HTC's Mark Cavendish surprised exactly nobody with his sprint victory over Movistar's Francisco Ventoso and Lampre's Alessandro Petacchi in the 10th stage of the Giro d'Italia. That there was a sprint came as little surprise; the course wasn't very long or challenging, and the sprinters tend to do their thing when, as is the case this year, a grand tour course is mostly designed to starve them of victories. That Cavendish was the beneficiary of the easy route is also no surprise: it's his sixth Giro stage win (not including TTTs) to go along with 15 stages of the Tour de France. And although the gentle rise in the course's final 3km created some small amount of intrigue, it was Cavendish whose blend of power, low profile, and small size won the day. Petacchi is a bigger guy who benefits on flat courses from the momentum of his large frame... but his massive power was held in check by that negative momentum today. Ventoso showed what a unique sprinter he is in the Tropea stage win last Friday, but his ability to go uphill works out for him when the climb eliminates the faster Cavendish. Not so today. Results:
- Mark Cavendish, HTC
- Francisco Ventoso, Movistar, s.t.
- Alessandro Petacchi, Lampre, s.t.
- Roberto Ferrari, Androni, s.t.
- Davide Apollonio, Sky, s.t.