2012 Giro; RYDER DOES IT!

What a Giro! Once more, the Giro proves to be the most exciting of the Grand Tours- can not imagine how the Tour de France can live up to the excitement of the Giro (again) this year. 

Ryder Hesjedal becomes the 1st ever Canadian to win a Grand Tour, also getting Jonathan Vaughters’ first Grand Tour win for Garmin. For the first time since 1995, no Italian riders were on the final podium- that will not make the tifosi or Italian cycling press happy… the collective hand ringing must be intense. Would NOT want to be any of the Italian pre-race favorites right now. Still, there were great moments during the race for the Italian fans to cling to; Ferrari, Guardini, Pozzovivo- great winners and faces for the future of Italian cycling. 

The battle between Rodriguez and Hesjedal during the three weeks proves they were both the strongest riders of the race- neither with dominant teams. The race was made so much more “brilliant” by their singular efforts and by the extreme efforts of their outgunned teams to protect them. 

Cycling truly is among the most gloriously beautiful sports in the world… if not the most wonderful, though I’m biased. 

Tim

(Full report to follow later… now I wanna ride… or is that ryde?)

2012 Giro; Stage 19 report- Ryder riding into history!

Stage 19 played out largely as expected; brutally. A brave, yet ultimately suicidal break got away and built the usual large lead before slowly falling apart as the final climbs approached.

The pace setting and heavy lifting was largely done by Liquigas, as they protected Basso and tried to set him up to assert himself, or at least not succumb to his rivals. Basso looked confident and comfortable all day, but as the end drew near, things heated up significantly…

Up the road, on the final passage of the unforgiving Pampeago, the break was falling apart. With about 25km to go to the finish, Roman Kreuziger launched a fierce attack in an attempt to salvage his Giro. Kreuziger had been on nearly all GC contender lists- including mine- but continually slid further down the GC column. Either out of pride or orders from the team car, Kreuziger flew up the climb and picked off the stragglers of the day’s break one by one. As the summit of the climb neared, he began to fade under the pressure of the chase to reel him in… and there’s the back story…

The chase to catch Kreuziger, was none other than Ryder Hesjedal as he decimated the final pack of GC contenders. Along the way up the final climb, Scarponi had attacked a number of times in an attempt to finally shed Hesjedal… to no avail, and his own ultimate undoing. Scarponi always goes down swinging… so you can expect more tomorrow, but today was not his day. Eventually, Hesjedal was screaming through the dropped break as Kreuziger began to falter, mashing heavily on his pedals in hopes of reaching the finish line before being caught.

Kreuziger ultimately managed to survive, saving his pride and gaining the stage win. 19 seconds later, Hesjedal blasted across the line as he worked ruthlessly to put as much distance between himself and the others at the finish. Another 13 seconds later, a visibly blown Rodriguez crossed the line trying to retain his maglia rosa. Scarponi was another 3 seconds behind, and Basso finished 55 seconds after Kreuziger… 36 behind Hesjedal.

The impressive Canadian finds himself firmly in the driver’s seat of the Giro; if he shows any of the same strength he has shown during the previous days, he is nearly assured of the win by day’s end in Milan. The far superior TT rider to Rodriguez, with the gap he has over Basso, he would be very hard for Basso to catch and Rodgriguez would have to have the ride of his life to lose less than a minute to Hesjedal. Hesjedal now sits just 17 seconds behind Rodriguez… with Scarponi sitting in 3rd and 1:22 behind Hesjedal.

Tomorrow will be the virtual final chance for the remaining GC contenders to rid themselves of Hesjedal, or at least put him into real difficulty before the final TT on Sunday. Tomorrow’s stage should be full of incredible fireworks… unless the others have succumbed to what they feel is inevitable. Hesjedal looks set to become the first-ever Canadian winner of the Giro… and a very worthy one at that… if he can survive tomorrow intact.

As they say in my home state of Alabama; it’s gonna be a humdinger!

Tim

2012 Giro; Stage 18- Guardini gives it some gas!

Ok, so I jumped the gun with my stage report last night and said that today would be stage 19, rather than 18… so today was stage 18, not 19. Tomorrow is 19. Ok… now that we have that clear.

On to stage 18…

Andrea Guardini of Farnese-Vini added another stage win to the stage 15 win of Rabottini, giving the small squad an impressive list of accomplishments this year. BUt, what makes this win so much more exciting is that Guardini has been knocking on the door of a big win for some time now. He’s been the winningest rider for the past two years at the Tour de Langkawi, but has struggled to get a win in Europe against the bigger teams. What’s more, Guardini snatched the seemingly obvious win away from Mark Cavendish in a stellar display of speed that clearly caught Cav’ by surprise… certainly sent the little prince into a tizzy on the team bus. Guardini has the speed of Cavendish- and then some, as he showed today- but has to rely much more on his own freelancing of the sprints, much like his stated idol, Robbie McEwen had to do for most of his career. His struggle to get over the Giro’s climbs has been well-documented, but he’s managed to make the suffering worthwhile. Now that he’s proven that he can beat the best sprinter currently in the world, his confidence is only going to be bolstered… and that should scare the crap out of his fellow sprinters. Given the right help from his team, he should continue to progress as one of the top sprinting prospects of the next several years, since he’s still in his very early 20’s. I’m looking forward to seeing many more sprints between Guardini and Cavensdish in the coming years. 

The race unfolded fairly formulaically with breaks getting away long enough to get TV time, but then things got back to the script with Sky getting Cav set up for the assured win… until Guardini busted through to the finish line and wizzed in their punchbowl.

Long live the party crashers!

Tim

2012 Giro; Stages 16 & 17- a good time to be Spanish…

Late to the party again… but at least I don’t have any really good excuses. 

Stage 16;

Euskaltel-Euskadi won the stage with a rider other than Sammy Sanchez, but probably only because he’s not at the Giro. Jon Izagirre grabbed a nice win on a day when the main peloton was more than a little willing to let a breakaway of non-contenders get away. Stage 17 being a monster stage, stage 16 was essentially a continuation of the rest day for the GC riders. 

Izagirre got into a breakaway with a handful of other riders early enough in the stage to build up a lead of nearly 13 minutes. With nobody in the break less than 32 minutes down on the overall GC, the break was given a very long leash by a very lazy peloton wanting to rest it’s legs before the real racing to com in the Dolomites. 

As the stage drew to a close, Izagirre dropped his companions and sprinted the history with a 16 second gap. His companions from the break trickled in over the next minute… and the field arrived with a ceremonial sprint just a few seconds shy of 9 minutes later. 

The GC remained unchanged… and rested for stage 17.

Stage 17;

The big boys came out to play today, on a stage that held four insanely hard climbs for the riders. The race would climb some of the most painful and historic passes of Giro history… and the GC would potentially be reshuffled, and then some. By the end of the day, Joaquim Rodriguez had further placed his stamp on the race and Basso and Hesjedal confirmed their commitment to not making it easy on him. 

The first three terrible climbs were ridden briskly enough, but a small break containing stage 15 winner Rabottini managed to get away and Rabottini solidified his grip on the climber’s jersey… and the blue really clashes with the hideous neon yellow of the Farnese-Vini kits, by the way. 

The last climb, up the fabled Giau, was controlled by Liquigas as they set up Basso. The pace ratcheted up to Warp Factor 9 and then to Ludicrous Speed®. Liquigas systematically annihilated the field of contenders who were still remaining and then the fighting began with attacks coming most notably from Basso and Scarponi. The main contenders, in the from of Basso, Hesjedal and Rodriguez, remained tightly bound to each other- marking every move. Though the pace was brutal, the main damage was being done to the lower contenders. The Astana pair of Kreuziger and Tiralongo really suffering most. 

At the end, out of the last turn before the line, Rodriguez showed he still had his impressive uphill sprinting power and took the win with Basso second and Hesjedal third. Though the GC looks much the same, to the naked eye, the gaps are now bigger and the deck has been slightly reshuffled. Rodriguez looks good, but he’s still got a lot of work to do before Milan if he is to keep Basso and Hesjedal from sinking him in the final TT. 

1 Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team 74:46:46  

2 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda 0:00:30  

3 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:01:22  

4 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:01:36  

5 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling 0:02:56  

6 Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa) Movistar Team 0:03:04  

7 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox 0:03:19  

8 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:04:13  

9 Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:04:38  

10 Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Col) Sky Procycling 0:04:42  

11 Johann Tschopp (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:04:46  

12 John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale  

13 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team 0:04:55  

14 Dario Cataldo (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:04:59  

15 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:05:07  

16 Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:05:42  

17 Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox 0:06:29  

18 Sergio Pardilla Bellon (Spa) Movistar Team 0:06:53  

19 Sandy Casar (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:12:25  

20 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Astana Pro Team 0:12:53  

Tomorrow’s stage 18 is another brutal climbing stage and it promises to be another one that will hurt the GC contenders who are not ready for the battle. Basso looks best at this point with a very strong team around him- which mightt be all the difference needed in the coming days. Hesjedal and Rodriguez both were often isolated and alone, while Basso had several teammates to shepherd him along. That’s not good news for his competitors. 

Tim

2012 Giro; rest day #2

Today was the second rest day- and last one- before the race hits the Dolomites and then finishes in Milan with the final day time trial. Feces has begun to hit the overhead oscillating device… but it’s gonna be a lot more feces in the coming days. 

I was gonna write a recap and insightful post about the remaining GC contenders, but I gotta say that this guy did a damn fine job so I’m taking the night off from the Giro coverage!

Tim

(PS- yes, I know I just took the easy way out…)

2012 Giro; Stage 15- things are getting interesting…

Today was a very tough and exciting day at the Giro, with Matteo Rabottini (Farnese) getting the win- narrowly- after a nearly wire to wire breakaway. The weather was terrible, making the stage that much harder, and lending to the fables that will surely be woven about Rabottini’s win in the future. He fought valiantly with and without break companions, riding people off his wheel all day. Near the end of the stage, it looked like he would lose his bid for victory- slipping and crashing in the wet conditions, and with several chasers closing in on him. The likes of Damiano Cunego and others, until Joaquim Rodriguez made a late bid and ultimately succeeded in catching Rabottini within the final 500 meters to the line. In the last bid for victory on the stage, Rabottini dove inside Rodriguez in the final turn and sprinted to the line for the well-earned (and crowd pleasing) win. Some have speculated that the win was “gifted” to Rabottini by Rodriguez- which actually would have been the “honorable” thing to do- but with the Giro GC battle fully hotted up, it’s hard to imagine. Rodriguez says it was not a gift, and the doubters need to just shut the hell up and let Rabottini be the winner he deserves so much to be. 

The bigger news of the stage’s fallout though, is the GC battle standings. Early in the stage, Frank Schleck- aka “I can’t stay on my bike and it’s somebody else’s fault I wasn’t paying attention”- abandoned the Giro. His shoulder injury from his minor crash with Alex Rasmussen a few stages ago, apparently “put paid” to his Giro ambitions… so now he’s off to cuddle with his wooby blanket… Andy Schleck… so they can prepare together for the Tour. It’s not creepy and weird at all… no really. The rumor mill is really enjoying the situation and questioning whether Bruyneel and the Schlecks are in the midst of a meltdown… Johan may be yearning for the Contador vs Armstrong polemics now.

Rodriguez also managed to put Ryder Hesjedal into a little bit of trouble as well, gapping the maglia rosa wearer and then retaking the jersey at the end of the stage. Hesjedal had a less strong day, but the damage could have been so much worse. He lost 39 seconds at the line to Rabottini and Rodriguez, but stays in second overall by only 30 seconds… well within distance of the top step still. Ryder and Rodriguez have been trading the jersey back and forth and have been the best part of the Giro experience thus far. Ivan Basso finished 14 seconds ahead of Hesjedal and now sits in 3rd overall at  1:22 behind Rodriguez. 

The rest of the GC picture looks like this; 

1 Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team 65:11:07  

2 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda 0:00:30  

3 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:01:22  

4 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:01:26  

5 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Astana Pro Team 0:01:27  

6 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:01:36  

7 Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:42  

8 Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Col) Sky Procycling 0:01:55  

9 Dario Cataldo (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:02:12  

10 Sandy Casar (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:02:13  

11 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling 0:02:56  

12 Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:03:16  

13 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox 0:03:17  

14 Johann Tschopp (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:03:24  

15 John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale  

16 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team 0:03:33  

17 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:03:45  

18 Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:04:20  

19 Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox 0:04:45  

20 Sergio Pardilla Bellon (Spa) Movistar Team 0:05:31  

Tomorrow is the second/ final rest day and it will be well appreciated by a battered peloton. With stage 16 (Tuesday) being much less brutal, it will be another welcome bit of respite for the main GC contenders. Stage 17 though… is a brutal day in the Dolomites with some of the most painful climbs of the entire Giro. The main GC contenders will have to be prepared for real battle amongst themselves, so stage 16 is going to be a stage for somebody who is out of contention and/or a team without a GC hope who can afford to ride hard. Would be great to see NetApp get the win they deserve here. Hmmm… 

Tim

2012 Giro; Stages 13 and 14- more of the same…

Stage 13 ended in the expected and somewhat formulaic result with Mark Cavendish claiming his 3rd stage win of this Giro. The “script” was somewhat disrupted when Cav’s leadout faltered in the run-in to the finish line. In the closing meters, the Sky train was over run by both the Rabobank and GreenEdge teams and the Manx Missile was forced to improvise on his own. The brash young sprinter, easily the best in the world currently, has shown a level of improving maturity in the past year and has learned to read sprints much better when things don’t go his way. In year’s past, Cavendish would’ve frustratedly banged his bars and called the other sprinters dangerous riders for blocking him in. Now that he has learned how to sprint, rather than simply just go fast for 50-100m, he’s becoming an actual sprinter. 

The GC remained virtually unchanged after stage 13 with the main players patiently waiting for stage 14’s brutal climbs. 

Speaking of stage 14… 

A very tough Andrey Amador (Movistar) outsprinted brave breakaway companion Jan Barta (NetApp) to take the win after a long and tough day. Ryder Hesjedal attacked the field of GC favorites near the end of the race and finished fourth, a few seconds behind final breakaway man Alessandro De Marchi (Androni Gioccatoli), serving notice to his rivals and retaking the pink jersey from Joaquim Rodriguez. Hesjedal had been chasing the break with a select group of GC contenders and unleashed an attack that was strong enough to distance him from the chasers by 26 seconds. Ryder has regained the maglia rosa by the same margin of time he had when he last lost it to Rodriguez- 9 seconds. 

It’s impossible to not consider him a vital threat to have the jersey when the race finishes in Milan. So far, he’s shown that he is at the Giro to race for the final GC and is not showing real signs of weakness. The harsher mountains of the Dolomites remain, but he’s looking more and more like he’s ready for the challenge. But is Garmin ready to defend? That’s kind of a big question… and an important one. 

Tomorrow’s stage 15 promises to be even more painful and since it is the day before the second (and final) rest day, fireworks can be expected for sure. If Scarponi really wants to show he is ready to win this Giro, tomorrow will likely be his day to show he is there for the fight. Basso might also show signs of life, unless he’s saving his matches for the last week. I’m expecting more attacks from the fringe GC riders like Gadret, Rujano, Pozzovivo and the likes. Should, as always, be entertaining. 

Tim

2012 Giro; Stages 11 & 12- redemption & heroism

Stage 11;

Sprint villain from stage 3, Roberto Ferrari (Androni Gioccatoli), finally won a stage in yet another crash-marred sprint finale. So far, in the five stages that have been won in field sprints, only one has not been marred by a final approach crash. 

• Stage 2- crash in very last turn. 
• Stage 3- Ferrari makes erratic move and causes crash just before finish line. 
• Stage 5- no crash. 
• Stage 9- crash in last turn again. 
• Stage 11- crash in last turn again… Ferrari wins sprint. 

Riders are right to question Giro organizers for the course selections, as well as the handling/ intelligence of their fellow riders. Frank Schleck is likely questioning his thinking as well, after losing 46 seconds on the stage due to poor positioning in the field that lead to being caught in or behind two different crashes. Frank and his brother both are pretty good at riding the asphalt on their asses… so, this seems to be the norm.

Stage 11 was the longest of the Giro and the predictable break went up the road early and the final members were not caught until less than 30km from the finish. Once caught, the new attacks began in earnest again. Guys like Giovanni Visconti made strong moves that were brought back by the sprinter’s teams. In the end, the inevitable was destined to occur.. a crash and then a sprint. Ferrari was the benefactor this time, rather than villain. You have to assume, he was pretty happy about that. 

Today’s stage 12 was won by a very brave Lars Bak (Lotto Bellisol) who attacked out of a small break with just under 2km to go. The break formed nearly 50km into the stage and had the main GC riders worried when their lead put Sandy Casar (FDJ- Big Mat) into the virtual maglia rosa. With more than enough time to win the stage, the break began to fade and play games, with a very strong TT background, Bak launched himself out of the break and demolished the others to win solo. His gutsy move showed lots of class and the win was well earned. 

Joaquim Rodriquez remains in pink, with Hesjedal still in second. The GC battle is still in a holding pattern before the real fireworks begin in the much worse mountains ahead. Tomorrow’s stage is not entirely flat, but the worst of the hills are early enough in the stage that the sprinters should be able to survive for another crash finish… I mean sprint finish. But we’ll see who has the most skin and nerves left for the fight. 

Tim