2012 Giro d'Italia Stage 21

May 27, Stage 21: Milan (ITT) 31.5km

Ryder Hesjedal wins the Giro d'Italia

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/giro-ditalia/stage-21/results)

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) became the first Canadian rider to win a grand tour when he finished 47 seconds ahead of overnight leader Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) in the final time trial in Milan to claim the Giro d’Italia title by a mere 16 seconds. Hesjedal finished sixth in the 28.2km Milan test, which was won by Marco Pinotti (BMC Racing), ahead of Sky’s Geraint Thomas and RadioShack’s Jesse Sergent.
Hesjedal cleared all but two seconds of his 31-second deficit on Rodríguez by the first time check and continued to gain time on the Spaniard, who had admitted beforehand that he would need a miracle to hold on to the pink jersey. Apart from a couple of dicey moments when his bike slipped as he went through two tight corners, Hesjedal was always on course to achieve his goal, although Rodríguez finished strongly and did not lose as much team as many had expected.

Third place on the podium went to Thomas de Gendt (Vacansoleil-DCM), who built on his stunning Stelvio victory yesterday. The Belgian finished fifth on the day and relegated defending champion Michele Scarponi to fourth place. De Gendt’s elevation to third meant that there was no Italian on the final podium for the first time since 1995.

Having hugged his wife after crossing the line, Hesjedal quickly received confirmation that he regained the maglia rosa from Rodríguez.

“This is incredible, I can’t quite believe it,” said the Garmin rider. “I have to thank my team for their efforts over the past three weeks, I couldn’t have done it without them. I’ve had to dig deeper and deeper as the race has gone on. I also like to thank all the Canadian fans back home for their incredible support.

“It’s been a fantastic experience. I started to believe in it more and more when I realized that I was riding better in the mountains than I ever have in any other race. My legs felt good, I was strong in my head, and I reached the last day in good condition and managed to write an important page in history.”

Conditions were perfect for the final test of this fascinating race. There was good news initially for Rodríguez and the other non-specialists, when it was announced that the course through Milan had to be shortened by 2km, due to roadworks, leaving the riders facing a test of 28.2km.

RadioShack’s Sergent was the fastest of the early starters, until his time was bettered by Sky’s Geraint Thomas. However, just as was the case for Bradley Wiggins in 2009, the Briton would have to settle for second on the day.

The course was always likely to suit a specialist like Marco Pinotti, and he went about demonstrating that, overtaking the two riders who went off before him. He finished 39 seconds ahead of Thomas, with Sergent the only other rider within a minute of him. In the process, he bookended the Giro for his BMC team, his victory on the final day following Taylor Phinney’s prologue success.

“This was a big goal for me,”Pinotti said. “I won the last time trial here at the Giro in 2008 and I was second in 2010 and last year it was a big goal. But I crashed two days before and had to go to the hospital. So I’ve been working for this for a year. For me, it’s been a difficult Giro. I was trying to save all my energy for this in the last week.” 

Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Marco Pinotti (Ita) BMC Racing Team	0:33:06
2	Geraint Thomas (GBr) Sky Procycling	0:00:39
3	Jesse Sergent (NZl) RadioShack-Nissan	0:00:53
4	Alex Rasmussen (Den) Garmin - Barracuda	0:01:00
5	Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	0:01:01
6	Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda	0:01:09
7	Gustav Larsson (Swe) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	0:01:14
8	Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:01:15
9	Svein Tuft (Can) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team	0:01:22
10	Julien Vermote (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep	0:01:23

 

 

Final general classification

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda	91:39:02
2	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team	0:00:16
3	Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	0:01:39
4	Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD	0:02:05
5	Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:03:44
6	Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - ISD	0:04:40
7	Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling	0:05:57
8	Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox	0:06:28
9	Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Col) Sky Procycling	0:07:50
10	Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi	0:08:08

Waving the White Flag

Rodriguez and Basso accept their defeat at Giro d'Italia

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rodriguez-and-basso-accept-their-defeat-at-giro-ditalia)

Giro d'Italia leader Joaquim Rodriguez and race favorite Ivan Basso have made the same comment at the end of stage 19: "We were supposed to drop Ryder Hesjedal but it's been the opposite."

Rodriguez added: "Hesjedal gave us a lesson. He has surprised me, really. I was on his wheel when he attacked and I preferred to follow the more regular rhythm of [Domenico] Pozzovivo. That was hard enough. It's going to be difficult to beat Hesjedal for the overall win. Now the Giro is in his hands. If he doesn't make any mistake tomorrow, he'll be the winner."

"Hesjedal has shown he is the strongest," Basso echoed. "When someone is the strongest, we only have to congratulate him. When I understood my limits for today, I went at my own rhythm. [Michele] Scarponi's three attacks have put me in difficulty. I haven't managed to make the difference that I wanted. As I couldn't do what I planned this morning, it shows the merit of my adversaries."

Basso is now fourth at 1:45. Seventeen seconds are obviously not enough of a margin for "Purito" over Hesjedal prior to the closing time trial in Milan on Sunday. Saturday's stage features the Mortirolo prior to the final ascent to the Stelvio at 2757 metres of altitude. "I still have the pink jersey," Rodriguez reminded. "I'm still up there, so are Scarponi and Basso who haven't lost all chance to win the Giro. Anything can happen on the Stelvio. That final climb will make a difference. It's going to be difficult to recover some time over Hesjedal but the Mortirolo has put some big champions into troubles before. [Miguel] Indurain was one of them."

In 1994, Indurain didn't manage to follow Marco Pantani who was a new climber in the game. After winning the Giro in 1992 and 1993, the Spaniard lost the corsa rosa to Evgeni Berzin. At the age of 15, Rodriguez was a big fan of his compatriot. He knows how the Mortirolo can change the face of a Giro d'Italia.
 

2012 Giro d'Italia Stage 17

My fantasy team did quite well today, considering I had 5 of the top 7 finishers on my team. :)

May 23, Stage 17: Falzes/Pfalzen - Cortina d'Ampezzo 187km

Rodriguez wins stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/giro-ditalia/stage-17/results)

Spain’s Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) won a dramatic stage 17 at the 2012 Giro d’Italia, overcoming some of his closest rivals in the general classification as the race headed into the Dolomites for the first time.

A leading group of about 25 riders was dismantled in brutal fashion as it started the final big climb of the stage. Liquigas-Cannondale’s injection of pace resulted in a breakaway group of six riders for the final 25km, with all of them handily placed in the GC.

In the end it was Rodriguez who marginally handled the descent and small uphill finish best. He crossed the line in Cortina d'Ampezzo ahead of Ivan Basso (Liquigas Cannondale), Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda), Rigoberto Uran (Sky), Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) and Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago-CSF), consolidating his lead in the overall standings and retaining the pink jersey after an epic mountain stage that captivated everyone who witnessed it.

With four uncompromising climbs ahead of them, each one woven into the folklore of the Giro, there was a palpable tension in the air amongst the riders as they waited at the start in Pfalzen, close to the Italian/Austrian border. Temperatures were in the mid teens and there was a generous covering of clouds, offering the riders protection in the early stages.

At the 50km point, a bunch of five broke away. Matteo Rabottini (Farnese-Vini), Branislau Samoilau (Movistar), Kevin Seeldraeyers (Astana), Matteo Montaguti (Ag2r-La Mondiale), and Jose Serpa (Androni) pulled clear and steadily built up a lead of roughly five minutes as the riders got over the first big climb of the day, the Falzarego. Rabottini, who won stage 15 in dramatic fashion on Sunday, added more points here to extend his lead at the top of the mountains classification.

By the time they reached the top of the Passo Duran with 55km to race, the gap had come down to 1:30. Back in the main group, which by this point had shrunk to around 40 riders, Liquigas was in control and keeping Basso’s powder dry for the business end of the race and protecting him most effectively. But all of the main GC contenders were there, including both of Astana’s leaders, Roman Kreuziger and Paolo Tiralongo.

The next climb, the Forcella, came along fast, and by this time, Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel-Euskadi) had caught up with Seeldraeyers, who had been dropped by the leaders. Rodriguez’s position was starting to look precarious back in the main group, which had shrunk to 25 now and contained none of the pink jersey holder’s Katusha teammates. Moments later Kreuziger was the first of the big names to crack as he lost touch with his GC rivals and fell off their pace.

The excitement amongst the crowd was about to be turned up a notch as the main chase group swallowed up the breakaway riders as they started the final, gruelling climb, the Passo Giau. Before they had a chance to catch their breath, Liquigas made its devastating attack and within minutes the leaders were strung out like laundry on a line. When the dust had settled it was those leading six riders who were left to fight it out for the remainder of the climb and the fast descent that followed.

As they approached the top, Pozzovivo attacked. Scarponi cramped up and he and Uran were temporarily dropped. They managed to fight their way back to the wheels of the leading four with 2km left to go. As they wearily closed on the finish line, which was on a gentle final gradient that probably seemed much steeper after the sweat and toil they had left on the road, Basso and Scarponi took it in turns to attack. But Rodriguez was poised in behind and produced a devastating late burst to prevail, winning his second stage of the race and confirming his superiority over his closest pursuers for pink.

In the end, there wasn’t a great deal of change at the top of overall GC, with the exception of the Astana duo, who were the big losers on the day. To those simply looking at the bare result and the overall standings, the stage may look an uneventful one. But it was far from it, and we’ll know more tomorrow in terms of its impact on the well being of the men who pushed themselves to the limit in search of Giro glory.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team	5:24:42
2	Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
3	Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda
4	Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling
5	Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD
6	Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox	0:00:02
7	Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa) Movistar Team	0:01:22
8	Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team
9	Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
10	Johann Tschopp (Swi) BMC Racing Team

2012 Giro d'Italia Stage 10

I'm not going to keep posting the Amgen Tour of California results due to the results being posted late my time. I will keep up with the Grand Tour however. If you are looking here for the Tour of California or any other race results, be sure to check out http://cyclingnews.com/ for all your up-to-date needs.

May 15, Stage 10: Civitavecchia - Assisi 187km

Rodriguez wins Giro stage into Assisi

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/giro-ditalia/stage-10/results)

Spanish rider Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) took stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia in Assisi and also claimed the pink jersey as overall leader after an exciting climax to the afternoon’s racing in the historic Perugian town.

The final five kilometres provided some of the most intense racing of the season so far, with Rodriguez mastering the undulations best and coming home clear of Bartosz Huzarski (NetApp) and Giovanni Visconti (Movistar).

Race leader Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) fought bravely to the death but could only finish sixth, and the time bonus afforded to Rodriguez for the win meant that he leapfrogs the Canadian to the top of the overall GC by 17 seconds.

“It was an important stage win especially for the bonus,” Rodriguez said. “Some journalists told me about the finish here and I now realise that it is suited to me. When you get to a finish like this one you have to use it to your advantage.”

The locals found themselves slightly deflated at the start by the news that one of their heroes, Filippo Pozzato (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia), had been forced to pull out of the Giro with a broken hand. Pozzato had declared himself to be in good form and capable of a stage victory, but stage 9’s crash close to the finish spelled the end of his race.

At the 10km point, a small breakaway group had escaped, and they built up a gap of almost two minutes: Guillaume Bonnafond (AG2R); Miguel Mínguez (Euskaltel-Euskadi); Francesco Failli (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia); Matthias Brandle (NetApp); and Martijn Keizer (Vacansoleil-DCM). With the top 13 riders in the GC all within one minute of race leader Hesjedal, the big guns appeared happy to play a game of cat and mouse behind the breakaway leaders, keeping their cards close to their chests as the race meandered up and down the rolling hills.

By the 50km point, the gap had increased to 4:50 and it stayed fairly constant for the best part of 40km. But as the riders approached the intermediate sprint the gap began to reduce and it was Keizer who took it ahead of Minguez in second place.

With a third of the race left the gap was down to two minutes, with Katusha doing most of the work in the chasing pack as they looked to help Rodriguez in his quest for pink. Garmin-Barracuda were live to the situation and they bunched around Hesjedal, knowing that the Canadian’s lead in the GC might be under threat.

The gap between the leading quintet and the peloton was being reduced as steadily as the excitement was building ahead of the finale. With 30km to go Keizer and Brandle had become detached from the leaders and Rabobank’s Stef Clement burst from the peloton to join them. Keizer and Brandle spent the next few kilometres over the uncategorised climbs and descents hanging on to the coat tails of the three-time Dutch national time trial champion as they tried to bridge the gap back to Bonnafond, Minguez and Failli.

But with just over 5km left, the peloton had engulfed all of the leaders and the stage was set for a breathless finish to the stage. The riders charged up the initial first climb back to Assisi, which reached a gradient of 15 percent at its steepest. Hesjedal, now without the protection of his teammates, was battling gamely at the front alongside the likes of Rodriguez, Michele Scarponi and Rabobank’s Tom Slagter, who attacked to no lasting avail.

Before the fans had time to regroup their senses, the climb turned into a sharp and fast descent, with Sky’s Rigobert Uran and AG2R-La Mondiale’s John Gadret sweeping round the outside and bursting clear. Within a matter of minutes they were climbing again and Rodriguez, aided selflessly by his teammate Daniel Moreno, positioned himself perfectly and powered away to the line for a cosy victory and possession of the maglia rosa.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team	4:25:05
2	Bartosz Huzarski (Pol) Team NetApp	0:00:02
3	Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Movistar Team
4	Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox	0:00:06
5	John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
6	Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda
7	Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
8	Dario Cataldo (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
9	Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Astana Pro Team
10	Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling

2012 Giro d'Italia Stage 8 & Tour of California Stage 1

May 13, Stage 8: Sulmona - Lago Laceno 229km

Pozzovivo wins Giro d'Italia stage 8 in Lago Laceno

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/giro-ditalia/stage-8/results)

Diminutive Domenico Pozzovivo finally delivered on his huge climbing ability as he claimed the biggest victory of his career at Lago Laceno in the Giro d'Italia. Having attacked from the lead group on the Colle Molella climb 7km from the finish, the Colnago-CSF team leader quickly gained a 30-second advantage and held on to most of it coming into the finish despite a determined chase by Movistar’s Beñat Intxausti.

The maglia rosa group finished hard on Intxausti’s heels, Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) outsprinting Thomas De Gendt to take third place and a very handy eight-second bonus. That moved him into second place overall, just nine seconds down on Garmin-Barracuda’s Ryder Hesjedal, who finished in the same group despite some struggles on the final climb.

“This seems like a dream,” Pozzovivo told Rai TV. “It’s my first win in the Giro, which was a feat that seemed I was never likely to achieve! I couldn’t give any more in the final two kilometres. But I felt it was going to be my day and it was.”

Pozzovivo thanked the many fans who had come out to support him. “I knew that I would have a lot of fans on the climb and I attacked where a lot of them were gathered. This stage was very close to my heart, as it is not far from my home. Although it wasn’t the most suitable for me, given that the hard section of the climb was so short and also because there was a flatter section beyond the climb to the finish line.”

Hesjedal was also smiling at the finish despite his difficulties heading towards the line. “I made a really big effort on the final climb, but the team was perfect in the way it stayed close to me and together we have succeeded in our objective of keeping the jersey for another day. We did our best and this jersey is a reward for all of us,” said the Canadian.

Just like Saturday’s stage, this was another long day. Although there were only two categorised climbs, the course rolled up and down relentlessly. The break of the day formed with almost 200km remaining to the finish. Andrey Amador (Movistar), Julien Bérard (AG2R-La Mondiale), Tomasz Marczynski (Vacansoleil-DCM) and Miguel Mínguez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) were in it. As the bunch eased along they opened up a lead of more than 11 minutes.

With 160km covered, a sudden acceleration by Marczynski resulted in the clearly unhappy Bérard being dropped. Mínguez’s hopes soon disappeared as well, leaving just two men at the front.

Their advantage began to drop rapidly inside final 35km, as Katusha started to push the pace on the front of the bunch. This wasn’t the ideal time for best young rider Peter Stetina (Garmin-Barracuda) to puncture. Although he quickly got a new wheel from teammate Robbie Hunter and was paced back to the bunch by Jack Bauer, the effort he made then surely cost him on the Colle Molella, where his hold on the white jersey was loosened.

Amador and Marczynski were caught 17km from home. Soon after, a long line of Astana riders took up the pace-making as the riders approached the steepest section of the Colle Molella. As the road ramped up, Liquigas-Cannondale took control on the front in the shape of Sylvester Szymd, who kept an even pace going for team leader Ivan Basso, sitting just behind him.

It was always likely that the winning attack would come on these ramps, and it was not a great surprise when Pozzovivo delivered it. One of the smallest riders in the bunch, the Italian’s confidence was boosted by his victory in last month’s Giro di Trentino, which marked him out as a contender for the Giro. His triumph today pushed him right into contention, although we will probably have to wait until next weekend’s stages to see if the Colnago-CSF Inox leader can build on this success. 

Full Results

1	Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox	6:06:05
2	Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa) Movistar Team	0:00:23
3	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team	0:00:27
4	Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
5	Dario Cataldo (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
6	Damiano Caruso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
7	Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox
8	Bartosz Huzarski (Pol) Team NetApp
9	José Rujano Guillen (Ven) Androni Giocattoli
10	John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale

 

May 13, Stage 1: Santa Rosa 186.5km

Tour of California: Peter Sagan wins in Santa Rosa

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/tour-of-california/stage-1/results)

Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) pulled out a thrilling performance to win the opening stage of the Amgen Tour of California. The 22-year-old had to recover from a puncture inside the final 10 kilometres as well as avoid a crash with 3 kilometres to go, before beating Heinrich Haussler and Freddie Rodriguez into second and third.

"Daniel Oss did a really great lead-out and I'm really happy to win the stage," Sagan said.

"It was a really confusing sprint because it was a small field. With 10km to go I flatted, but I knew there was time to get back in. Thanks to the work of my teammates I didn't panic, and we were able to get back on easiliy. With 3km to go one of my teammates Ted King crashed, and I hope he's okay, but thanks to Daniel Oss, he piloted me to the finish and I was able to win."

While seemingly in good form, today's stage winner admitted that it will be an uphill task to hold on to the overall lead.

"It is going to be very hard to hold onto the yellow jersey," Sagan admitted. "I'm okay on the smaller climbs, but it's only going to get harder and harder as the week goes on."

Results

1	Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale	4:42:35
2	Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Garmin - Barracuda
3	Fred Rodriguez (USA) Team Exergy
4	Leigh Howard (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
5	Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
6	George Hincapie (USA) BMC Racing Team
7	Ryan Anderson (Can) Spidertech Powered By C10
8	Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
9	Lawson Craddock (USA) Bontrager Livestrong Team
10	Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team

2012 Giro d'Italia Stage 7

May 12, Stage 7: Recanati - Rocca di Cambio 202km

Giro d'Italia: Tiralongo wins into Rocca di Cambio

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/giro-ditalia/stage-7/results)

Paolo Tiralongo added to Team Astana's list of successes in 2012 by conquering the steep, twisting climb up to Rocca di Cambio to win the seventh stage of the Giro d'Italia. With 500 meters to go Tiralongo followed the attack of 2011 Giro winner Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) and the Astana rider came around Scarponi inside of the final 100 meters to claim his second career victory. Scarponi finished second in the same time as Tiralongo while Fränk Schleck of RadioShack-Nissan finished third, only three seconds later.

Ryder Hesjedal became the first Canadian to wear the maglia rosa, as Adriano Malori (Lampre-ISD) faded early on the closing climb. The Garmin-Barracuda rider finished fifth on the stage, five seconds behind Tiralongo, and now leads the race by 15 seconds over Tiralongo, with Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) moving up to third at 17 seconds.

The closing climb was the first exchange of blows among the favourites for the final title. Most, if not all, of the overall contenders were still in the group which went for the win, with an impressive Scarponi declaring his intentions, and Schleck also making his first real showing of the year.

From the flag

The group of the day couldn't have formed any earlier. When the flag dropped to commence racing, Matteo Rabottini (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia), Mirko Selvaggi (Vacansoleil-DCM), Fumiyuki Beppu (Orica-GreenEdge) and Reto Hollenstein (Team NetApp) jumped. The peloton was happy to have things settled so early and let the quartet go.

Stage seven was the Giro's second medium mountain stage, another rolling day with numerous small climbs and two ranked ones. The previous day had proved hard enough to nearly eliminate a number of top sprinters, but cooler temperatures and an overall slow pace proved a boon for the fast men today.

The leading foursome had quickly built up a lead of up to nine minutes ,and it see-sawed between eight and nine minutes for much of the day. The rash of abandons which afflicted the sixth stage let up, with only Gianni Meersman (Lotto Belisol) leaving during the race.

The first ranked climb of the day came at km 101.7, the Colle Galluccio, and Japanese rider Beppu took the top points, followed by Rabottini, Hollenstein, and Selvaggi. The field crossed the line 7:49 later.

Gradually the gap started coming down, and with 64km to go the break's advantage was appropriately at 6:40. The only intermediate sprint of the day came at km 178.8, and the gap had dropped to 2:50. Beppu and Selvaggi took advantage of the sprint banner to take off. Rabottini caught them but Hollenstein, who had spent much of the day in the “virtual” maglia rosa, struggled at first before catching up.

That was the end of the co-operation amongst the four leaders, and finally Rabottini took off on his own.

The stage ended atop the category two Rocca di Cambio, which proved to be tougher than anticipated. Stef Clement (Rabobank) was the first to (unsuccessfully) jump from the field as the peloton started up the closing climb. Stefano Pirazzi (Colnago-CSF Inox) was the next to give it a go and was more successful. Meanwhile, behind the field, the grupetto started forming around world champion Mark Cavendish of Sky.

Pirazzi quickly bridge across to Beppu, Hollenstein and Selvaggi with about 16km to go, and smoothly went on past them. By that time Rabottini had 33 seconds on the chasers, with the peloton at about one minute.

Liquigas-Cannondale's Valerio Agnoli was the next to jump, while behind him overnight leader Malori had to bid an early farewell to the pink jersey as he was unable to keep pace with the field on the climb.

With 13.6km to go, Pirazzi caught Rabottini and behind them Jose Herrada of Movistar passed Agnoli and took off after the two leaders. All semblance of co-operation within the chasing field disappeared, as attack followed attack – all unsuccessful.

The Spaniard caught the two Italians with a bit more than 12 km to go, as the attacks and counter-attacks continued behind them. Only two kilometres later Rabottini finally succumbed to the efforts of his long escape and dropped back. The field was only 22 seconds behind the two leaders at this point.

Pirazzi set a good pace and the leading duo increased their lead slightly. The Spaniard did some turns in front, but Pirazzi did the majority of the work.

Meanwhile, the field was steadily diminishing in size but all the favourites were still in it, most of them with numerous teammates at their side. Astana led them under the 5km marker, where the course flattened out momentarily. Astana's tempo brought the gap down second by second.

A slight descent came before the final pitch to the finish line and Pirazzi nearly missed the right turn to the finale, being cut off by a race moto. Herrada took advantage of the miscue by Pirazzi in the corner and took off alone as the parcours grew steep.

With only 700 meters to go Herrada was caught, and 200 meters later Scarponi took off with Tiralongo right behind him. It was a very steep, twisting finale, and Tiralongo pulled away to take the win ahead of the defending Giro champion.

Schleck and Rodriguez were the next over the line, and the rest of the favourites followed shortly thereafter, but all lost valuable seconds to Scarponi, who not only had gapped them but also picked up bonus seconds.

Full Results

1	Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Astana Pro Team	5:51:03
2	Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD
3	Frank Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan	0:00:03
4	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team
5	Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda	0:00:05
6	Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox	0:00:09
7	Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team
8	Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
9	Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi	0:00:11
10	Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox

2012 Giro: Who to Watch For

Giro d'Italia: Top ten contenders

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/giro-ditalia-top-ten-contenders)

This year's Giro d'Italia is one of the most open editions of the race in recent years with a host of GC contenders vying for the 2012 maglia rosa. Cyclingnews takes a look at the top contenders for the overall win...

Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale)
The 2010 Basso would have cantered to a third Giro this May but unfortunately for the Varese rider, this version is a pale shadow of the athlete who resurrected his career two years ago. It took until the Giro del Trentino in April for him to even finish a race and his subsequent performances in Romandie suggested little in the way of a return to form. In some ways, his Giro build-up mirrors that to last year’s Tour bid, when a crash derailed his preparations, leaving him exhausted and over-trained by the time the race started. At least Basso won’t be overworked before this year Giro, and while the heavy third week of racing will allow him some time to ride into form, this is still a demanding Giro. The opening skirmishes in Denmark are bound to skittle the GC contenders, while stages 7 and certainly stage 8 to Lago Laceno, could see Basso hit from all sides as fresh pocket-rocket climbers like Jose Rujano (Androni-Venezuela), Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago-CSF) and Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) seek to expose any fraction of weakness. In Basso’s favour he has the race’s strongest team, and unlike all but Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD), he knows how to close out a three-week race.

Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD)
Strong on the climbs, stronger than he’s given credit for in time trials, Scarponi has every reason to feel confident as he approaches this year’s race. With Nibali Tour bound and Contador on a course that could see him win the Vuelta and perhaps the Worlds, the competition is weaker, but Il Presidente will still face stern examinations from riders vying for his 2011 crown. With Damiano Cunego as a teammate, and despite his patchy form, Scarponi will start as one of the major favourites, a strange scenario when you consider how low his GC aspirations stood on the eve of his Puerto ban. One word of caution: no rider has won back-to-back Giri since Miguel Indurain in 1993.

John Gadret (Ag2r-La Mondiale)
The Frenchman has a huge point to prove after finishing a surprise fourth in last year’s race (later bumped to third after Contador’s expulsion). But weak against the clock, Gadret will have to count on the natural talent and determination that carried him to a stage win in Castelfidardo, and fourth last year. A year of GC experience and a demanding final week all favour Gadret, who beat the likes of Rujano, Roman Kreuziger and Denis Menchov last year.

Jose Rujano (Androni-Venezuela)
The 30-year-old Venezuelan finally got his grand tour career back on track last year with 7th place in the Giro. Several barren years since his defining performance in 2005 were followed by poor team choices and a severe loss of form, but Rujano looks to have settled with Savio’s motley crew. In fact, this is the first time since 2005 he’s ridden for the same team for consecutive seasons. Can he win the Giro? Probably not, but his explosive speed on the climbs could determine who does.

Roman Kreuziger (Astana)
It would be unfair to say that Kreuziger has failed to deliver on the promise he showed when winning the junior world title in 2004 or the 13th place he raced to at the 2008 Tour de France, but there’s certainly an element of stagnation. While other riders of his generation such as Andy Schleck and Vincenzo Nibali have gone on to win grand tours, Kreuziger has languished in the chasing group, never one of the top three or four climbers or most accomplished time trialists. Still, he should better last year’s 6th place and on current for - he was one of the strongest Giro riders at Romandie - Astana will be looking for podium place.

Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago-CSF Inox)
If you’re looking for omens in the battle for the maglia rosa then look no further than the diminutive Italian. 25 years ago, Stephen Roche stormed to overall glory in the Giro, becoming the first Irishman to win a grand tour. Forward to 2012, and although there’s no chance of a repeat win for the Irish, Pozzovivo’s Colnago team are registered in Ireland. 25 years since an Irish win, an Irish-registered team line-up this year. It all makes sense, doesn’t it?

Well okay, maybe not, but Pozzovivo deserves to be on this list for his riding credentials. His ride in Trentino was eye-catching to say the least and while it’s true that we’ve seen flashes of brilliance from him there before, this year was a genuine improvement. A three-day event is not a grand tour though and Pozzovivo’s time trialing and staying power are questionable, but if he’s within 4 minutes of the race lead heading into the final clutch of mountain stages he could pull off a surprise or two.

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda)
Garmin’s previous attempts at Giro GC success have all ended poorly but in Hesjedal the Argyle Armada have a genuine top five threat. He may not have replicated the 2010 Tour de France result but if he can remain upright in Denmark, rely on a strong TTT performance and arrive at the start of the third week within the top ten overall, there’s a strong possibility of him holding out.

Frank Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan)
The team are fast turning into a soap opera. In January we had Johan Bruyneel unable to deny Frank Schleck would race the Giro. The will he,won't he story ran all the way up Liege, with the rider adamant that the Tour was his main goal. Then there was the Kim Andersen interlude which reached levels of absurdness when Andy Schleck and Bruyneel both came out with conflicting stories within 24 hours of each other. From the outside looking in, there certainly appear to be tensions between the new management and the Schlecks.

Either way Frank Schleck will start the Giro. On paper, he’s more than capable of beating Scarponi and Basso over three weeks, but this is the Giro, not the Tour, and you have to question Schleck’s motivation. Whether you rate him or not, he believes he can win the Tour de France, and his podium places are testament to that. But he must now refocus and attempt to challenge in a race he’s never shown interest in. The Giro is wide open, and Schleck, if motivated and on form, can win.

Joaquím Rodriguez (Katusha)
Rodriguez was one of the strongest riders in the Giro’s second half last year, rising from 22nd place after a drab showing on Etna to 5th by the time the race reached Milan. This year, Rodriguez can ill afford to start so poorly but he remains one of the most talented riders in the field. His time trialling remains a weakness but the GC contenders aren’t exactly stacked with chrono specialists, and his climbing talent, his explosive sprint and his underrated team, make him a decent tip for the podium.

Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD)
A 2005 edition of Procycling once featured Cunego, Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich on the cover, with the headline “three’s a crowd”. At the time Cunego was seen as the next star of grand tour racing having shot to fame with the 2004 Giro title. A lot has changed since and Cunego finds himself some way down the list of favourites. A consistent ride in last year’s Tour was a reminder of his talent and the Lampre rider heads into the Giro under the radar, talking about stage wins and supporting Scarponi. He started the 2004 Giro in similar circumstances but as we’ve alluded to, this is a different era. Should Cunego ride to his complete potential he’s unlikely to side step a top ten placing and who knows, even bag a couple of stages in the process.