Movistar Team left good sensations after the first real mountains of the 94th Giro d'Italia. The telephone squad are still on top of the teams' overall classification aftet the 9th stage, a short, fast ride of 110 kilometers from Maddaloni to the mountain-top finish of Montevergine di Mercogliano, where Belgian Bart De Clercq (OLO) took the win after jumping in the final kilometers.

David Arroyo was the best positioned rider from the group led on Italian soil by José Luis Arrieta and José Luis Jaimerena, coming across the line within a group of favourites where Blues also took Pablo Lastras, the Madrilian making a notable effort to keep his 6th place in the GC behind pink-wearing Dutchman Pieter Weening (RAB). Sergio Pardilla and Vasil Kiryienka lost under half a minute and are still into the best 25 in the provisional ranking. The eighth stage, with 217 flat kilometers from Sapri to Tropea, will offer renewed options to Fran Ventoso before the first big stage of the 2011 Giro on Sunday, with its final set -if the volcano’s eruption status does not worsen- on the slopes of the Etna in Sicilia.

David Arroyo: “To tell the truth, we haven’t really seen anything today. The first mountain stage always works this way, all riders are still a bit into uncertainty and even more in a stage like this, so short you can’t predict how the muscles will react. From my side, I think we saved the day without any problems, and so I’m happy. This route wasn’t really good for me, because more explosive riders can reach the finale on better condition, but I could stay with the best. With his attack in the final kilometer, we could see Scarponi has good legs and does easy into the group. We’ll see more things on Sunday with two big climbs; the one who wants to win the Giro has to be there. For the time being, the team is doing superb. All nine riders are in form and yesterday’s victory is giving us good moral to fight for more wins. Now the only important thing is standing the long transfers, which make more impact than the stage itself. We had an hour’s drive before the start today and now we’ll be getting to the hotel directly to have dinner after 200 kilometers by bus, with no massage and 217 kilometers to be done tomorrow…“