Marco Pinotti helped the BMC Racing Team score bookend wins at the Giro d’Italia by winning Sunday’s final time trial in Milan after teammate Taylor Phinney won the Stage 1 time trial in Denmark.
‘Was A Big Goal’Pinotti and his BMC timemachine TM01 averaged more than 51 kilometers an hour on the 28.2 km course to take the win by 39 seconds over Geraint Thomas (Sky Procycling). “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.” The victory is Pinotti’s first since he won his fifth Italian national time trial championship on June 27, 2010 and his second in an individual time trial at the Giro to go along with three team time trial wins. He was also honored for being the Giro’s top time trial rider after the podium presentation for overall race winner Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda).
Phinney Off Course
Pinotti’s victory helped erase some of the BMC Racing Team’s disappointment for Phinney, who saw his own chances for victory dashed when he followed an escort motorcycle off course. The incident broke the concentration of the former U.S. national time trial champion, who wound up 16th on the day, 1:31 behind Pinotti. “I had promised myself to never get upset, but today at the finish it was hard,” he said. “I fought during all three weeks to get here and do a good time trial and then it’s’ hard when the moto in front of you goes the wrong way. At that moment, (BMC Racing Team Assistant Director) Max Sciandri told me to turn, but it wasn’t clear. So then I had to stop and make the curve. So I lost time and was really disappointed.”
Tschopp 14th Overall
The BMC Racing Team’s top overall finisher for the second straight year was Johann Tschopp, who battled a lingering cold and a sore neck to place 14th, one spot better than he did in 2011. “Until the end I did everything I could to get a place in the top 10,” Tschopp said. “This was a new experience for me, a new experience of life and it is all positive for the future.” The BMC Racing Team’s third Giro d’Italia was also highlighted by Phinney’s three days in the race lead and top five stage finishes by Ivan Santaromita (Stage 12) and Mathias Frank (Stage 16).
