Mark Cavendish Takes Columbia's Fifth Win in Giro Stage 11

When looking back at the 11 stages of the Giro d'Italia thus far, it is astonishing to note that two teams have completely dominated them, Team Columbia and LPR-Brakes. 

Of the 11 stages, only two, Stage Five (Denis Menchov) and Stage Six (Michele Scarponi), were not won by a member of one of those two teams. 

Mark Cavendish continued his team's stage dominance, with an clear sprint victory today at the end of a 214-kilometer, mainly flat stage, with one small mountain near the finishing town of Arenzano.

Many predicted that today's stage would end in a breakaway win due to its length and proximity to the mountain stages and the important individual time trial. 

However, the only man that successfully broke away today was Xacobeo-Galicia's rider Vladimir Isaichev. Although he built up a lead of over seven minutes at one point while the peloton was taking it easy, a whole pack of riders chasing down a lone escapee meant certain doom for the Russian breakaway rider. 

Isaichev met his doom on the start of the day's only climb, the Passo del Turchino. 

As he was caught, Lampre-man Marco Marzano darted out of the group, soon chased by Xacobeo's Marcos Garcia, but a sprint finish was inevitable at this point in the stage, with so few flat stages offered at this year's Centennary Giro.

Astana led the peloton up the rest of the Turchino to protect Levi Leipheimer, who had taken a minor spill earlier in the stage, with Lance Armstrong leading the peloton down the twisting descent, marked heavily by race leader Danilo DiLuca (LPR-Brakes).

On the final few kilometers of straight road leading into Arenzano, Team Columbia set up their star sprinter perfectly. Cavendish took an easy sprint win over Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Slipstream), and Alessandro Petacchi (LPR-Brakes). 

Tomorrow's Cinque Terre individual time trial is what the GC contenders can't wait to do. The staggering 60.6-kilometer effort is unlike any other time trial seen in Grand Tours of recent memory. 

Unlike the usual dead-flat time trials of the Tour de France, this one immediately starts uphill on the 15.8-kilometer Passo del Bracco, followed by a fast, twisting descent, then immediately followed by the 8.8-kilometer Passo del Termine, and then another descent into the finishing town of Riomaggiore. Only a few of the 60 kilometers are actually flat.

Because of the emphasis on climbing, most riders will not be using their aerodynamic time-trial bikes fitted with disc wheels. Climbing is mainly about fighting gravity rather than the wind, so riders will mainly choose their regular, light road bikes fitted with small, clip-on aerobars for the few flat parts.

Usual time trial "specialists," such as Saxobank's Olympic TT champ Fabian Cancellara, more than likely won't feature. The most likely winner will be one of the GC riders who can time trial very well. 

Denis Menchov (Rabobank), Michael Rogers (Columbia), and Levi Leipheimer (Astana), sitting second, third, and fourth, respectively, behind DiLuca, all stand an excellent chance at topping the Italian leader and fighting among each other for tomorrow's pink jersey.