Gavia, Stelvio and Val Martello: mountains in the spotlight again at the Giro d’Italia – Giro stage 16 (Ponte di Legno – Val Martello, 139 Km), dominated by new Maglia Rosa Nairo Quintana (Movistar) ahead of Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) and Pierre Rolland (Europcar), Claudio Corti‘s guys were first to light up the show on the early climbs of the Gavia Pass, with a brave attack by Robinson Chalapud.
The 30-year-old climber moved on solo on the mythical Giro d’Italia climb, passing first on the 2618 metres high peak, while behind him his teammate Jarlinson Pantano had followed fellow Colombian Julian Arredondo in his chase attempt, passing third atop the Gavia.
The extreme weather conditions on the descent shook things up at the front, as the escapees got back together and were joined by several other riders, including Franco Pellizotti (Androni-Venezuela), Dario Cataldo (Team Sky) and Robert Kiserlovski (Trek-Factory), and eventually tackled together the first climbs of the Stelvio Pass. The breakaway’s advantage was reduced by Tinkoff-Saxo push at the front of the peloton, but still Dario Cataldo managed to reach the 2758 metres Cima Coppi in first position, followed by Chalapud a few seconds later and with Pantano fourth.
On the descent and in the following flat section, the Team Sky rider managed to stay clear and increase his advantage on a trio including Pantano, that was later caught by another small group including Quintana, Rolland and Hesjedal, who had broken away from leader Rigoberto Uran’s group on descent.
Cataldo’s solo attempt ended early on the Val Martello climb under a strong push by Quintana, looking sharp and clearly targeting the leader’s jersey. Both Hesjedal and Rolland tried to hold on with the Colombian, but finally had to give up on the last kilometer. Uran got to the finish line over 4 minutes behind Quintana, surrendering the leader’s jersey.
Pantano
A day on the attack for Pantano was rewarded with a strong 12th place, a good sign ahead of the final stage of the Giro led by Quintana, with a 1.42 advantage on countryman Uran and 3:21 on Australian Cadel Evans (BMC Racing). Chalapud gained in the KOM standings, moving up to second behind fellow Colombian Arredondo.
It was a bad day for Fabio Duarte: after climbing with the strongest all the way to the top of the Gavia Pass, the 27-year-old suffered from cold in the descent, and needed to stop for assistance several times.
Tomorrow, Wednesday May 28th, the riders will endure a transition stage from Sarnonico to Vittorio Veneto of 208 km, preceding the final mountain triptych that will have the last word on the 97th Giro d’Italia.
News from BMC:
Cadel Evans fought his way to 10th place Tuesday on a cold, snowy and wet mountainous stage of the Giro d’Italia. But the BMC Racing Team’s leader slipped from second to third in the standings as the overall lead changed hands.
Challenging Conditions
Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) soloed to win the 139-kilometer stage and take the maglia rosa from Rigoberto Uran (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), who dropped to second overall, 1:41 back. Evans arrived 4:48 after Quintana and is now 3:21 off the lead and among five riders grouped within 27 seconds of each other in the overall standings. “In the final, I started cramping,” Evans said. “I was limping on one leg all the way home. It is a pity. Normally I am reasonably good in these extreme conditions. But when I can’t see the road, I can’t descend down it. When I have to pedal with one leg, I can’t go uphill. So it was really a day of conservation and survival.” The challenging conditions were evident in the stage results: Only 15 riders finished within 10 minutes of the stage winner and 122 of the 160 riders left in the race conceded 30 minutes or more.
Not Giving Up
Evans said his battle began right from the start in Ponte di Legno up the snow-lined Gavia pass. “The first climb, I was over-dressed,” he said. “The first descent, I couldn’t see through the snow. The second climb – the Stelvio – I was fine. But on the downhill I started getting cramps. It seems ridiculous today – it is below zero and I am dehydrated. But we were either going uphill or downhill, so the opportunities to drink were limited.” Evans said with five stages remaining – including Friday’s 26.8-km uphill time trial – he is not losing hope of maintaining or improving his position. “We came here with big intentions and we came here to give absolutely our best,” he said. “We have all worked very, very hard. I think we have seen in the last couple of days that anything and everything has happened in this Giro. And anything can still happen. That is what makes the Giro so dramatic.”
