EL SEGUNDO, Calif., May 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ivan Basso, winner of the 89th Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy), credits the eight other members of his team as a critical element in his win today after crossing the finish line in Milan, Italy.
Team CSC is sponsored by Computer Sciences Corporation , a leading global information technology (IT) services company, headquartered in El Segundo, Calif. CSC is also the official 2006 IT sponsor of the Tour de France. Team CSC is headquartered in Denmark and includes some 30 top cyclists from around the world.
After 21 stages of racing and winning three individual stages, Basso finished in first place with more than a nine-minute lead over the second- place rider, the biggest winning time difference since 1965. Team CSC won the team trials during stage five into Cremona along the Po Valley in central Italy, beating rival T-Mobile by one second.
Basso, a native Italian, was joined for the Giro by three-time time trial champion Michael Blaudzun (Denmark), Inigo Cuesta (Spain), Volodymir Gustov (Ukraine), U.S. Olympic champion Bobby Julich (USA), Giovanni Lombardi (Italy), Carlos Sastre (Spain), Nicki Sorensen (Denmark) and Jens Voigt (Germany).
The Giro began in Belgium on Sun., May 6, and finished today in Milan. The Giro is the first of cycling's three annual Grand Tours, which also include the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain).
"This wonderful achievement in my own native country would have been impossible without the skilled support of my dedicated teammates," said Basso. "They repeatedly sacrificed their chances for individual glory to help me keep the lead in ways that were vital to victory - a victory shared by all nine of us. It is my hope that this win sets the stage for our performance at the Tour de France."
"Each stage of the race was its own little drama as members of my team chased down breakaways, rode tempo at the front of the main bunch and controlled the flow of the race," added Basso. "I was both humbled and energized by their support."
"Basso's win proved he was the strongest rider in the race and that he had maximum support from the strongest team at the Giro," said Bjarne Riis, owner and manager of Team CSC. "Teamwork is always at the core of our values, which we put into practice everyday, and look forward to applying at the Tour de France."
"Our German attacker Jens Voigt dominated the early stages of the Giro for the team and could have very well won a stage or two, as could have Carlos Sastre who was second in the 2005 Vuelta a Espana," added Riis. "Giovanni Lombardi was a key rider acting as Basso's "bodyguard" throughout the race, helping to steer Ivan through the chaotic and sometimes dangerous bunch sprints at the finish. Ivan could often be found glued right on Lombardi's
wheel in these situations, protected from other riders in the tightly grouped peloton or from the sometimes harsh elements."
"Riding in support of a man like Ivan is rewarding," said Team CSC rider Bobby Julich. "Not only because he achieves consistently strong results, like this Giro win, but he also has so much class. Our respect for Basso, and each other, is what drives this team and makes us push to be the best each day." For full details on the Tour, Ivan Basso and Team CSC, please visit http://www.csc.com/cycling.
About Team CSC
Team CSC is one of the pre-eminent teams in the world of professional cycling. Managed by former Tour de France champion Bjarne Riis, the team was ranked No.1 in the ProTour's inaugural season in 2005. Like CSC, Team CSC is a top-ranked international team that unites highly trained professionals from all over the world to achieve winning results. Through a combination of competence, collaboration and the innovative use of technology, the team has continued to grow and excel.
About CSC
Founded in 1959, Computer Sciences Corporation is a leading global IT services company. CSC's mission is to provide customers in industry and government with solutions crafted to meet their specific challenges and enable them to profit from the advanced use of technology.
With approximately 79,000 employees, CSC provides innovative solutions for customers around the world by applying leading technologies and CSC's own advanced capabilities. These include systems design and integration; IT and business process outsourcing; applications software development; Web and application hosting; and management consulting. Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., CSC reported revenue of $14.6 billion for the 12 months ended March 31, 2006. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.csc.com/.
