2013 Tour de France Stage 8

This is late because I admit that I had no motivation last night. I'm going to warn you now that I may not do every stage recaps. I used to force myself to write and then it wasn't fun. I don't want this to feel like a job, so I will post when I can.

Stage 8:

This stage offered the first real taste of the mountains. This year the peloton is hitting the Pyrenees first with Ax 3 Domaines as a summit finish, not to mention the HC climb that came just before the last category 1 climb. I knew the sprinters would be distanced, and I hoped they could make the time cut. I didn't want another Ted King situation on the UCI's already bloody hands.

Just as the peloton left the neutral zone, Johnny Hoogerland attacked. I know his crash was two years ago, but it still makes me smile everytime I see his name in a break. He was then join by Jean-Marc Marino, Christophe Riblon, and Rudy Molard. They hit their max time of 9', taking the top four spots on the intermediate sprint, before being reeled back in by the peloton. Greipel lead the peloton over the sprint line, ahead of Sagan and Cavendish. By the time the base of the HC climb hit, the four riders were only down to 1'.

Hoogerland tried to attack the break, but it didn't work, as the peloton was closing in. Then Riblon attacked,  Marino and Hoogerland countered, but to no avail. Riblon went solo.

Robert Gesink attacked the peloton and Thomas Voeckler tried to bridge to him. The back of the peloton fell apart as the pace increased. Damiano Cunego was dropped with the sprinters, as was Daryl Impey, the Yellow Jersey. I have to give Impey credit for trying to hold on for as long as he could, but he started slowing down.

Nairo Quintana attacked next, passed Voeckler, and bridged to Gesink. He passed Gesink before passing Riblon! However, with only 34km left of the stage, the chase was on! Thirty riders, CG contendors, climbers, and teammates to help, began chasing Quintana. All wanting the Yellow Jersey on their shoulders, or for their team. Included in this chase were some big names: Christopher Froome, Richie Porte, Cadel Evans, Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck, Jakob Fuglsang, Dan Martin, Andrew Talansky, Joaquim Rodriguez, Pierre Rolland, and Alejandro Valverde. Missing however was Tejay van Garderen, who was dropped. This surprised me since he was the White Jersey winner last year, and overall had a much better 2012 Tour de France than team leader Evans.

At the top of the climb, Riblon was 27" behind Quintana, and the chase group was at 55". Rolland attacked out of the chase group, wanting extra KOM points. His effort paid off, as he earned back the Polka-Dot Jersey for the time being, but we'd have to see how the final climb would play out. Rolland finally caught Quintana at the very end of the descent, but the chasers were only 22" behind as the category 1 climb started right away.

After battling the HC climb first, Evans, Schleck, D. Martin, Talansky, Fuglsang, Rodriguez and some others were dropped through the descent and the beginning of this next climb, leaving only 10 riders chasing Quintana.

Then more began to fall, leaving only the big names: Froome, Valverde, Contador, Porte, and Kreuzinger. And even they began to shake. It was only Froome and Porte left when Quintana was caught, and Froome attacked solo with about 4km left. The big names who had given up chase were being distanced quite well by Froome, while some, like Evans, was being passed over and over again by other riders.

Froome took the stage with a 51" lead over teammate Porte, and in doing so, earned the Yellow Jersey and tied with Rolland for the KOM jersey. Although he didn't win the stage, Quintana still walked away with the White Jersey.

If this is a hint to what the next two weeks will be like, it looks like Sky might have another 1-2 victory this year.

Even with Andy Schleck on the team, I was surprised that Haimar Zubeldia is actually the highest placed RadioShack Leopard trek rider, broken hand and all.

And, if memory serves me correctly, through 8 stages, we have had 8 separate stage winners.

Katusha's Good News / Gilbert's Goals This Spring

With the future of Katusha unknown, Joaquim Rodriguez said earlier this week that he would be looking for another team. The team lost WorldTour status, and because of that lost bids in many of the upcoming races. In order to ride in the Tour de France, Rodriguez was going to switch teams.

However, thankfully the Court of Arbitration heard Katusha's appeal and returned a verdict in favor of the team. However, the question that is no on everyone's minds is, will 19 teams be allowed to have WorldTour status or will another team get cut so that the 18 teams remain?

Rodriguez happy to stay at Katusha after CAS verdict

Joaquim Rodriguez finished third on stage five at the Tour of Oman but hugged his Katusha directeur sportif Valerio Piva as if he had won, after hearing that the Russian team had won it's appeal to the Court of Arbitration and secured its return to the UCI WorldTour.

Rodriguez and Piva refused to confirm their good news, under strict orders not to talk by the team's management, but the big smiles and hugs between the riders and staff as they whispered the news, made it clear that Katusha had finally received some good news.

Since being turned down for a WorldTour spot by the UCI Licence Commission on December 10, the team's future has been up in the air. 

It was granted a provisional Professional Continental licence so it could compete but the team had been snubbed for wild invitations to the Giro d'Italia, Paris-Nice, the Criterium du Dauphine, and most recently the Tour de Romandie.

On Thursday night, Rodriguez confirmed that he would leave Katusha if the team failed to secure a WorldTour place. He is determined to ride the Tour de France and was unwilling to let the team's problems impact on his season.

Fortunately the team's future now appears safe. Rodriguez's contract with the team is valid and he insisted he was happy to continue racing in the red and white Katusha colours.

"I'm happy to stay with the Katusha team because I've been in the team for several years now. The team has given me a lot and I've given a lot to the team. This is the best possible solution for everyone," Rodriguez said in a hastily arranged press conference in the permanence of the Tour of Oman.

"In the days before the verdict, we were optimistic and we always believed we'd win, even if it wasn't our decision to make and even if we'd never understood the reason why we were left out of the UCI WorldTour."

"I'll admit it, I was worried about my future, even if I knew I'd have ridden the Tour de France in one way or another. Now my race programme won’t change. I'll ride Tirreno-Adriatico, then the Volta a Catalunya, go for a spell of training at altitude on Mount Teide, and then the Ardennes Classics."

Piva echoed Rodriguez's sentiments of relief and satisfaction. The Italian is highly respected in the sport but had been struggling to keep morale up in the team and struggled to convince organisers to invite the team to key races.

Now it seems Katusha and six other team that applied for a WorldTour licence will have to go through the selection process with the Licence Commission. Rather than eliminate another team from the WorldTour, Rodriguez believes the sensible solution is to allow 19 teams to be part of the 2013 WorldTour.

"I hope another team doesn't have to go through what we've been through and so perhaps the best solutions is to allow 19 teams in the WorldTour," he said.

"That would be fair even if it caused some problems by raising the number of riders in the peloton and on the roads. It'd be worth it and much fairer all round."

"I'm sick of everyone talking about all the problems in our sport. There are still a lot of good things going on. I'd much prefer if we could talk about the Tour of Oman and the Volta ao Algarve, or the Vuelta a Andalucía. At least now I can look ahead to the rest of the season, knowing that goal for the year are safe and that the future of the team is safe."

 

After a fantastic 2011, and a not so good 2012, Phillipe Gilbert is ready to take on the Spring Classics. It doesn't seem to phase him that there are riders better than him at the moment, but he knows he'll be ready, in top form, by the time the time the Ardennes come up.

Gilbert building his form for a long assault at the spring classics

At the Tour of Oman, Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) has stood out more for his rainbow jersey than for his results but he has dismissed off any doubts about his form and is convinced he will be a contender in the spring Classics, from Milan-San Remo until Liège-Bastogne- Liège.

Gilbert is always polite and professional, but he is more protective of his time and privacy after the scrutiny and thousands of questions, especially in Belgium, about his difficult 2012 season. He answers further questions about last year but they clearly touch a nerve.

"There's been a lot of talk about my spring season last year but it's only three months in a career of ten years. I have nothing to complain about," Gilbert said, firing a warning shot while speaking to the media, including Cyclingnews, at the Tour of Oman.

"I was there in the finale in almost every classic but everyone said things were very bad. But bad is when you get dropped and climb off in races. I was not that bad and got better week after week. Eventually my best form came back."

Gilbert concedes that his hugely successful 2011 season left him tired for 2012. Poor results in 2012 were the price he paid for his long run of victories in 2011, although he recovered his powers sufficiently to win the world championships in Valkenburg in September.

"Maybe in life you only have one big season and perhaps it was 2011 for me," he said.

"But it was also long season: I did all the classics, rode the Tour de France and went for the green jersey, I was at full gas everyday but then I never rested afterwards because I won the WorldTour. After the Tour de France I targeted San Sebastian, the Eneco Tour, the Canadian races and the Worlds. I think it was too much for one person and I needed a few months to recover from it."

To avoid the constant scrutiny of 2012 and avoid having to chase his fitness, Gilbert started his season at the Tour Down Under. Stage races are key building blocks as he prepares for the Classics.

"My form's not bad for the moment. I'm not good enough to win, but I'm not unfit. I had a good winter and I'm riding some stage races like Tour Down Under, now Oman and then Paris-Nice, to get better and better every week.

"I feel ready and on track. The intention is to be at my best for the classics. The season is becoming longer and longer in cycling, but it's difficult if you have to chase your form. Last season I was in that position and never managed to catch up."

Goal for 2013: Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders

Gilbert is one of few riders who has the ability and characteristics to win on the cobbles of the Tour of Flanders and the steep climbs of the Ardennes.

He will target every classic except Paris-Roubaix but has set himself a special goal.

"It'd be special to win one of the classics I've still to win: Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders," he said.

"My classics campaign is very long but I think you can win 'La Primavera' even if you're not at your best. Everything depends on the wind. With a tailwind (on the late Capi climbs) you have a far better chance. When a headwind becomes a factor, then everyone just stays on the wheels."

Gilbert is not worried or interested by possible rivals such as Mark Cavendish or Peter Sagan, who was far better than the Belgian in Oman and won two stages before pulling out with a sore throat.

"There are twenty riders who can win Sanremo. It's not a good idea to focus on what he (Cavendish) has to say," he said.

"I worry about myself. What counts is the shape of your rivals in the week before a big race. I don’t care if Sagan is stronger than me at the moment. If he's still stronger than me at Flèche Brabançonne (on April 10, just before the Ardennes week) then I have a problem. But that will not be the case."

 

2012 Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 2

June 5, Stage 2: Lamastre - Saint-Félicien 160km

Moreno wins stage 2 of the Dauphiné

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/criterium-du-dauphine-2012/stage-2/results)

Daniel Moreno (Katusha) won stage 2 of the Critérium du Dauphiné from Lamastre to Saint-Félicien, beating Julien Simon (Saur-Sojasun) and Tony Gallopin (RadioShack-Nissan) in a sprint finish.

Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) and Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) finished together with the Sky rider retaining his one-second advantage in the battle for yellow.

Moreno launched his sprint perfectly inside the final 200 meters as the bunch tackled an uphill finish to Saint-Félicien. The Katusha rider latched onto a late attack from Tony Martin (Omega-Pharma QuickStep) before accelerating away with an uphill effort that his teammate Joaquim Rodriguez would have been proud of.

Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Lotto Belisol Team), Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R La Mondiale), Gallopin and Simon attempted to give chase but were unable to stop the Spaniard from taking his third win of the season.

Rémi Pauriol (FDJ-Big Mat) and Maxime Mederel (Saur - Sojasun) orchestrated the first notable move of the day but interest in their progress rose further when they were joined by a group containing race leader Wiggins, Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale), Boasson Hagen (Team Sky), Philippe Gilbert (BMC), Michael Rogers (Team Sky), Bram Tankink (Rabobank) and Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-QuickStep). Such a move was too dangerous and was soon nullified.

Chavanel, himself an outside bet for overall honours, pressed on alone but even his will and desire knew with Wiggins leading Sky was unlikely to let a contender of any sort up the road and when no assistance arrived the Frenchman sat up.

It was another Frenchman though, the talismanic David Moncoutie (Cofidis) who tried his luck on the slopes of the first climb of six, the Col de Montivernoux. Moncoutie rarely puts a foot wrong when choosing the right moment, and 13 riders were quickly across. The move lacked harmony and when Moncoutie stamped on the pedals once more, he was left with Christophe Kern (Europcar), Blel Kadri (AG2R), and José Sarmiento (Liquigas-Cannondale).

Kadri may have been within 11 seconds of Wiggins' lead but this was manageable situation and as the break pressed on toward Saint-Félicien, Sky monitored their progress.

The lead stretched out towards four minutes with Kadri leading Kern over the top of each climb in an attempt take the KOM lead from Giovanni Bernaudeau (Europcar). However Bernaudeau countered at each turn, grabbing fifth on a number of climbs in a successful bid to hold his lead.

When the predictable happened and Sky upped their pace, the break's lead spiralled towards the minute mark. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) harried a small counter attack but with Danny Pate and Kanstantsin Siutsou (both of Sky) on the front of the bunch any move was almost futile.

That was until Sky called a halt to their day's efforts and Wesley Sulzberger (Orica GreenEdge) launched his move. He was joined by a handful of willing collaborators but Anthony Roux was the keenest, answering Sulzberger's next acceleration and then plummeting down the col de Fontaille in pursuit of Kern and company. Sulzberger was left to wait for the bunch as Roux cut through the minute gap.

It was then the turn of another aggressive French team, Saur - Sojasun, to make an impression chasing Roux, who had made it to the lead break. Kadri and Roux gave one last throw of the dice before BMC assumed control of the field.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team	4:02:38
2	Julien Simon (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
3	Tony Gallopin (Fra) Radioshack-Nissan
4	Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale
5	Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
6	Luis-Leon Sanchez (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team
7	Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team
8	Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team
9	Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling
10	Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar

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

2012 Giro d'Italia Stage 20

May 26, Stage 20: Caldes/Val di Sole - Passo dello Stelvio 218km

De Gendt wins Giro d'Italia penultimate stage atop the Stelvio

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/giro-ditalia/stage-20/results)

Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil-DCM) took the biggest victory of his career, winning atop the Stelvio on the queen stage of the Giro d'Italia with a superb display. Damiano Cunego of Lampre took second place and third went to Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel-Euskadi).

The maglia rosa stayed with Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) who crossed the finish line over three minutes later, and he managed to make good the thirteen seconds he had lost to Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) the previous day.

“I did not expect that,” De Gendt, 25, said. “I attacked on the Mortirolo, because the descents is very dangerous. All the pieces came together. Carrara was was still in the lead. He helped me a lot."

“And I know the Stelvio very well. I have trained there for six years. I've climbed it 20 or 30 times. It's very nice to win on my mountain."

The five brutal climbs did their job in separating the wheat from the chaff, but there were no decisive moves by the favourites until the final climb. They stuck together virtually the whole way, with Ivan Basso (Liquigas) losing contact only in the final kilometres.

De Gendt didn't make the podium, but moved up from eighth to fourth, pushing Basso down to fifth place. Hesjedal defended his second place, and good chances of taking the overall title in Sunday's time trial. He owed much of today's accomplishments to the good work of Christian Vande Velde, who was ordered back out of the lead group and subsequently pulled Hesjedal – and the rest of the favourites – up much of Stelvio. Michele Scarponi again showed he was stronger than Basso, who fell back on the final climb.

Things got off to an early start for the race's queen stage, over five climbs. The peloton was still together as it started up the first of the day's climbs, the category 3 Passo del Tonale. It may have been only category 3 but it was still enough for tired non-climbers to start dropping off the back.

The break of the day finally got away on the climb: Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Barracuda), Roman Kreuziger (Astana), Damiano Caruso (Liquigas), Jose Serpa (Androni Giocattoli), Branislaw Samoilau (Movistar), Oliver Zaugg (RadioShack), Marco Carrara (Vacansoleil-DCM), Mathias Frank (BMC), Matteo Bono (Lampre), Alexander Kristoff (Katusha), Tom Slagter (Rabobank), and Matteo Rabottini (Farnese Vini).

The Passo del Tonale was also the end of the race for four riders. Robert Hunter (Garmin-Barracuda), Andrea Guardini (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia), Dominique Rollin (FDJ-Big Mat) and Ivan Velasco (Euskaltel-Euskadi) were all disqualified by the race jury for hanging on to team cars, and removed from the race.

The gap jumped to six minutes after the second climb, but dropped to about three and half minutes as the lead group started up the Mortirolo.

The grueling grind up the Mortirolo with an average gradient of 10.4% and a maximum of 21%, took its toll, blasting apart the lead group. Oliver Zaugg (RadioShack-Nissan) and Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil) were the last men standing only 4km up the brutal climb. Behind them, the peloton also fell apart, with Lampre leading the way, perhaps in hope of helping Michele Scarponi move up in the overall standings.

Caruso moved up to the front, as Carrara weakened. Vande Velde and Serpa joined forces with Carrara on the chase. Even the climbers suffered. King of the Mountains Rabottini fell out of the lead group on the climb and was soon absorbed back in the peloton.

Vande Velde and Serpa dropped Carrara and were able to join Caruso and Zaugg in the lead up the climb. Amador was also able to move up to the leaders, making it a quintet in the lead. Zaugg took off from his companions as they neared the top. He really took off as he hit a flat-to-descending section near the top.

Even the 22% gradient near the top didn't significantly slow down Zaugg, and he made his way through the screaming throngs to the top.

Vande Velde fell back on the descent, and the favourites' group got larger again. Thomas De Gendt had jumped earlier, and more and more riders jumped to join him, with Carrara leading the way for him, Nieve Cunego and Losada.

With about 40km to go – and the Stelvio looming nearer – the favourites' group seemed to call a cease fire, slowing down for a break, as riders further behind them on GC taking their chances and jumping out. Zaugg's gap skyrocketed to nearly six minutes.

Eventually a six-man group formed to chase Zaugg, with riders from the former lead group and those who had managed to move up. All the gaps slowly came down again.

With 30.4km to go, the six caught and swallowed up Zaugg. Vande Velde had evidently been called back and was now supporting captain Hesjedal. The field, by now fairly large again, took advantage of the short flat section between the final two climbs to cut the gap.

The leading group took a four-minute gap as they started up the Stelvio. Zaugg paid for his earlier efforts and was no longer able to stay with the others.

With some 16.5km of climbing left, De Gendt jumped, followed by Nieve. Cunego struggled to remain in sight of the duo, while Amador and Kangert disappeared from view.

Vande Velde ground things away at the head of the maglia rosa group, holding the pace high enough to bring the group down to15 riders or so. Cunego clawed his way back to the two leaders, catching them with about 13km to go.

But almost immediately De Gendt attacked again, and the other two couldn't go with him. With jis jersey wide open and flapping, he seemed to have an easy time going up the climb, and in fact the gap to the maglia rosa group grew again, to over four minutes. And with every meter, he moved his way up in the rankings. In fact, he was getting dangerously close to knocking Hesjedal out of second place, and the gap was 5:05 as the favourites crossed under the 10km banner.

Vande Velde finally fell back, after having done countless kilometres of lead work. Meanwhile the riders passed the first snow fields along the way. With about 5km to go, the maglia rosa group took a look around to sum up the situation. Hesjedal moved to the front of the group, looking for, but not getting, help from the others.

De Gendt was obviously suffering as he hit the 3km marker, but over five minutes behind him, the maglia rosa group wasn't doing much better. Basso dropped off, and soon only Hesjedal, Rodriguez and Scarponi were together.

The Belgian crossed the finish line after a day's ride of nearly six hours, but barely able to celebrate his win. Cunego crossed the finish line 55 seconds later, and Nivel came in for third at 2:50

Scarponi, Rodriguez and Hesjedal gave gas at the end, and were able to cut the gap to reasonable poportsion. Rodriguez came in at 3:22 and Hesjedal at 3:35.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	6:54:41
2	Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - ISD	0:00:56
3	Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi	0:02:50
4	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team	0:03:22
5	Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD	0:03:34
6	Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda	0:03:36
7	John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	0:04:29
8	Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling	0:04:53
9	Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (Col) Sky Procycling	0:04:55
10	Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale

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 16

May 22, Stage 16: Limone sul Garda - Falzes/Pfalzen 174km

Izagirre triumphs in Giro stage 16 to Falzes

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/giro-ditalia/stage-16/results)

Jon Izagirre soloed in to the finish line of the sixteenth stage of the Giro d'Italia, bringing in the victory for Euskaltel-Euskadi. The 23-year-old Basque rider had escaped out of a 10-man breakaway group on the final climb, and finished 16 seconds ahead of Alessandro De Marchi (Androni Giacattoli-Venezuela) and Stef Clement (Rabobank).

The peloton took the day off, more or less, and let the 10-man escape group carve out a nearly 13 minute gap. After a comfortable final climb, the field with the favourites ambled across the line nearly nine minutes after the rejoicing Izagirre. There were no changes in the top of the GC as Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) continues to lead the Giro d'Italia.

It was the second win of the year – and the second pro win – for the second year pro Izagirre. At the end of last month he won the time trial at the Vuelta a Asturias.

"I'm on a cloud, I'm so excited," said Izagirre. "I'm happy for the team because we are working hard in this Giro and any of the nine of us here deserved the win.

"A big win is very special. The first victory in Asturias really excited me, but winning a Giro d'Italia stage is amazing."
Another successful escape group

It took a while for the day's break to establish itself, but once again, the group came through to the end. After eighty-some kilometers, Alessandro De Marchi (Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela), Mathias Frank (BMC Racing Team), Jon Izagirre (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Luca Mazzanti (Farnese Vini-Sella Italia), Lars Ytting Bak (Lotto Belisol), Nicolas Maes (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), José Herrada Lopez (Movistar), Stef Clement (Rabobank), Matthias Brändle (NetApp) and Manuele Boaro (Saxo Bank) finally got away and moved quickly to a big lead.

With Herrada as the top ranked rider, at more than 32 minutes down, the field was happy to let them go and give themselves a quiet day to transition back into racing before facing the upcoming brutal mountain stages.

The race had started out very fast – which is why no group could come about – but once the break went, the peloton put the brakes on. The gap grew and grew, climbing all the way up to 12 and a half minutes before slowing coming down in the final 20km.

The attacks out of the group started almost as soon as they started the final climb to the finish. A cobblestone passage near the beginning of the climb didn't bring any changes, as Herrada led the way up. Izagirre was the next to try, and then Frank. Those two built up a small lead over Herrara with another gap back to the rest with 4km to go.

Izagirre took the lead, followed by De Marchi, as Frank and Herrada chased. The Basque rider ground his way up the climb, slowly building up his lead. He continued to pull away as the course flattened out near the end, as the three chasers, later joined by Clement, played for position.

The Euskaltel-Euskadi rider rejoiced as he crossed the finish line, and 16 seconds later De Marchi and Clement came in to fill out the podium.

The rest of the field was still to come, and it was a smaller group which tackled the final climb – but one which included all the favourites. They stayed together riding comfortably up to the finish. Liquigas-Cannondale and Garmin-Barracuda were most often at the front.

But then a Colnago-CSF Inox rider shot out of the of the field with about 1200 meters to go. Stefano Pirazzi was soon joined by Sky's Juan Antonio Flecha, and Flecha zipped around him at the end to take the eleventh place, nearly nine minutes after Izagirre, with the field almost directly behind.

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Jon Izagirre Insausti (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi	4:02:00
2	Alessandro De Marchi (Ita) Androni Giocattoli	0:00:16
3	Stef Clement (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
4	Mathias Frank (Swi) BMC Racing Team	0:00:19
5	José Herrada Lopez (Spa) Movistar Team	0:00:21
6	Manuele Boaro (Ita) Team Saxo Bank	0:00:37
7	Matthias Brandle (Aut) Team NetApp	0:00:43
8	Nikolas Maes (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep	0:00:45
9	Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Lotto Belisol Team
10	Luca Mazzanti (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia	0:00:48

2012 Giro d'Italia Stage 14

Life has caught up with me, and I struggle to find time to update this blog. I can't promise that next week will be any better, but I can promise I will TRY. :)

May 19, Stage 14: Cherasco - Cervinia 205km

Amador climbs to Giro d'Italia stage 14 victory

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/giro-ditalia/stage-14/results)

Andrey Amador (Movistar) took the biggest win of his career by winning the first high mountain stage of the Giro d'Italia on Saturday as once again an escape group made it through to the end. Jan Barta (NetApp) continued the strong work of his small German wildcard team to claim second, with Androni Giacattoli's Alessandro De Marchi third.

The pink jersey changed shoulders again, passing back to Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda), who had jumped from the chasing field of favourites with about four kilometers to go. The Candian will go into the stage 15on Sunday with a nine-second lead over Katusha's Joaquim Rodriguez.

"I felt good. It felt easy when the guys were setting the tempo," Hesjedal said to TV cameras after finishing. "When some guys started to accelerate a bit, I knew it eased off after 3km, and I figured I'd give it a go and test myself. I wasn't really thinking of anything except putting in an effort and seeing how the other guys did."

The top favourites had hung together up the two very lengthy climbs, with the group getting continually smaller but holding on to most of the top names to the end. Things only fell apart near the end, with Hesjedal's successful attack. Rodriguez and Ivan Basso (Liquigas) both tried but failed, to follow.

Amador, 25, had previously finished third on the Giro's 12th stage. The Costa Rican, who is now in his fourth year with Movistar, has ridden the Giro once before, and was second-to-last overall in last year's Tour de France.

He was the victim of a brutal attack whilst training in Costa Rica in January of 2011. His bike was stolen and he was severely beaten and left for dead in a river bed. However, he recovered quickly enough to ride in the Mallorca Challenge the next month.

Another successful break

The stage got off to a blazing fast start, covering 50.8km in the first hour. Four riders decided to spare themselves the mountains and were not at the start: Mark Renshaw (Rabobank), Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEdge), Brett Lancaster (Orica-GreenEdge) and Juan Jose Haedo (Saxo Bank).

The high initial speed meant that it took a while for the day's break to establish itself. But finally, with 60km behind them, Olivier Kaisen (Lotto Belisol), Jan Barta (NetApp), Andrey Amador (Movistar), Nelson Oliveira (RadioShack-Nissan), Matteo Montaguti (AG2R-La Mondiale), Nikolas Maes (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Alessandro De Marchi (Androni Giocattoli) and Pierpaolo De Negri (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia) took off.

The field let them go, and the gap was over 12km as they approached the first climb of the day. The category 1 Col de Joux has an average gradient of 7 percent, but the climb is over 22km long.

The group took a 13-minute lead into the start of the first climb. Barta jumped from the group on the ascent in the rain on the wet road. The weather deteriorated rapidly as everyone ground his way up the long climb. As Barta stretched his lead out to over 40 seconds, the group behind him fell apart.

As expected, Mark Cavendish fell back on the climb, but less expectedly, so did King of the Mountains Michel Golas (Omega Pharma-QuickStep).

Barta continued his lead, crossing the top of the climb alone. Behind them, Jose Rujano (Androni Giacattoli) and Damiano Cunego (Lampre) shot out of the group, with Cunego eventually going on alone as Rujano was swept back into the field.

Barta's efforts came to naught, as he was caught and passed on his cautious way down the mountain. Amador was the first to catch him and went on to build up a lead on his not-so-cautious descent.

The sun actually came out on the final ascent. Amador continued in the lead, about 30 seconds ahead of Barta, Montaguti, De Negri and De Marchi. Cunego also continued on his solo chase, slowly building up a one-minute lead over the field. But that fell to about 30 seconds, and he was joined by Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel) and Marzio Bruseghin (Movistar). Txurruka pulled away and soon Liquigas pulled the peloton past Cunego.

Amador took a 1:25 lead under the 15km banner, with De Marchi and behind him Barta giving chase. The peloton was over seven and a half minutes down.

De Marchi's efforts were successful, and he caught the Costa Rican with just over 11km to go. The field was about 40 riders strong at that point, with all the favourites still there and the gap dropping to the six-minute mark.

There seemed to be some disunity between the two leaders, as Amador didn't seem to want to co-operate with his rival. Five and a half minutes back, the peloton slowly shredded.

With less than seven kilometers to go, Barta caught up again with the two leaders. But the Czech was clearly paying for his efforts on the day, and left the lead work to the other two.

The field had shrunk again, and the gap kept coming down, as the fog and rain returned. The three leaders took a 3:26 lead into the final 5km.

Rujano attacked into the fog, but the field, now about 25 riders, caught him again quickly. Dozens of running fans accompanied the now much smaller field, led by Ivan Basso (Liquigas), as one Astana rider struck out at an interfering fan. Surprisingly, Rujano and Cunego dropped off the back.

That was the cue for attacks to start out of the field. Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel) and Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) built up a small lead, and the Canadian then continued on alone.

That was too much for Rodriguez, who jumped in pursuit, quickly catching the Basque rider, with the rest of the field following as the gap to the leaders sunk to 45 seconds with 4km to go.

Hesjedal held on to his lead over a chasing group of eight, from which Astana's Roman Kreuziger had been dropped. Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago - CSF Inox) tried to get away, and was caught as the three leaders turned up the speed on a flatter section in an attempt to retain their lead.

The trio crossed the one kilometre to go marker with Hesjedal not far behind. Barta opened the sprint, but Amador came from behind him to take it.

Hesjedal sailed away from his rivals, crossing the finish line only 20 seconds behind the top three. Paolo Tiralongo of Astana led the small group of favourites, including Rodriguez, in to the finish 46 seconds down, more than enough time to give Hesjedal the overall lead.

Results:

1	Andrey Amador Bakkazakova (CRc) Movistar Team	5:33:36
2	Jan Barta (Cze) Team NetApp
3	Alessandro De Marchi (Ita) Androni Giocattoli	0:00:02
4	Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda	0:00:20
5	Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Astana Pro Team	0:00:46
6	Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling
7	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team
8	Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
9	Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD
10	John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale

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