde wins, with Bettini second and Cunego third. Interesting finish, and more digs at T-Mobile, who had Sinkewicz leading out Valverde then swinging behind him when Valverde came around, effectively knocking Bettini off the wheel. But it doesn't really matter: Sinkewicz was doing the only thing he could, and Bettini was cooked regardless. Nobody was going to get past Valverde on an uphill sprint here. Nice 8th for Horner, good to see him with the big boys. Major kudos to Rodriguez, Valverde's teammate who animated the closing kms and got others working. Valverde cruised to the closing km, knowing all he needed was to be in the final selection and he'd win with ease. That's exactly what happened: he won the sprint with incredible ease... Great day for Spain with its first ever win in la Doyenne and by a great Spanish rider, a charter member of the U27 Project!
