The Giro’s final day in the mountains, and it was one of the toughest yet. The profile featured three of the hardest first category climbs of the race, coming at the end of a final week filled with hard efforts and vicious attacking moves. Rafal Majka received strong support from his teammates today on the first two climbs, before the Tinkoff leader fought among a select group of GC riders on the final climbs of the day. Rafal cemented his fifth place in the GC with another top ten finish – his seventh of this year’s Giro.
Today was going decide the outcome of this year’s Giro d’Italia. With time gaps in the overall standings that still had the potential to change massively and a GC top five that each had their eye on the podium in Turin, there was everything to race for today. The 134km stage was one of the shortest, but also far and away one of the most difficult. Not only was the profile itself incredibly hard, with no fewer than three first category climbs and a third category climb to the finish, each and every rider had three hard weeks of racing in their legs – and on the climbs that would be hard enough coming at them fresh, with 3,000km behind the riders, they were going to be excruciatingly painful and difficult.
Spending much of the day in France, the first climb of the day was from the start line – with 19km to the crest of the Col de Vars on a maximum gradient of 13% and an average gradient of 6%. While the gradient eased towards the top, to start the day on such a steep climb was going to set the tone for a hard, cruel stage.
The moment the flag dropped, the attacking began. Eight riders managed to escape up the road – none of whom was a threat to the GC standings. With these eight making some headway on the peloton, some of the GC riders made their own attempts to break free, but each time were rapidly brought in by the group. The escapees soon built up a lead of five minutes on the peloton, eager to take some of the last climbers classification points before the final day, before extending this lead to eight minutes on the steep and fast descent of the Col de Vars.
With a new rider wearing the Maglia Rosa today, teams were anxious to see how he and his team would be able to react to attacks, and with three huge climbs to contend with, it was clear it was going to be a busy day for them. As the race approached the Col de la Bonette, a long, punishing drag with an average gradient of 6.7%, its summit almost at the midway point, the GC contenders were well-protected by their teams, with Rafal Majka being looked after well by three teammates. The long steady climb, with few changes in gradient, made the Col less attractive for attacking moves, but the sheer distance and its altitude – being the second highest point of this year’s race, at 2,713m – would take it out of the riders.
Making it to the top safely was only part of the challenge – the next step was to descend 40km to Isola – the upper slopes being winding and treacherous, and the sheer speed of the lower slopes further draining energy. In spite of the fast pace, none of the GC contenders had made attempts to break away, which although leading to a subdued mood within the peloton, created a certain air of anxiety about what was to come.
With 40km to go, all eyes were on the final first category climb. The summit of the Colle della Lombarda marked the point the Giro would return to Italy, but with a shifting gradient brought with it the potential for attacks. The breakaway group had maintained its gap, its fast pace having dropped many of its original members, but with a ten minute advantage had the potential to keep its lead until the stage finish. Rafal was still well-protected, with strong support. With 24km to go, Manuele Boaro led him up the Lombarda, with a second teammate sitting in the bunch a little further behind. While his rivals were setting the pace in the group, Rafal looked by far the most comfortable, as the race passed the 20km to go point.
Rafal was glad of the support of his teammates – as he had been for the Giro as a whole. “It was again another very tough stage. I gave 100% of myself, as did the team – I’d like to thank them for their huge effort all Giro.”
As in previous stages, the GC group gradually fell in numbers as the day went on. Rafal was a familiar sight as always in among the GC contenders. Seconds after an attack in the breakaway group went away solo and with the summit of the Colle della Lombarda fast approaching, an attack finally came from Vincenzo Nibali of Astana, Unable to pull him back in, the remaining GC contenders were left to try and work together to keep him in sight.
On the descent of the other side of the Lombarda, Rafal’s group encountered narrow roads and tight bends. With no chances to attack here, it was all going to come down to the final climb to the finish, with its 9.7% average gradient, and with the stage winner already across the line, the GC race was still very much open. With Vincenzo Nibali reaching the finish, it was a matter of watching the clock to see what gap he would have on the rest of his rivals. In spite of an exceptionally hard day of racing, Rafal put on an extra push to finish ahead of the Maglia Rosa, taking tenth on the stage and cementing his position in the top five overall of the race.
Looking back on the day, and his experiences throughout the Giro, Rafal was already assessing his performance. “I saw I lacked the explosiveness that my opponents had – I think that was my weakest point this Giro. However, I feel that my form is good and I will look to perform much better at the Tour with Alberto. Maybe in the future I need to do a Giro or Tour more relaxed in order to build my form to them and then attack another Grand Tour or an important stage race as captain.”
Sport Director Tristan Hoffman added: “The goal here was a podium finish but in the end it’s a fifth place, but one we can still be proud of. Rafal did everything, he tried and fought together with the team everyday as he could so we can be happy. It’s a very high level here and we’ve still got all the boys here which shows we’ve got a good level overall.”
Talking about the stage, Hoffman said: “It was full gas early on with the first climb, and there was a big explosion in the bunch. Once the break went it all came back together and then came down to the final climb. He was there in the select group but when Nibali attacked he had to set his own pace. He followed as long as possible but it was hard day.”
Tomorrow is the last day of this year’s Giro d’Italia. Riders will cover a 163km stage with a mostly flat profile – welcome relief after the last days in the mountains – before an eight-lap circuit in Turin to finish the race, likely ending in a sprint finish. There is always the potential for surprises at the Giro however, and while the GC outcome is almost certain, the stage itself is entirely open.
With the Giro all but finished, Rafal was looking to the future, and how he would ride in support of Alberto Contador at the Tour de France. “I’m very happy with 5th overall and the team did its best. Now we will focus on the Tour with a strong team around Alberto in the quest for the yellow jersey.”
Stage Result
1. Rein Taaramae (EST) Team Katusha 04:22:43
2. Darwin Atapuma (COL) BMC Racing Team +00:00:52
3. Joe Dombrowski (USA) Cannondale Pro Cycling +00:01:17
4. Mikel Nieve (SPA) Team Sky +00:04:12
5. Alexander Foliforov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo +00:04:36
10. Rafal Majka (POL) Tinkoff +00:08:06
44. Pawel Poljanski (POL) Tinkoff +00:22:09
47. Manuele Boaro (ITA) Tinkoff +00:24:10
59. Evgeny Petrov (RUS) Tinkoff +00:30:04
65. Ivan Rovny (RUS) Tinkoff Team +00:34:31
101. Jesús Hernández (SPA) Tinkoff +00:45:06
108. Jay McCarthy (AUS) Tinkoff +00:45:06
111. Pavel Brutt (RUS) Tinkoff +00:45:06
115. Matteo Tosatto (ITA) Tinkoff +00:45:06
GC After Stage 20
1. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) Astana Pro Team 82:44:31
2. Esteban Chaves (COL) Orica-GreenEdge +00:00:52
3. Alejandro Valverde (SPA) Movistar Team +00:01:17
4. Steven Kruijswijk (NED) Team LottoNL-Jumbo +00:01:50
5. Rafal Majka (POL) Tinkoff +00:04:37
