by Jean Montois

BERGAMO, Italy, May 16, 2009 (AFP) – Belarussian Kanstantsin Siutsou handed the Columbia team their third victory of the centenary Tour of Italy when he won the 209km eighth stage from Morbegno to Bergamo on Saturday.

Race leader Danilo Di Luca retained the race leader’s pink jersey, taking his advantage over Swede Thomas Lovkvist to 13sec after sprinting to third place.

Siutsou said he benefitted from local knowledge.

“I live just 25 kilometres from Bergamo, parts of the course pass by there. I know the roads by heart and I know when the best moment is to attack,” he said.

“This is my finest win and at the finish line, my wife, who is expecting a baby, was waiting.”

The efforts of Di Luca, the Giro champion in 2007, prevented a podium sweep for on-form Columbia, for whom Australian Michael Rogers finished fourth, and gave him eight bonus seconds to add to his five-second overnight lead on Lovkvist.

Siutsou broke clear with 15km to race and held off the fast finishing remnants of the peloton to win in 5hr 04min 34sec.

Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen took second behind his team-mate 21 seconds back just a day after winning his maiden stage on the race.

Columbia also won the race’s opening stage, a team time trial which put the pink jersey on the shoulders of their main sprinter, Manxman Mark Cavendish.

The day was made for a long breakaway and around the 40km mark a group of 10 riders managed to start putting some daylight between themselves and the field.

They opened up a maximum lead of 4min 30sec but on the penultimate climb of the day they were swallowed up by the peloton.

The 6.3km long Colle del Gallo, just over 30km from home, saw an interesting move from some of the top GC contenders with Astana’s Levi leipheimer, 2004 champion Damiano Cunego of Lampre, Franco Pellizotti of Liquigas, Rogers and Stefano Garzelli (Acqua & Sapone) amongst them.

They had opened up a 54sec gap on the bunch by the top of the climb, which had seen the peloton disintegrate to around 30 riders.

At that point Rogers, who began the day in third place at 36sec from Di Luca, was the virtual leader on the road but Di Luca’s LPR team led a determined chase on the descent ahead of the final short Bergamo Alta climb.

Di Luca said: “There was no panic when Leipheimer attacked, I knew we were still a long way from the finish.

Levi Leipheimer Goes With A Break On Stage 8

“The other teams with an interest in the pink jersey, Rabobank, Cervelo, Diquigiovanni, came up to the front and helped us bring the escape back.

“Maybe they (attackers) wanted to see if I could be put into difficulty, but I’m calm – that’s my nature. And I have a pretty good team behind me.”

The chase was successful and reeled in the escapees but almost immediately Siutsou jumped clear.

Di Luca and Leipheimer Driving The Pace

He pulled out a gap of 40sec before clinging on all the way to the line on the final 3.5km descent.

Sunday’s eighth stage, a pancake flat 165k of racing on 10 laps of a Milan city circuit, could finish in a bunch sprint, with Cavendish among those tipped for the stage win.

Looking forward to that possibility is Columbia team boss Bob Stapleton.

“We hope that Mark can come out to play tomorrow, and show again that he’s the fastest sprinter in the world,” he said.

“The course suits him for sure and we’ll try to win another stage and keep the run of success going.”

Tour of Italy results on Saturday in the 209km eighth stage from Morbegno to Bergamo:

1. Kanstantsin Siutsou (BLR/THR) 5h04:34.
2. Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR/THR) at 0:21.
3. Danilo Di Luca (ITA/LPR) 0:21.
4. Michael Rogers (AUS/THR) 0:21.
5. Franco Pellizotti (ITA/LIQ) 0:21.
6. Stefano Garzelli (ITA/ASA) 0:21.
7. Damiano Cunego (ITA/LAM) 0:21.
8. Jackson Rodriguez (VEN/SDA) 0:21.
9. Marzio Bruseghin (ITA/LAM) 0:21.
10. Thomas Rohregger (AUT/MRM) 0:21.
11. Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP/GCE) 0:21.
12. Filippo Pozzato (ITA/KAT) 0:21.
13. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR/AST) 0:21.
14. Tadej Valjavec (SLO/ALM) 0:21.
15. Michele Scarponi (ITA/SDA) 0:21.
16. Ivan Basso (ITA/LIQ) 0:21.
17. Arnold Jeannesson (FRA/GCE) 0:21.
18. Fredrik Kessiakoff (SWE/FUJ) 0:21.
19. Thomas Lövkvist (SWE/THR) 0:21.
20. Kevin Seeldraeyers (BEL/QST) 0:21.

Selected
21. Denis Menchov (RUS/RAB) 0:21.
26. Levi Leipheimer (USA/AST) 0:21.
30. Carlos Sastre (ESP/CTT) 0:21.
31. Lance Armstrong (USA/AST) 0:21.
34. Gilberto Simoni (ITA/SDA) 0:21.
156. Mark Cavendish (GBR/THR) 19:04.

Overall standings
1. Danilo Di Luca (ITA/LPR) 33h13:35.
2. Thomas Lövkvist (SWE/THR) at 0:13.
3. Michael Rogers (AUS/THR) 0:44.
4. Levi Leipheimer (USA/AST) 0:51.
5. Denis Menchov (RUS/RAB) 0:58.
6. Ivan Basso (ITA/LIQ) 1:14.
7. Carlos Sastre (ESP/CTT) 1:24.
8. Chris Horner (USA/AST) 1:25.
9. Franco Pellizotti (ITA/LIQ) 1:35.
10. David Arroyo (ESP/GCE) 1:49.
11. Gilberto Simoni (ITA/SDA) 2:09.
12. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR/AST) 2:38.
13. Tadej Valjavec (SLO/ALM) 2:44.
14. Laurens ten Dam (NED/RAB) 2:49.
15. Kevin Seeldraeyers (BEL/QST) 2:57.
16. Kanstantsin Siutsou (BLR/THR) 3:02.
17. Félix Cardenas (COL/BAR) 3:03.
18. Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP/GCE) 3:09.
19. Thomas Rohregger (AUT/MRM) 3:23.
20. Marzio Bruseghin (ITA/LAM) 3:24.

Selected
21. Damiano Cunego (ITA/LAM) 3:37.
25. Lance Armstrong (USA/AST) 4:39.
151. Mark Cavendish (GBR/THR) 1h12:27.
156. Fabian Cancellara (SUI/SAX) 1h14:30.

Photo’s by: CorVos Pro