| Â | | | | pain and continue until Milan. I do not have the |
| The Giro d'Italia 2008 contains in total 21 stages, ten | | | | intention to give up." With almost seven minutes |
| of them are already completed. The 91st Italian Tour | | | | backlog he occupies the fourth place. |
| started on May 10th with a 25,5 kilometer long team | | | | For the German bicycle racer Erik Zabel it is the |
| time trial. The route led from Palermo in a loop | | | | second participation in the Italian Tour after 2005. |
| around 11,4 kilometer north and then on the | | | | Since the team T-Mobile preferred to concentrate |
| Mediterranean coast back to Palermo. After the | | | | only on their favorite Jan Ullrich and did not want to |
| cyclists could take a break on the first of two rest | | | | appoint Zabel at the Tour de France 2005 he |
| days they had to continue with the first individual | | | | announced his switch to the newly created Team |
| time trial of the Giro on Wednesday, March 20th. | | | | Milram in the middle of the year. He spent in total 13 |
| The 25-year-old Spaniard Alberto Contador came by | | | | years with the T-Mobile team which was known as |
| an injury on his forearm bone on the 8th stage which | | | | the Team Telekom from 1991 to 2003. |
| is worse than expected. The Tour de France winner | | | | One week before beginning of the Giro 2008 the |
| will despite his fracture keep up until Milan. Even | | | | Italian top cyclist Alessandro Petacchi announced that |
| though he could feel the pain of his injury in the | | | | he will not participate in the Giro due to bronchitis. For |
| training days he is very satisfied with his performance | | | | that reason his team-mate Erik Zabel stepped in for |
| on the last stages. "All cyclists know that such a tour | | | | him and will be joined by Markus Eichler and Enrico |
| is hard work. Due to the fracture it is not getting to | | | | Poitschke. |
| be easier. But I am motivated to fight against the | | | | |