May 20th, 2009 by 
thien
Mark Cavendish and the Columbia-Highroad Team seem to be winning stages at will.
Stage 11 Results
1 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia – Highroad – 4.51.17
2 Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin – Slipstream
3 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) LPR Brakes – Farnese Vini
4 Allan Davis (Aus) Quick Step
5 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
6 Davide Vigano (Ita) Fuji-Servetto
7 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Team Columbia – Highroad
8 Alexander Serov (Rus) Team Katusha
9 Oscar Gatto (Ita) ISD
10 Robert Forster (Ger) Team Milram
General Classification After Stage 11
1 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) LPR Brakes – Farnese Vini – 48.51.28
2 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank – 1.20
3 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia – Highroad – 1.33
4 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana – 1.40
5 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas – 1.53
6 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Cervelo Test Team – 1.54
7 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas – 2.03
8 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Team Columbia – Highroad – 2.12
9 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne – 2.35
10 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli – 2.58
Jersey Standings:
– Danilo Di Luca
– Danilo Di Luca
– Stefano Garzelli
– Thomas Lövkvist
Links to news sites…
“Cavendish wins 11th stage; Di Luca keeps Giro lead
By ANDREW DAMPF
ARENZANO, Italy (AP) — Mark Cavendish won the 11th stage of the Giro d’Italia on Wednesday, Danilo Di Luca retained the overall leader’s pink jersey and Lance Armstrong moved up two spots to 16th overall.
Cavendish, the British standout of Team Columbia-High Road, clocked 4 hours, 51 minutes, 17 seconds over the mostly flat 133-mile leg from Turin to Arenzano. Tyler Farrar of the United States was second and Alessandro Petacchi of Italy was third, both with the same time as Cavendish in the mass sprint finish.
“Lance is looking better and better,” Di Luca said. “I think he’ll be one of the probable winners at the Tour (de France).”
Di Luca, an Italian with the LPR squad, maintained a 1:20 lead on Russia’s Denis Menchov in the overall standings. Michael Rogers of Australia is third overall, 1:33 behind, and Levi Leipheimer of the United States is fourth, 1:40 back. Armstrong, a teammate of Leipheimer on the Astana team, is 5:28 behind Di Luca.” Read more from the AP…
“Cavendish sprints to second Giro stage win
(CNN) — Briton Mark Cavendish claimed his second stage victory in this year’s Giro d’Italia after once again proving he is the fastest man in the peloton by taking the 214km 11th leg from from Turin to Arenzano.
Cavendish, was again superbly led-out by Columbia team-mate Mark Renshaw, to sprint clear of American Tyler Farrar, with Italian Alessandro Petacchi back in third.
The victory also continued Columbia’s remarkable Giro, with Cavendish’s win meaning they have snapped up five stages already, with Cavendish and Swede Thomas Lovkvist also wearing the race leader’s pink jersey as well.” Read more from CNN International…
“Cavendish “floats” to second sprint win
Leader board status quo before Cinque Terre TT
By Anthony Tan in Arenzano, Italy
This time he’s done it for real. No stage neutralisation, no half-hearted sprinting, no worries.
A perfect sprinters’ stage, a perfect sprinter’s lead-out, a perfect sprint – at least for one man and his team.
In the final six-hundred metres of Wednesday’s hot and sticky finish in Arenzano, stage seven winner Edvald Boasson Hagen couldn’t have delivered his equally precocious teammate a better lead-out, and when the current world-best sprinter took over, pressing his hands hard into the handlebar drops and simultaneously engaging his stubby, tree-trunk-thick muscled thighs, Mark Cavendish left no one guessing who would win.
“I got a good position by my team at the start [of the Turchino Pass, the day's final climb]. There were guys going backwards but it was okay; it’s amazing how deep you can go when you can smell the finish…Actually, to be honest, I didn’t need to go deeper – I was floating,” said Cavendish, whose form is even surprising himself. ” Read more from Cyclingnews.com…
Photos by CorVos
