CRITERIUM DU DAUPHINE 2013 – Froome Follows Wiggins Path

For the first time in the history of the race, the Criterium du Dauphine started outside France.  The Swiss town of Champery provided both the start and the finish.  On the circuit was 2 x 1^st Cat, 1 x 2^nd Cat and 1 x 3^rd Cat climbs.  The Dauphine was living up to its mountainous reputation.

 

With just 3km completed David Veilleux (CAN) of Europcar went on the attack, with just 24.5km left to go, he had a lead of 4’53”.  Between him and the Peloton were 2 small groups of riders.  He had an advantage 1’30” over the nearest chasers.   Ricardo Garcia (ESP) of Euskaltel-Euskadi and Thomas Damuseau (FRA) of Argos-Shimano were the first pair chasing.  Behind them were Tony Martin (GER) of OPQS and Jean-Marc Bideau (FRA) of Bretagne-Seche Environnement, they were both caught with 18.2km left to go.

 

With 9.1km left to go the lead of Veilleux had shrunk to 3’26”, would he make it to the finish?  With 5km left to go his lead had shrunk to 3’02”, victory seemed certain and he took the Stage with a kilometre to spare.  In the final kilometre, Team Sky took to the front to control the race.  The remaining 2 chasers had been swallowed up, and Sky was determined to protect their leader Chris Froome (GBR).

 

Stage 2, and the race returned to its native France.  The Stage ran between Chatel to Oyonnax for 191km.  It was a hilly day with 2 x 2^nd Cat, 1 x 3^rd Cat and 3 x 4^th Cat included in the parcours.  

 

There were 4 men in the days breakaway, they were…

 

Rudy Molard (FRA)                         Cofidis

Thomas Damuseau (FRA)              Argos-Shimano

Arnaud Gerard (FRA)                     Bretagne-Seche Environnement

Jose Joao Mendes (POR)                NetApp-Endura

 

With 55.4km left to go, they had a lead of 2’59”.  With 45.5km left to go, Lieuwe Westra (NED) of Vacansoleil-DCM suffered a crash, and he was forced to fight his way back into the Peloton.

 

With under 30km left to go, Molard went on the attack, it was clear that the Peloton was catching up, as OPQS raised the pace.  With 24km left to go, Molard was left with just 53” as an advantage.  Numerous attacks went off the front but none of them got anywhere.

 

In the end, the catch was inevitable, he held on well, but with 15km left to go, the catch was made.  With 10km left to go, Rein Taaramae (EST) of Cofidis went on the attack.  He fought hard, but with a kilometre left to go he was caught by the sprinting teams.  In the final sprint, Elia Viviani (ITA) – Cannondale powered ahead of Gianni Meersman (BEL) of OPQS to take the stage.

 

Stage 3, was a largely flat day, running between Amberieu-en-Bugey and Tarare (167km).  However, the Stage also contained 2 large kicks at the end (2 x 3^rd Cat climbs) and a downhill finish.

 

With 27.8km left to go the 4 man breakaway group had a lead of 1’12”.  They were…

 

Juan Antonio Flecha (ESP)             Vacansoleil-DCM

Fumiyuki Beppu (JPN)          Orica-GreenEdge

Sander Cordeel (BEL)                      Lotto-Belisol

Jacob Rathe (USA)                          Garmin-Sharp

 

Realistically they had little chance of survival, With 17km left to go Cordeel went on the attack in a desperate attempt to survive (their lead had now shrunk to 21”).  Cordeel did not make 13km, when he joined his fellow breakaway riders and was absorbed by the Peloton.

 

All attacks were being policed by OPQS as they sought to protect Gianni Meersman (BEL) who was in the Green Points Jersey.  Nevertheless an attack was made, Bart De Clercq (BEL) made an attack on the Col des Sauvages, with 7.7km left to go, he had an advantage of just 10”.

 

With 2.5km left to go he was joined by Michal Kwiatkowski (POL).  They were finally caught with 1.5km left to go.  Team Sky had done the bulk of the chasing, it was a smart strategy as they set the sprint up for the Norwegian National Champion Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR).

 

This was to be the last straight forward day of the Dauphine, Stage 4 was a 32.5km time trial between Villars-les-Dombes and Parc des Oiseaux.  Going into the time trial the GC looked like this…

 

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 3

1.    David Veilleux (CAN)            Europcar             12:00:22 hours

2.    Gianni Meersman (BEL)       OPQS                   @1’56”

3.    Tony Gallopin (FRA)             RadioShack         @1’57”

4.    Alejandro Valverde (ESP)     Movistar

5.    Warren Barguil (FRA)           Argos-Shimano

6.    Jakob Fuglsang (DEN)          Astana

 

The day was billed as the big clash between Chris Froome (GBR) and Alberto Contador (ESP) of Saxo-Tinkoff.  It wasn’t to be, Contador had a bad day, a very bad day, in fact he was even caught by his 2 minute man Ritchie Porte (AUS) of Team Sky.  Contador eventually finished in 61 place, losing 3’36” on the Stage winner.

 

That Stage winner was Tony Martin (GER) of OPQS, he unsurprisingly dominated the day, despite having a stomach bug earlier in the week.  He finished with a time of 36’54”.  Froome finished 52” behind this time.  Porte eventually finished 1’20” behind Martin.

 

So what happened to the Yellow Jersey, Veilleux started well, retaining his Yellow Jersey at both the 1^st and 2^nd time check.  At the finish Veilleux achieved a time of 40’47”.  The time of the day was in many ways the 2^nd placed Rohan Dennis (AUS) of Garmin-Sharp.  The young Australian finished 47” behind Martin, this was enough to give him the lead in the GC and the Yellow Jersey.

 

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 4

 

1.    Rohan Dennis (AUS)                       Garmin-Sharp     12:40:00

2.    Christopher Froome (GBR)            Team Sky            @5”

3.    Michal Kwiatkowski (POL)            OPQS                   @26”

4.    Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR)       Team Sky             @32”

5.    Richie Porte (AUS)                          Team Sky            @33”

6.    Geraint Thomas (GBR)                   Team Sky             @55”

 

Stage 5, ran for 139km between Gresy-sur-Aix and Valmorel.  The day started deceptively hilly, a gentle ride across 1 x 3^rd Cat and 2 x 4^th Cat climbs.  However, the stage had one final brutal kick, a Hors Cat mountain top finish upon the Valmorel. 

 

With 52.2km left to go the leading group had an advantage of 4’05”.  In the breakaway there were a total of 15 riders, they were…

 

Tim Wellens (BEL)                           Lotto-Belisol

Francesco Gavazzi (ITA)                 Astana

Tom Jette Slagter (NED)                Blanco

Matthew Busche (USA)                 RadioShack-Leopard

Daniel Teklehaimanot (ERI) Orica-GreenEdge

Peio Bilbao (ESP)                            Euskaltel-Euskadi

Kevin Reza (FRA)                            Europcar

Frantisek Rabon (CZE)          OPQS

Cayetano Sarmiento (ESP)            Cannondale

Imanol Erviti (ESP)                          Movistar

Bertjan Linderman (NED)              Vacansoleil-DCM

Bartosz Huzarski (POL)                   NetApp-Endura

Brent Bookwalter (USA)                BMC Racing

Thomas Damuseau (FRA)              Argos-Shimano

David de la Cruz (ESP)          NetApp-Endura

 

Katusha and Garmin-Sharp were controlling the front of the Peloton.  By the 18.1km mark, this lead had fallen to 2’26”.   As the leading group reached the base of the Valmorel, the leading group started to fall apart.  With 13.1km left to go the leading group now consisted of just 3 riders…

 

Daniel Teklehaimanot (ERI)                    Orica-GreenEdge

Frantisek Rabon (CZE)                             OPQS

Bartosz Huzarski (GER)                                      NetApp-Endura

 

As the road ramped up, Rabon was dropped off, Huzarski soon followed.  Teklehaimanot was joined by Tim Wellens (BEL) bridged the gap and joined the Eritean.

 

Behind the Sky Train was setting the tempo on the front of the Peloton.  Behind the Peloton slowly unravelled, though Dennis in the Yellow Jersey managed to stick to the Sky riders.  At the 8.8km mark, Wellens had managed to drop Teklehaimanot.  With 7.4km left to go Wellens advantage over the Peloton was 1’28”.

 

Then Valverde and the Movistar Team went on the attack, challenging Team Sky.  As always, Sky refused to react, maintaining their tempo, and they slowly drew the Valverde back into the Peloton.  With 5.9km left to go, Valverde kicked past his teammate and tried to pull away, slowly he started to create a gap.

 

Matthew Busche (USA) – Radioshack-Leopard managed to catch up with Wellens.  Wellens tried to hold his wheel, but his time in front had taken its toll.  Soon Busche was out in front all by himself, though his lead had fallen to 38” with 4.4km left to go.

 

Wellens was swallowed up by the Sky Train, then with 2.7km left to go, Valverde was reeled in as well.  Dennis was now struggling, with 2.5km left to go he cracked and was dropped from the last remains of the Peloton.

 

Busche seemed set to take the win, Contador went on the attack on the front.  Rein Taaramae (EST) of Cofidis tried to follow, but didn’t get anywhere.  Froome immediately counter attacked, he caught Contador and then attacked him.  In the final metres he caught and passed Busche, taking the Stage win.  Contador crossed the line 6” behind with his head down.

 

THE GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 5

 

1.    Chris Froome (GBR)                        Team Sky            16:08:44

2.    Richie Porte (AUS)                          Team Sky            @52”

3.    Rohan Dennis (AUS)                       Garmin-Sharp     @54”

4.    Michael Rodgers (AUS)                  Saxo-Tinkoff       @1’37”

5.    Daniel Moreno Fernandez (ESP)   Katusha               @1’47”

6.    Daniel Navarro (ESP)                     Cofidis                 @1’49”

 

Stage 6 was a busy day, numerous breaks came off the front but none seemed to stick.  The Stage ran between La Lechere and Grenoble.  It was a lumpy day featuring 2 x 4^th Cat, 1 x 2^nd Cat and 1 x 1^st Cat.  But a fast descent into the finish, could favour the sprinters.

 

With 57.7km left to go a breakaway of 8 riders had formed, they enjoyed an advantage of 1’06”.  The riders in this group were…

 

Tim Wellens (BEL)                           Lotto-Belisol

Thomas Voeckler (FRA)                 Europcar

Kevin Seeldraeyers (BEL)               Astana

Egor Silin (RUS)                               Astana

Mikel Nieve (ESP)                           Euskaltel-Euskadi

Alexandre Geniez (FRA)                 FDJ-BigMat

Jose Herrada (ESP)                         Movistar

Thomas De Gendt (BEL)                 Vacansoleil-DCM

 

Their advantage was held by the sprint teams, especially OPQS who knew that it was Meersman’s last chance to gain valuable points in that competition.  With 35.1km left to go, the lead was just 1’40”.  However, some of the fast men were clearly struggling, the parcours was far more hilly than the profile suggested and they were finding the frequent climbs difficult.

 

The climbs were also taking its toll on the leading group, with 21.4km left to go, the group was down to 4.

 

Thomas Voeckler (FRA)                 Europcar

Kevin Seeldraeyers (BEL)               Astana

Egor Silin (RUS)                               Astana

Jose Herrada (ESP)                         Movistar

 

As the leaders dipped below the 10km mark, things were beginning to look more positive for the breakaway group.  With so many sprinters being dropped from the Peloton, the chase was uncoordinated.  With 8.6km left to go, they still had a lead of 1’17”.

 

Entering the final kilometre, the leaders were playing cat and mouse.  The 2 Astana riders toyed with Voeckler.  But their efforts would be wasted, Voeckler powered ahead of them to take a clear victory.  He had recovered from his broken collar bone earlier in the season.

 

Stage 7 was the Queen Stage of this year’s Dauphine.  Running for 188km between Le Pont-de-Claix and Superdevoluy, it was going to be a tough day in the saddle.  The day started with the Hors Cat climb up the infamous Alpe d’Huez.  It was then followed by 2 x 1^st Cat, 1 x 2^nd Cat and then a final climb up the 3^rd Cat climb of Superdevoluy for a mountain top finish.

 

The breakaway of the day contained  riders, with 39.3km left to go, they had a lead of 2’33”.  In the breakaway was…

 

Sylvain Chavanel (FRA)                           OPQS

Alessandro De Marchi (ITA)          Cannondale

Gorka Izagirre (ESP)                                 Euskaltel-Euskadi

Sergio Paulinho (POR)                             Saxo-Tinkoff

Jurgen Van der Broeck (BEL)                   Lotto-Belisol

Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ)                             Astana

Kevin Seeldrayers (BEL)                           Astana

Ivan Santaromita (ITA)                           BMC Racing

Laurent Didier (LUX)                                RadioShack-Leopard

Tony Gallopin (FRA)                                 RadioShack-Leopard

Thomas De Gendt (BEL)                           Vacansoleil-DCM

Nikias Arndt (GER)                                   Argos-Shimano

Thomas Damuseau (FRA)                       Argos-Shimano

Matteo Bono (ITA)                                   Lampre-Merida

Angel Madrazo (ESP)                               Movistar

Eloy Teruel (ESP)                                      Movistar

Travis Meyer (AUS)                                  Orica-GreenEdge

Jerome Coppel (FRA)                               Cofidis

Pierre Rolland (FRA)                                Europcar

David Veilleaux (CAN)                             Europcar

Arnaud Gerard (FRA)                               Bretagne-Seche

David De La Cruz (ESP)                            NetApp-Endura

 

This group struggled over the first 2 climbs, losing some of the riders.  With 39.3km the remnants of this breakaway had an advantage of 2’33”.  With 34kmleft to go Chavanel and De Marchi went on the attack, the two men were trying to gain an advantage before the final 2 climbs.

 

With 18.9km left to go, these 2 riders had seen their lead fall to 1’02”.  Team Sky had taken their usual rhythmic position at the front of the Peloton.  With 16.5km left to go, De Marchi dropped Chavanel.  Numerous attacks were coming off the front of the Peloton, including Contador, but none of these attacks managed to get anywhere.  De Marchi was eventually caught by the Sky Train.

 

With 12.8km left to go, the gradient worsened and Samuel Sanchez (ESP) of Euskaltel-Euskadi.  Sanchez took the top of the climb, whilst Contador sought to stretch out (supporting Michael Rodgers (AUS) of Saxo-Tinkoff) the last survivors of the Peloton.  Jakob Fugslang (DEN) launched an attack, joining Sanchez on the descent.

 

As the road ramped up again with 3.5km to go, the leader’s advantage was at around 19”.  With 2km left to go Joaquin Rodriquez (ESP) – Katusha attacked, trying to bridge the gap to the leaders, Daniel Navarro (ESP) of Cofidis fought to join him.  Ritchie Porte (AUS) of Team Sky launched a counter-attack passing Rodriquez. 

 

In the sprint between the 2 leaders, Sanchez had the legs to take the sprint finish.  Porte finished in 3^rd, just 1 second ahead of the others. 

 

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 7

1.    Chris Froome (GBR)                        Team Sky             25:00:13

2.    Richie Porte (AUS)                          Team Sky            @51”

3.    Michael Rogers (AUS)                    Saxo-Tinkoff       @1’37”

4.    Daniel Moreno Fernandez (ESP)   Katusha               @1’47”

5.    Daniel Navarro (ESP)                     Cofidis                 @1’49”

6.    Jakob Fuglsang (DEN)                    Astana                 @2’04”

 

Stage 8, was another day in the mountains, lasting 156km, the Stage stretched between Sisteron and Risoul.  It included 3 climbs 1 x 3^rd Cat and 2 x 1^st Cat.  The finish at Risoul was on top of a 1^st Cat. 

 

It was a let day and with 36.6km left to go, a 2 man breakaway had a lead of 2’09”.  They were…

 

Travis Meyer (AUS)                        Orica-GreenEdge

Alessandro De Marchi (ITA) Cannondale

 

Just behind them were Tim Wellens (BEL) of Lotto-Belisol, he quickly caught up with the leaders.  As always Team Sky were on the front of the Peloton, setting a steady pace.

 

With 10km left to go, Tim Wellens had gone on the attack, holding a lead of 2’41” over the Peloton, and about 20” over his fellow breakaway riders.  Then with 5km left to go Alberto Contador went on the attack.  He was clearly trying to ride himself into form.  He was joined by Tony Gallopin (FRA) of RadioShack-Leopard.

 

At the front, Wellens was slowing up, De Marchi was slowly drawing him back in.  At the back of the remains of the Peloton Michael Rodgers (AUS) was struggling, Contador dropped back to support his teammate.  Rodgers was starting to lose time and risked dropping of the podium.

 

De Marchi was now alone in front with 3km left to go, he had an advantage of 1’15”.  Then with 2km to go Chris Froome attacked, his teammate Ritchie Porte (AUS) held his wheel, Froome appeared to be setting up a stage victory for his teammate.

 

They were heading into the cloud line, Froome was reducing the gap dramatically, but he wasn’t quite fast enough, De Marchi took the Stage win.  Then out of the cloud Andrew Talansky (USA) appeared.  Porte cracked and Froome powered ahead to stay ahead of the American.  Rodgers crossed the line with Contador, but he had lost his 3^rd place.

 

 

FINAL GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1.    Chris Froome (GBR)                        Team Sky            29:28:46

2.    Richie Porte (AUS)                          Team Sky            @58”

3.    Daniel Moreno Fernandez (ESP)   Katusha               @2’12”

4.    Jakob Fuglsang (DEN)                    Astana                 @2’18”

5.    Daniel Navarro (ESP)                     Cofidis                 @2’20”

6.    Michael Rodgers (AUS)                  Saxo-Tinkoff       @3’08”

 

STAGE WINNERS

 

STAGE 1:    David Veilleux (CAN)                      Europcar

STAGE 2:    Elia Viviani (ITA)                             Cannondale

STAGE 3:    Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR)       Team Sky

STAGE 4:    Tony Martin (GER)                          OPQS

STAGE 5:    Chris Froome (GBR)                        Team Sky

STAGE 6:    Thomas Voeckler (FRA)                 Europcar

STAGE 7:    Samuel Sanchez (ESP)                    Euskaltel-Euskadi

STAGE 8:    Alessandro De Marchi (ITA) Cannondale

 

GC:             Chris Froome (GBR)                        Team Sky

 

 

VOLTA A CATALUNYA 2013 – A New Irish Hope?

Stephen Roche retired in 1993, he hit his peak in 1987 when he won the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and the World Championships all in one year, Sean Kelly retired the year after (1994) after an illustrious career; he is still regarded by many as one of the greatest sprinters in the history of the sport.

 

Since then Irish cycling at the pro level has been going through the doldrums.  Hopes grew when Nicolas Roche turned professional in 2005, the fact that he was the son of the former Tour winner helped.  In reality, he hasn’t really delivered.  He has won Stages and achieved top 10 finishes in races, but there is always a nagging feeling of unfulfilled potential.

 

It is now Dan Martin who appears to be inheriting the role of the great Irish hope; and if the 2013 Volta a Catalunya is anything to go by, he might actually be on the point of achieving this ambition.

 

Dan Martin was born in 1986 in the city of Birmingham (UK), he even became the British National Junior Road Race Champion in 2004, before he decided to race for Ireland.  He is the son of Neil Martin (a former British Olympic Cyclist) and Maria Martin (nee Roche).  In fact, he is the nephew of Stephen Roche (Nicolas Roche is his cousin).  So it is certainly a family business.

 

He turned pro in 2008, riding for the then Garmin-Chipotie-H30.  He has made steady progress since then, winning the Tour of Poland in 2010.  At 26, he now needs to come of age; this year’s Volta a Catalunya is the biggest win of his career so far.  Will 2013 be his year?

 

KEY PALMERES SO FAR…

 

2008

Route du Sud (Overall)

 

2010

 

Tour of Poland (Overall)

 

So what happened in this year’s Volta a Catalunya?  Unsurprisingly Stage 1, was a hilly first day, lasting just 159km on a loop starting and finishing in Calella.  The day’s parcours featured 3 x 3rd Cat and a 1 x 1^st Cat climbs. 

 

There was a 2 man breakaway up ahead, with a lead of 5’20”.  In the break were Chistiano Salerno (ITA) of Cannondale and Christian Meier (CAN) of Orica-GreenEdge.  As they approached the final climb, the gap was coming down rapidly.  The catch was eventually made with 22km left to go, as Team Sky set the pace on the front of the Peloton.

 

On the descent Bradley Wiggins (GBR) of Team Sky launched an attack.  The pace blew the Peloton apart, a group tailed in the slipstream of Wiggins, with a 12” gap forming in their wake.  With 10km left to go, the gap was still growing, increasing to 32”.  They held this advantage right until the end.

 

In the final sprint Gianni Meersman (BEL) – OPQS powered past the rest of the group to take the win.  Behind came the rest of the breakaway group containing most of the race favourites, Wiggins, Michele Scarponi (ITA) of Lampre-Merida, Alejandro Valverde (ESP) of Movistar and Dan Martin (IRL)  of Garmin-Sharp were altogether at the finishing line.

 

Stage 2 stretched between Girona and Banyoles, a journey lasting 161km.  It was a flatter day with just one 3^rd Cat climb.  The breakaway of the day contained 3 riders; they had a lead of 2’25” with 50.7km left to go.

 

The riders were…

 

Christophe Laborie (FRA)                        Sojasun

Olivier Kaisen (BEL)                                  Lotto-Belisol

Christian Meier (CAN)                              Orica-GreenEdge

 

After the 1^st lap of the final circuit, the gap had fallen to 51”.  They were not to make the end of the 2^nd lap; they were caught with 20km left to go.

 

As the race approached the final lap, Blanco was on the front driving forward the pace.  In the last 4km, some attacks started to come off the front.  These attacks got nowhere, in the final sprint Meersman came through for a 2^nd Stage victory.

 

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 2

 

(1)Gianni Meersman (BEL)                 OPQS                   7:43:46

(2)Alejandro Valverde (ESP)              Movistar             @16”

(3)Danilo Wyss (SWI)                         BMC Racing        @20”

(4)Robert Gesink (NED)                      Blanco                 @20”

(5)Dario Cataldo (ITA)                        Team Sky            @20”

(6)David Lopez Garcia (ESP)              Team Sky            @20”

 

Stage 3, and the race ran between Vidreres and Valter 2000 (Setcase).  This Stage stretched 180km with 2 x 1^st Cat climbs and one final Hors Cat Climb leading up to a mountain top finish.

 

Approaching the final climb there were 2 men up front, they were Nicholas Edet (FRA) of Cofidis and Karol Domagalski (POL) of Caja Rural.  They had a lead of 33” ahead of another 2 riders, Martin Kohler (SWI) of BMC Racing and Lucas Sebastian Haedo (ARG) of Cannondale.  They had a growing 3’27” lead over the Peloton.

 

At this point in the Stage, the Peloton did not appear to be in any great rush.  Team Sky was on the front keeping safe, but they certainly were not driving the pace.  As the final climb started to ramp up, the gaps just seemed to be growing, Movistar and then Blanco took turns leading the front of the Peloton.

 

By the 11km, the gap was starting to come down quickly; the Peloton was slowly drawing the chasing pair in.  With 10.7km to go, Edet dropped Domagalski and headed up the road by himself.  With 8.8km left to go, both Kohler and Haedo were swallowed up. 

 

Domagalski was soon caught, now it was just Edet out front, he still had a lead of 1’29” with 6.5km left to go.  With 5km to go, Jurgen Van Den Broeck of Lotto-Belisol went on the attack, trying to work up a gap.  Snow now lined the roads, getting deeper and deeper with every new metre climbed.  By the 2.1km mark, Van Den Broeck was caught by what was left of the Peloton.

 

Next on the attack was Tom Danielson (USA) of Garmin-Sharp.  With 1km left to go, Wiggins went on the attack, tailed by Nairo Quintana (COL) of Movistar.  They were joined by Rodriquez, but neither of the 2 favourites could hold Quintana’s wheel, he took the stage victory.  With massive time gaps now being generated on the side of the mountain, the GC now looked like this.

 

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 3

 

(1)Alejandro Valverde (ESP)              Movistar             12:45:28

(2)Bradley Wiggins (GBR)                  Team Sky             @4”

(3)Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP)                Katusha               @4”

(4)Michele Scarponi (ITA)                  Lampre                @13”

(5)Przemyslaw Niemiec (POL)           Lampre                @13”

(6)Nairo Quintana (COL)                    Movistar             @22”

 

Stage 4 of the Volta a Catalunya stretched between Llanars (Vall de Camprodon) and Port Aine for 218km.  It was a gruelling day in the saddle with a series of climbs, 1 x 3^rd Cat, 1 x 2^nd Cat, 1 x 1^st Cat and 2 x Hors Cat.  Valverde crashed early on in the stage taking him out of the race.

 

The breakaway of the day originally contained 23 riders, but as the day wore on riders were dropped and fell by the wayside.  Nicholas Roche (IRL) of Saxo-Tinkoff was making a bid for his freedom, but slowly he was drawn back in, and then quickly shelled out of the back.  Dan Martin (IRL) of Garmin-Sharp now set the pace in the front of the breakaway, further thinning took place as riders struggled to hold onto his wheel.

 

Soon just 3 were left with a lead of just 1’18”.  They were…

 

Dan Martin (IRL)                             Garmin-Sharp

Jesus Herrada (ESP)                        Movistar

Robert Kiserlovski (CZE)                 RadioShack-Leopard

 

Team Sky was on the chase at the front of the Peloton.  The gap was slowly growing with 8.9km remaining.   Slowly Dan Martin pushed the other 2 over the edge.  With 7.4km to go, he was all alone at the front of the race.  With 4km left to go his lead had increased to nearly 2 minutes. 

 

Katusha now started to panic, they joined Team Sky at the front of the Peloton.  Robert Gesink (NED) – Blanco, Jurgen Van Den Broeck (BEL) of Lotto Belisol and Nairo Quintana (COL) – Movistar had all attacked off the front of the Peloton.  As they crossed the snow line, these 4 riders were set to fight it out for this stage.

 

Then Rodriquez attacked, pulling himself up towards Quintana, trying to distance himself from Wiggins.  Quintana had almost caught Gesink, the 3 riders were coming together. 

 

Nothing was going to stop Dan Martin now as he crossed under the Flame Rouge.  He took the stage victory in a style more associated with the bike racing of the 1970s and 80s.  Rodriquez and Quintana managed to reduce the gap, but the time difference was still enough to put him into the leader’s jersey.  Chapeau!

 

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 4

 

(1)Dan Martin (IRL)                   Garmin-Sharp              18:48:38

(2)Joaquin Rodriquez (ESP)      Katusha                        @10”

(3)Nairo Quintana (COL)          Movistar                       @32”

(4)Bradley Wiggins (GBR)        Team Sky                      @36”

(5)Michele Scarponi (ITA)         Lampre-Merida            @39”

(6)Robert Gesink (NED)             Blanco                           @51”

 

Stage 5 and the race was essentially spending the day going downhill from Rialp to Lleida (157km), with only one 2^nd Cat climb in the middle.

 

Two riders were up the road, with 40.9km to go, they had a lead of 3’31”.  They were Oliver Kaisen (BEL) of Lotto-Belisol and Tristan Valentin (FRA) – Cofidis.  Behind in the Peloton, Omega Pharma-Quick Step was leading the chase. 

 

With 30km left to go, the advantage held by the leading group was coming down quickly.  With the long flat straight roads they had no chance of escape; their lead was now down to 1’21”.

 

Dan Martin took an intermediate sprint to try and gain valuable few seconds advantage over Rodriguez.  By the 15km mark, the catch was finally made.  Vanansoleil-DCM was at the front setting the pace at around the 50km per hour mark, BMC Racing and Cannondale also took turns.

 

Audrey Kashechkin (KAZ) – Astana launched an attack off the front, but it got nowhere.  In the final kilometre, both Cannondale and Argos-Shimano took to the front with their sprint trains.  It was Argos-Shimano that pulled it off; Francois Parisien (CAN) took the win.  Martin had gained a few more seconds, by the end of the day he had gained a valuable 4 seconds.

 

Stage 6 stretched between Almacelles and Valls, it was another hilly day lasting 179km.  The Stage contained a 1^st Cat and a 2^nd Cat climb, before a downhill finish.  There was an 8 man breakaway up ahead with 27km left to go.  The lead was down to 58”, after peaking at around 2.5 minutes.  This breakaway included…

 

Egor Sillin  (RUS)                                     Astana

Daniel Navarro (ESP)                               Cofidis

Alberto Losada (ESP)                               Katusha

 

With 18km left to go the road ramped up, the Peloton began to disintegrate, riders fell out of the back, puncheurs tried to get away from the front.   The leading group somehow managed to hold together, they resisted the catch for a long time, holding at around 15”.

 

But it was not to be, with 4km left to go, the catch was finally made.  BMC Racing took to the front, setting up a sprint train.  They lost control in the final few hundred metres.  Simon Gerrans (AUS) of Orica-GreenEdge powered through to the finish winning the stage, ahead of Meersman.  Through bonuses, Dan Martin had managed to gain a further 3 seconds.

 

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 6

 

(1) Dan Martin (IRL)                  Garmin-Sharp              26:16:22

(2) Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP)     Katusha                        @17”

(3)Nairo Quintana (COL)          Movistar                       @45”

(4)Bradley Wiggins (GBR)        Team Sky                      @54”

(5) Michele Scarponi (ITA)        Lampre-Merida            @55”

(6) Robert Gesink (NED)            Blanco                           @1’07”

 

Stage 7 saw a gentle run in to Barcelona from El Vendrell, lasting just 122km, most of the stage took place a set of laps around the Olympic complex in Barcelona.  With 26km left to go the breakaway of 10 riders was on the point of being caught.  They were…

 

Martijn Keizer (NED)                      Vacansoleil-DCM

Tiziano Dall’antonia (ITA)              Cannondale

Nelson Oliviera (POR)                    RadioShack-Leopard

Juan Jose Oroz (ESP)                      Euskaltel-Euskadi

Thomas Damuseau (FRA)              Argos-Shimano

Karol Domagalski (POL)                 Caja Rural

Karsten Kroon (NED)                      Saxo-Tinkoff

Andrey Kashechkin (KAZ)              Astana

Michal Golas (POL)                         OPQS

Jurgen Van De Walle (BEL)            Lotto-Belisol

Lawrence Warbasse (USA)            BMC Racing

 

With 4 laps left to go their lead was down to just 18”.  They were soon caught, in the resulting counter attack another 3 leaders managed to get away.  With 2 laps to go (11.8km), they had a lead of 28”.

 

Thomas De Gendt (BEL)                 Vacansoleil-DCM

David Lopez (ESP)                           Team Sky

Tim Wellens (BEL)                           Lotto-Belisol

 

With 10.7km left to go, they were joined by Robert Kiserlovski (CZE) of RadioShack-Leopard and Michele Scarponi (ITA) of Lampre-Merida.

 

Back in the Peloton, Dan Martin was marking Purito’s every move.  As the final lap started the lead was being held at around 27”.  With 5km left to go Lopez attacked off the front of the leading group.  Within a kilometre, Rodriguez also launched an attack, Martin sucked onto the back of his wheel.

 

With a kilometre left to go, Lopez was caught.  Scarponi led out in the final sprint, De Gendt took the stage win.  Rodriguez and Martin finished together; Dan Martin became the 2^nd Irish man to win the Volta a Catalunya.

 

FINAL GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

 

(1)Dan Martin (IRL)                   Garmin-Sharp               29:02:25

(2)Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP)      Katusha                        @17”

(3)Michele Scarponi (ITA)         Lampre-Merida            @34”

(4)Nairo Quintana (COL)          Movistar                       @45”

(5)Bradley Wiggins (GBR)        Team Sky                      @54”

(6)Robert Gesink (NED)             Blanco                           @1’07”

STAGE WINNERS

 

STAGE 1:    Gianni Meersman (BEL)                 OPQS

STAGE 2:    Gianni Meersman (BEL)                 OPQS

STAGE 3:    Nairo Quintana (COL)                    Movistar

STAGE 4:    Dan Martin (IRL)                             Garmin-Sharp

STAGE 5:    Francois Parisien (CAN)                 Argos-Shimano

STAGE 6:    Simon Gerrans (IRL)                       Orica-GreenEdge

STAGE 7:    Thomas De Gendt (BEL)                 Vacansoleil-DCM

 

GC:             Dan Martin (IRL)                             Garmin-Sharp

 

 

GIRO D’ITALIA 2012 – WEEK THREE: So Who Is This Hesjedal Fella Anyway?

As the Giro entered its third and final week, Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP) of Katusha held the lead by just 30”.  Behind him was Ryder Hesjedal of Garmin-Barracuda, a relatively unknown (maybe it was just me) Canadian.  By the end of the week, Hesjedal would win the Giro and become the first Canadian winner of a Grand Tour.

 

Hesjedal was born in Victoria, British Columbia in 1980.  He is a former mountain biker, winning a silver medal at the 2001 Under-23 World Championship.  In 2005, he turned professional and got involved in road racing, joining the old Discovery Channel team.  Since then, well let’s be frank, he has hardly made a great impact.

 

PALMARES

 

MOUNTAIN BIKING

 

1998              UCI Mountain Bike World Championships (Junior) – Silver Medal

2001              U23 World Mountain Bike championships – Silver Medal

2003              UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships (Cross Country) – Silver Medal

 

ROAD RACING

 

2007              National Time Trial Champion (Canada)

2007              1^st Mountains classification – Tour of Georgia

2009              Stage 12 – Vuelta a Espana

 

As you can see it is hardly the most awe inspiring set of Palmares, most “success” consists of 4^th, 5^th or 6^th places at various events such as a 5^th place in the GC in the Tour of California (2010).  His highest finish in a Grand Tour came in the 2010 Tour de France, with a 6^th place.  It is this background that makes Hesjedal victory in this year’s Giro d’Italia all the more remarkable.

 

So this is how Rydar Hesjedal clinched this victory…

 

STAGES 16, 17 AND 18 – ADVENTURES IN THE DOLOMITES

 

With the Rest Day over, the race headed north towards the Dolomites, Stage 16 took place between Limone sul Garda and Falzes/Pfalzen (174km), whilst there were no official categorised climbs, however, the race slowly climbed throughout the day.

 

When the day started the GC looked like this…

 

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION (GC):

 

Joaquin Rodriguez            (ESP)             Katusha                                  65:27:34

Ryder Hesjedal (CAN)                 Garmin-Barracuda                          @30

Ivan Basso (ITA)                             Liquigas-Cannondale                   @1’22”

Poalo Tiralongo (ITA)                   Pro Team Astana                           @1’26”

Roman Kreuziger (CZE)               Pro Team Astana                           @1’27”

 

With 80km left to go, a 10 man breakaway had managed to gain a lead of 6’07”.  This is how it remained, as the riders enjoyed a bonus rest day ahead of the Dolomites.

 

The breakaway included…

 

Alessandro De Marchi (ITA)                              Androni Giocattoli

Jon Izaguirre (ESP)                                               Euskaltel-Euskadi

Lars Bak (DEN)                                                       Lotto-Belisol

Nikolas Maes (BEL)                                              OPQS

Matthias Brandle (AUT)                                     Team NetApp

Mathias Frank (SWI)                                            BMC Racing

Luka Mazzanti (ITA)                                             Farnese Vini-Selle Italia

Jose Herrada (ESP)                                                Movistar

Stef Clement (NED)                                              Rabobank

Manuele Boaro (ITA)                                           Team Saxo Bank

 

With 20km left to go, their lead had increased to 12’28”.  With 4km left to go there was a climb (unclassified), this stretched the leading group still further.  Mathias Frank set the pace, but it was Izaguirre that pressed forward with an attack.  With 1.3km to go, he had achieved a 14” lead.  Izaguirre took the win, the Peloton containing all the front runners drifted in some time later.

 

Stage 17, and the Peloton faced the Dolomites, the Stage between Falzes/Pfalzen and Cortina D’Ampezzo (187km) contained 2 x 2nd Cat and 2 x 1^st Cat climbs.  The last of these 1^st Cat climbs was the final mountain of the day, the Passo Giau 2236 metres above sea level.

 

With 48.6km left to go, there was just one rider up ahead, Kevin Seeldraeyers (BEL) of Pro Team Astana.  He was 1’49” ahead of the Peloton.  Behind him was a chasing group, just 36” ahead of the Peloton.  This contained Jose Serpa (COL) – Androni Giocattoli, Matteo Rabottini (ITA) of Farnese Vini-Selle Italia, Branislau Samoilau (BLR) of Movistar and Mikal Nieve (ESP) of Euskaltel-Euskadi.

 

As always on these days in the mountains, the Peloton slowly became smaller and smaller as more and more riders began to feel the pressure of the climbs.  With 40km left to go, the Peloton was down to just 25 riders.  One of the riders struggling was Roman Kreuziger (CZE) – Pro Team Astana, it was at this point that he cracked, losing the back of the Peloton.

 

On the final climb up the Passo Giau, Damiano Cunego (ITA) of Lampre-ISD, John Gadret (FRA) of Ag2r-La Mondiale and Paolo Tiralongo (ITA) – Pro Team Astana were all dropped.  Slowly the Peloton reeled in all the riders out front, bringing the race back together.  As the race reached the peak of the mountain, there were just 6 riders in the front, Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP) – Katusha, Ivan Basso (ITA) of Liquigas-Cannondale, Michele Scarponi of Lampre-ISD, Domenico Possovivo (ITA) of Colnago-CSF Inox, Rigoberto Uran (COL) – Team Sky and Ryder Hesjedal.

 

Scarponi and Uran appeared to be in trouble, fighting to hold the wheels of the other 4 riders.  They were saved by the descent, which allowed them to claw their way back onto the group.  Then with 11km left to go, Scarponi started to suffer from cramp, this forced him to slow up, it wasn’t until the 2km mark that he finally managed to rejoin the group.

 

Basso attacked with 1.5km left to go, he was quickly caught back, and in the final sprint Rodriguez powered to a second victory.  Gadret, Tiralongo and Cunego all lost valuable time (Kreuziger lost over 11 minutes), this put what chances they had of winning the Giro firmly to rest.

 

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION (GC):

 

Joaquin Rodriguez  (ESP)             Katusha                                         74:46:46

Ryder Hesjedal (CAN)                 Garmin-Barracuda                       @30

Ivan Basso (ITA)                             Liquigas-Cannondale                   @1’22”

Michele Scarponi (ITA)               Lampre-ISD                                     @1’36”

Rigoberto Uran (COL)                  Team Sky                                          @2’56”

 

Rodriguez wins another Stage

Stage 18, headed back out of the Dolomites, essentially it went downhill all the way between San Vito Cadore and Vedelago (139km).  This was a crucial Stage for the sprinters, their last realistic chance to score points before the end of the Giro.  Mark Cavendish (GBR) of Team Sky led the Points Competition and was clearly targeting the Maglia Rosso.   He needed to win Stage 18, if he was going to be guaranteed a victory in this competition.

 

The first breakaway contained Angelo Pagani (ITA) of Colnago-CSF Inox, Stef Clement (NED) – Rabobank, Pierpaolo De Negri (ITA) of Farnese Vini-Selle Italia and Manuele Boaro (ITA) of Team Saxo Bank, however this was caught with 66km left to go, and a new breakaway formed containing 6 riders.

 

These riders included…

 

Emanuele Sella (ITA)                    Androni Giocattoli

Sandy Casar (FRA)                         FDJ-Big Mat

Adam Hansen (AUS)                     Lotto-Belisol

Marco Pinotti (ITA)                      BMC Racing

Maciej Bodnar (POL)                    Liquigas-Cannondale

Oliver Kaisen (BEL)                       Lotto-Belisol

 

Guardini wins despite Chippo’s criticisms in the Italian press

By 40km, their lead was just 40”, Team Sky was clearly keeping a tight control of the race.  The catch was finally made with 14km left to go.  There was one last desperate attempt to get away.  Lars Bak (DEN) of Lotto Belisol and Mickael Delage (FRA) of FDJ-BigMat tried to get away with 10km left to go.  They were caught by the 3km mark. 

 

The Sky Train now took to the front of the Peloton, Geraint Thomas (GBR) acted as Mark Cavendish’s lead out man, but it was not to be.  The final sprint was won by Andrea Guardini (ITA) of Farnese Vini-Selle Italia, much to Cavendish’s frustration as he lost out on those all important points.

 

 

STAGES 19 and 20 – MOUNTAIN MADNESS

 

Stage 19, was the hardest day so far, from Treviso to Alpe di Pampeago/Val di Fiemme.  The Stage contained 3 x 1^st Cat, 1 x 2^nd Cat and 1 x 3^rd Cat climbs.  The day was not too hot, but occasional showers did affect the riders.

 

A breakaway of 17 riders gained a lead of 6’32” over the Peloton.

 

Adriano Malori (ITA)                                Lampre-ISD

Audrey Zeits (KAZ)                                               Pro Team Astana

Stefano Pirazzi (ITA)                                Colnago-CSF Inox

Emanuele Sella (ITA)                                Androni Giocattoli

Ivan Santaromita (ITA)                            BMC Racing

Pierre Cazaux (ESP)                                  Euskaltel-Euskadi

Andrea Guardini (ITA)                             Farnese Vini-Selle Italia

Mikhail Ignatyev (RUS)                           Katusha

Francisco Ventoso (ESP)                         Movistar

Sandy Casar (FRA)                                     FDJ-BigMat

Adam Hansen (AUS)                                 Lotto-Belisol

Juan Antonio Flecha (ESP)                      Team Sky

Lucas Sebastian Haedo (ARG)               Team Saxo Bank

Serge Pauwels (BEL)                                OPQS

Juan Manuel Garate (ESP)                      Rabobank

Thomas Rohregger (AUT)                       RNT

Cesare Benedetti (ITA)                           Team NetApp

 

On the descent of the Passo Manghen, Rohregger and Pirazzi attempted to get away from the rest of the group.  It was not to be, on the first passage up the Passo Pampeago (1^st Cat), this leading group began to break up.  Rohregger launched the attack, and Pirazzi and Casar followed.

 

It is ironic that whilst Rohregger was the most determined to form a smaller breakaway, as he was the first to be dropped by this new three man breakaway.  So with 44km left to go, the Stage was down to two leaders.

 

At the top of the climb, the two leading riders had a lead of 3’24” over the Peloton.  As soon as the riders reached the bottom of the Pampeago, they faced the climb of the Passo Lavaze (2^nd Cat).  The Peloton started to become more active, first to launch themselves off the front was Dario Cataldo (BEL) – OPQS.  With 25km left to go, he was followed by Roman Kreuziger (CZE) – Pro Team Astana (who had been struggling on the Pampeago).

 

As the Stage reached the final climb (a second time up the Passo Pampeago), both Sella and Rohragger had managed to catch up with the leading pair.  There recovery was short lived, they were quickly dropped by Pirazzi and Casar, and then caught by Kreuziger and Cataldo with 4km left to go.

 

Kreuziger on the attack

The leading pair, had a lead of just 17”, Pirazzi, in particular, fought all the way, but Kreuziger inched his way up to his wheel.  With 3km left to go, Kreuziger had left everyone else behind, Casar, Pirazzi and Cataldo all cracked and fell behind.

 

In what was left of the Peloton, Scarponi had started to look the most active, stretching his legs, slightly increasing his pace, testing the reactions of the other riders.  Then Hesjedal attacked, Basso and Rodriguez appeared to have been cooked.  In the final kilometre, Scarponi also cracked, unable to hold Hesjedal’s wheel.  Kreuziger took the Stage, but the winner as far as the GC was concerned was Rydar Hesjedal.  Rodriguez managed a slight recovery to reduce his loses, overtaking Scarponi in the last few metres.

 

As for Basso, whilst he still had a slim chance of winning the Giro, he was not looking competitive.  Ironically, one of the main problems was a lack of support from his team (Liquigas-Cannondale).  Was this because they wore themselves out chasing all down every breakaway over the past two weeks?

 

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION (GC):

 

Joaquin Rodriguez  (ESP)             Katusha                                            84:06:13

Ryder Hesjedal (CAN)                 Garmin-Barracuda                       @17”

Michele Scarponi (ITA)               Lampre-ISD                                     @1’39”

Ivan Basso (ITA)                             Liquigas-Cannondale                   @1’45”

Rigoberto Uran (COL)                  Team Sky                                          @3’21”

 

On Stage 20, the initial breakaway was somewhat smaller, just two riders had managed to work up a 3’18” lead over the Peloton (with 60.7km left to go).  They were Oliver Zaugg (SWI) – RNT and Matteo Carrara (ITA) of Vacansoliel-DCM.  Behind them was another small group consisting of Audrey Amador (CRC) – Movistar, Jose Serpa (COL) of Androni Giocattoli and Christian Vande Velde (USA) of Garmin-Barracuda.

 

Ahead of them was another tough day in the saddle, travelling between Caldo and the Passo dello Stelvio.  It was another day going up and down mountains, the riders faced 2 x 3^rd Cat, 1 x 2^nd Cat, 1 x 1^st Cat and then one final Hors Cat climb up the Stelvio, reaching 2341m above sea level, this was the highest finish in the history of the Giro.

 

Zaugg and Carrara were busy climbing the 1^st Cat Mortirolo, behind in the Peloton.  Rodriguez was already stretching his legs, testing his rivals.  Rodriguez was well aware that Hesjedal was a far better time trialist, if he was going to win the Giro he was going to have to gain at least a couple of minutes off Hesjedal by the end of the day.  However, it was Thomas De Gendt (BEL) of Lotto Belisol who launched the successful attack, getting away from the rest of the Peloton.  Behind him, Basso was hanging onto the back of the Peloton. 

 

Zaugg was all by himself by the time he reached the top of the Mortirolo, Carrara appeared to be completely cooked, as well being dropped by Zaugg, he was unable to hold the wheels of Serpa, Amador and Vande Velde.

On the flat run before the Stelvio a number of riders sought to form a new breakaway, catching up and working with De Gendt.  As they reached the bottom of the climb, the Peloton was down to 15 men, 5’45” behind Zaugg.

 

By now the Stage was becoming confusing with riders all over the road (it was about to get a lot worse), the race now looked like this…

 

Oliver Zaugg (SWI)                                    RNT

 

Christian Vande Velde (USA)    Garmin-Barracuda           1’40”

Audrey Amador (CRC)                 Movistar

Jose Serpa (COL)                            Androni Giocattoli

 

Thomas De Gendt (BEL)              Lotto-Belisol                       2’50”

Damiano Cunego (ITA)                Lampre-ISD

Alberto Losada (ESP)                   Katusha

Matteo Carrara (ITA)                   Vacansoleil-DCM

 

Gorka Izagirre (ESP)                     Euskaltel-Euskadi             3’10”

Mikel Nieve (ESP)                         Euskaltel-Euskadi

Amets Txurruka (ESP)                  Euskaltel-Euskadi

 

Peloton                                                                                             5’45”

 

Vande Velde was called back into the Peloton to provide support for Hesjedal who was clearly starting to feel the pressure.  Tanel Kangert (EST) – Pro Team Astana attacked off the front of the Peloton joining the leading groups which were starting to come together at the base of the Stelvio.

 

High above the snow line

At the early part of the climb Zaugg was caught by a group of 5 riders.  This group consisted of Amador, De Gendt, Nieve, Cunego and Kangert, they quickly dropped Zaugg and started the climb.

 

With 17.3km left to go the front group exploded, Kangert cracked first, then Amador and then finally Cunego.  De Gendt and Nieve now led the Stage, with a 3’36” lead over the Peloton.  Cunego slowly recovered clawing his way back.  Then with 12.7km left to go, De Gendt attacked dropping both Nieve and Cunego, Nieve never recovered, but once again Cunego tried to pull himself back up to De Gendt.  With 10km left to go, De Gendt had increased his lead to 4’54”, Cunego was 57” behind.

 

Hesjedal, Scarponi and Rodriguez had now moved on ahead of the rest of the Peloton.  Basso was cooked and had fallen out of the back.  Scarponi finally attacked, perhaps it too little, too late, but it is clear that he did not have the strength in his legs to do any more.  Rodriguez fought back, overtaking Scarponi.

 

De Gendt took the Stage, 2^nd was Cunego @55”, 3^rd Nieve @2’49”, 4^th Rodriguez @3’22”, Scarponi @3’33” and then in 6^th Hesjedal @3’35”.  Hesjedal was now the favourite to win the Giro, all he had to do was produce his usual time trial performance.  Rodriguez performance was enough for him to overtake Cavendish and clinch the Points Competition.

 

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION (GC):

 

Joaquin Rodriguez  (ESP)             Katusha                                            91:04:16

Ryder Hesjedal (CAN)                 Garmin-Barracuda                       @31”

Michele Scarponi (ITA)               Lampre-ISD                                     @1’51”

Thomas De Gendt (BEL)              Vacansoleil-DCM                          @2’18”

Ivan Basso (ITA)                             Liquigas-Cannondale                   @3’18”

 

STAGE 21 – INDIVIDUAL TIME TRAIL IN MILAN

 

Hesjedal time trials to victory

The final Stage (21) was the now traditional individual time trial for 28.2km around the streets of Milan.  Of the early riders, Jessie Sergent (NZL) – RNT set a fast time of 33’59”.  This was eventually beaten by Geraint Thomas (GBR) of Team Sky.  Ultimately, Thomas was beaten by Marco Pinotti (ITA) – BMC Racing with a time of 33’06” (winning the Stage).

 

The more interesting race happened afterwards, as the contenders for the GC fought it out for the final positions. 

 

At Checkpoint (1)…

 

Ryder Hesjedal                               13’55

Thomas De Gendt                         13’56”

Michele Scarponi                          14’07”

Joaquin Rodriguez                       14’24”

 

Rodriguez had already lost 29 seconds to Hesjedal, all the Canadian needed was another 3 seconds and he would win the Giro.

 

At Checkpoint (2)…

 

Ryder Hesjedal                   24’32”

Thomas De Gendt             24’32”

Michele Scarponi              25’04”

Joaquin Rodriguez                    25’16”

 

Hesjedal had now won the Giro, there was now a real danger that Scarponi might lose his 3^rd place.  This would mean that there would be no Italian on the podium.

 

At the finish…

 

Thomas De Gendt             34’07”

Ryder Hesjedal                   34’15”

Michele Scarponi              35’00”

Joaquin Rodriquez                        35’02”

 

Ryder Hesjedal had won the Giro, Thomas De Gendt had climbed into 3^rd place and the Tifosi had to suffer the indignity of not having a single Italian on the podium.

 

FINAL GENERAL CLASSIFICATION (GC):

 

Ryder Hesjedal (CAN)                 Garmin-Barracuda                       91:39:02

Joaquin Rodriguez            (ESP)             Katusha                                            @16

Thomas De Gendt (BEL)              Vacansoleil-DCM                          @1’39”

Michele Scarponi (ITA)               Lampre-ISD                                     @2’05”

Ivan Basso (ITA)                             Liquigas-Cannondale                   @3’44”

 

OTHER CLASSIFICATIONS

 

YOUNG RIDER:       Rigoberto Uran (COL)                              Team Sky

MOUNTAINS:         Matteo Rabottini (ITA)                           Farnese Vini           

POINTS:                    Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP)                         Katusha

 

STAGE VICTORIES:

 

STAGE 1:                   Taylor Phinney (USA)                               BMC Racing

STAGE 2:                   Mark Cavendish (GBR)                            Team Sky

STAGE 3:                   Matt Goss (AUS)                                       Orica-GreenEdge

STAGE 4:                   Garmin-Barracuda

STAGE 5:                   Mark Cavendish (GBR)                            Team Sky

STAGE 6:                   Miguel Angel Rubiano (COL)                 Androni Giocattoli

STAGE 7:                   Paolo Tiralongo (ITA)                               Team Astana

STAGE 8:                   Domenenico Pozzovivo (ITA)                Colnago-CSF Inox

STAGE 9:                   Francisco Ventoso (ESP)                         Movistar

STAGE 10:                Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP)                         Katusha

STAGE 11:                Roberto Ferrari (ITA)                               Androni Giocattoli

STAGE 12:                Lars Bak (DEN)                                           Lotto-Belisol

STAGE 13:                Mark Cavendish (GBR)                            Team Sky

STAGE 14:                Audrey Amador (CRC)                             Movistar

STAGE 15:                Matteo Rabottini  (ITA)                           Farnese Vini

STAGE 16:                Jon Izaguirre (ESP)                                   Euskaltel-Euskadi

STAGE 17:                Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP)                         Katusha       

STAGE 18:                Andrea Guardini (ITA)                             Farnese-Vini

STAGE 19:                Roman Kreuziger (CZE)                           Pro Team Astana

STAGE 20:                Thomas De Gendt (BEL)                          Vacansoleil-DCM

STAGE 21:                Marco Pinotti (ITA)                                  BMC Racing