May 14th, 2009 by 
thien
Michele Scarponi of Italy won the sixth stage of the Giro d’Italia Thursday as the race crossed into Austria.
Scarponi covered the lengthy 248-kilometer (154-mile) leg, which began in Bressanone, in an unofficial time of 5 hours, 49 minutes, 57 seconds.
Danilo Di Luca held on to the overall leader’s pink jersey after finishing 36 seconds back.
Stage 6 Results
1 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli - 5.49.55
2 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Team Columbia - Highroad - 0.32
3 Allan Davis (Aus) Quick Step
4 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Team Katusha
5 Matthew Goss (Aus) Team Saxo Bank
6 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Silence-Lotto
7 Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Lampre - N.G.C.
8 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia - Highroad - 0.36
9 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) LPR Brakes - Farnese Vini
10 Tadej Valjavec (Slo) AG2R La Mondiale
General Classification After Stage 6
1 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) LPR Brakes - Farnese Vini - 22.11.15
2 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Team Columbia - Highroad - 0.05
3 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia - Highroad - 0.36
4 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana - 0.43
5 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank - 0.50
6 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas - 1.06
7 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Cervelo Test Team - 1.16
8 Christopher Horner (USA) Astana - 1.17
9 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas - 1.27
10 David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne - 1.41
Jersey Standings:
- Danilo Di Luca
- Danilo Di Luca
- Danilo Di Luca
- Thomas Lövkvist
Links to news sites…
“Scarponi powers clear for Giro stage win
(CNN) — Controversial Italian Michele Scarponi claimed the biggest victory of his career by coming home alone to win the sixth stage of the Giro d’Italia on Thursday.
The Diquigiovanni rider, who recently returned to action after an 18-month ban for being implicated in the Operation Puerto doping scandal, finished the 244km stage to Mayrhofen, Austria, in a time of five hours, 49 minutes and 57 seconds, 32 seconds ahead of the rapidly-closing peloton.
Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen won the sprint for second place, with Australian Allan Davis coming home third.
All the race leaders finished safely in the pack, although seven-times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong again struggled, coming home in a group of riders that finished 39 seconds behind the peloton.” Read more from CNN International…
“Scarponi wins 6th stage of Giro; Armstrong back
By ANDREW DAMPF
MAYRHOFEN IM ZILLERTAL, Austria (AP) — Danilo Di Luca of Italy retained the overall Giro d’Italia lead, Lance Armstrong lost time again and Michele Scarponi won the sixth stage on Thursday.
Di Luca, of LPR Brakes, maintained a 5-second lead over Thomas Lovkvist of Sweden in the overall standings. Lovkvist’s Columbia-High Road teammate Michael Rogers was third, 36 seconds behind.
“Today was harder than it looked,” Di Luca said. “What Scarponi did was impressive. We didn’t have any interest in chasing him down. We only wanted to defend the pink jersey today.” Read more from the AP…
“Scarponi wins 6th stage, Di Luca holds on to pink
MAYRHOFEN IM ZILLERTAL, Austria (AFP) — Michele Scarponi of the Diquigiovanni team clinched a solo victory on the sixth stage of the Tour of Italy to claim his first career win in the race on Thursday.
Fellow Italian Danilo Di Luca, of LPR, retained the race leader’s pink jersey after a 248km ride in which a five-man breakaway provided much of the day’s drama on what was a transitional stage into nearby Austria.
Di Luca, the 2007 champion, retained his five-second lead over second-placed Swede Thomas Lovkvist with his Columbian teammate Michael Rogers still in third at 36sec.
A quartet of arguably more probable Giro winners - Levi Leipheimer, Denis Menchov, Ivan Basso and Carlos Sastre - sit in fourth to seventh places.” Read more from the AFP…
“Confession leads to absolution: Scarponi repays the faith
Di Luca getting comfy in maglia rosa
By Anthony Tan in Mayrhofen, Austria
One last look behind, a zip of the jersey, before a smile as wide as his outstretched arms.
Didn’t we say this Giro was the race to which the formerly suspended would return in a big way?
Wednesday in the small Austrian town of Mayrhofen, it was Operación Puerto refugee Michele Scarponi’s turn, reversing what appeared at first to be nutty odds into a 200-kilometre display of bravura.
Despite the 29-year-old’s chequered past that included a confession he was a VIP customer of the infamous doctor Fuentes – Scarponi even had a nickname, “Zapatero” – the doping administrator at the centre of the still ongoing Puerto affair, wily Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni team manager Gianni Savio saw his potential and took him on for two years, beginning this season and most likely, at bargain basement prices.” Read more from Cyclingnews.com…
