Giro d’Italia Stage 11: live updates and blog
Roar Guru By Kit Harvey, 16 May 2012 Kit Harvey is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Cycling, Domenico Pozzovivo, Giro d'Italia, Joaquin Rodriguez, live blog, Mark Cavendish, Matt Goss, Ryder Hesjedal
Please join our live blog of Stage 11, beginning at 18.55 AEST. Stage 11 marks the halfway point of the 2012 Giro d’Italia. Updates will be added to this post as the race progresses.
Already, we have been treated to hectic sprint finishes, a breakaway win, and more than a little chaos.
The finish of last night’s 186km Stage 10 from Civitavecchia to Assisi was faster than many predicted, with Spanish climber Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) hitting the line first and going straight into the maglia rosa.
Italian Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago-CSF Inox), the winner of stage nine on Monday, was again keen to test his climbing legs. So too was Frenchman John Gadret (Ag2r La Mondiale), whose attack with 3km to go proved fruitless.
On what ended as a day for the uphill specialists, the surprise package was second-place finisher Bartosz Huzarski (Team NetApp). The Polish veteran was the only rider to get near Rodriguez on the final hill in just his second Giro.
Having usurped Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) for the race lead, Rodriguez holds a 17-second advantage over the Canadian. Italian Paolo Tiralongo (Astana) sits in third, 32 seconds behind the man in pink.
Tonight’s (AEST) 255km Stage 11 from Assisi to Montecatini Terme is the longest of this year’s race. It is a mostly flat course with rolling hills, including a category three climb at Poggio Alla Croce after 155km and a category four hill at Vico after 249km.
The sprinter’s teams will be hoping to make it over these climbs unscathed and with enough left in the tank to organise a sprint finish. Mark Cavendish (Sky Pro Cycling) is the odds-on favourite to win the stage, but Australian Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEDGE) has shown more than once this Giro that he packs a mean sprint punch.
Other men to watch are Australian Mark Renshaw (Rabobank), Francisco Ventoso (Movistar) and Alexander Kristoff (Katusha).
Stage 11 is one of very few remaining opportunities for the sprinters in this year’s race. Expect to see Sky Pro Cycling, Rabobank and Orica-GreenEDGE leaving absolutely nothing on the road.
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The Crowd Says (78) | Page 1 of Comments
The Roar Live Blog: Latest comments displayed at the top of the page | Click here to jump to leave a comment
1:53am
Kit Harvey said | 1:53am | Report comment
To reiterate – Stage results: 1. Roberto Ferrari (Androni-Gioccatoli), 2. Francesco Chicchi (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), 3. Thomas Vaitkus (Orica-GreenEDGE), 4. Mark Cavendish (Sky Pro Cycling), 5. Manuel Belletti (Ag2r La Mondiale).
1:47am
Kit Harvey said | 1:47am | Report comment
A dramatic end to stage 11 of the 2012 Giro d’Italia. Looking forward to tomorrow as the roads start to angle skywards. Live updates on theroar.com.au from 21.05 AEST.
1:43am
Kit Harvey said | 1:43am | Report comment
It’s a pity Matt Goss couldn’t make it into the front group for the sprint finish. Still showing the scars of his crash on stage 9 perhaps.
1:42am
Kit Harvey said | 1:42am | Report comment
Good result for NetApp’s Daniel Schorn, who finished in seventh place on the stage.
1:42am
Kit Harvey said | 1:42am | Report comment
Stage results: 1. Roberto Ferrari (Androni-Gioccatoli), 2. Francesco Chicchi (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), 3. Thomas Vaitkus (Orica-GreenEDGE), 4. Mark Cavendish (Sky Pro Cycling), 5. Manuel Belletti (Ag2r La Mondiale).
1:40am
Kit Harvey said | 1:40am | Report comment
Crash near the finish occurred on the final turn before the finishing straight. NetApp rider hit the deck and caused others to topple.
1:34am
Kit Harvey said | 1:34am | Report comment
Roberto Ferrari (Androni Gioccatoli), the villain on stage three of the Giro, wins the stage!
1:33am
Kit Harvey said | 1:33am | Report comment
Big crash in the final KM!
1:32am
Kit Harvey said | 1:32am | Report comment
Alessandro Ballan (BMC Racing) has had a bit of a dig off the front but nothing has really come of it.
1:31am
Kit Harvey said | 1:31am | Report comment
2km remain in the stage – prepare for a bunch sprint finish!
1:30am
Kit Harvey said | 1:30am | Report comment
This looks like a tailor-made finish for Mark Cavendish and his Sky Pro Cycling sprint train.
1:29am
Kit Harvey said | 1:29am | Report comment
Matt Goss is still a little shaken from his crash with Filippo Pozzato (Farnese Vini) on two days ago. He has not made it into the front group after a slight split formed in the peloton on the climb.
1:26am
Kit Harvey said | 1:26am | Report comment
Leading group is back in the fray as the sprinters’ teams try to organise themselves at the head of the main field.
1:24am
Kit Harvey said | 1:24am | Report comment
Roman Kreuziger and Michele Scarponi are chasing down the leading group of four. Strange move.
1:21am
Kit Harvey said | 1:21am | Report comment
The men at the head of the main field are racing to the top of the stage’s category 4 climb!
1:23am
Kit Harvey said | 1:23am | Report comment
K.O.M. points will be confirmed here shortly.
1:26am
Kit Harvey said | 1:26am | Report comment
1. Giovanni Visconti (Movistar), 2. Oscar Gatto (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia), 3. Angel Vicioso (Katusha).
1:20am
Kit Harvey said | 1:20am | Report comment
Four men are bridging the gap to Selvaggi – one of them is Movistar’s Giovanni Visconti.
1:19am
Kit Harvey said | 1:19am | Report comment
Mirko Selvaggi (Vacansoleis-DCM) is the man off the front. Not gaining much of a lead here. Vanendert is back in the main field.
1:18am
Kit Harvey said | 1:18am | Report comment
Dennis Vanendert (Lotto Belisol) and a rider from Vacansoleis are off the front. Not sure who it is yet.
1:17am
Kit Harvey said | 1:17am | Report comment
Boaro is now back in the peloton as three or four riders look to attack!
1:16am
Kit Harvey said | 1:16am | Report comment
Alex Rasmussen (Garmin-Barracuda) has had a mechanical issue and falls off the back of the main field. He’ll have to make his own way back.
1:15am
Kit Harvey said | 1:15am | Report comment
14.5km remain in the stage as the riders prepare to complete the second lap of the finishing circuit.
1:14am
Kit Harvey said | 1:14am | Report comment
Boaro will be back in the peloton shortly, his lead is down to 10 seconds.
1:13am
Kit Harvey said | 1:13am | Report comment
Three riders from Euskaltel appear to have an issue at the back of the field. They should make it back fairly quickly.
1:10am
Kit Harvey said | 1:10am | Report comment
Oscar Gatto (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia) has been brought back into the main field by diligent teammates after finding himself off the back.
1:06am
Kit Harvey said | 1:06am | Report comment
Saez has been caught by the peloton, leaving only one man at the front of the race – Boaro. He looks very strong on this the longest day of this year’s Giro d’Italia.
1:08am
Kit Harvey said | 1:08am | Report comment
Boaro’s lead is at 40 seconds over the main field, he doesn’t appear to be gaining any significant time. Looks like he is being reeled in now.
1:03am
Kit Harvey said | 1:03am | Report comment
Boaro’s advantage over Saez has increased to 47 seconds as the Spaniard comes ever closer to being back in the main field.
1:00am
Kit Harvey said | 1:00am | Report comment
Boaro (Saxo Bank) looks pretty good as he attempts to establish a lead for himself off the front. The gap to the second-place rider on the road – Saez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) – is 31 seconds. Boaro is 1’05″ ahead of the peloton.
12:58am
Kit Harvey said | 12:58am | Report comment
Malori (Lampre-ISD) is back in the fray having utilised the slipstreams of various team cars.
12:58am
Kit Harvey said | 12:58am | Report comment
Adrian Saez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) is trying to bridge the gap between he and Boaro, it’s not looking good for the Spaniard at this stage.
12:56am
Kit Harvey said | 12:56am | Report comment
The break has passed under the 30km banner – the catch appears to be closer than ever as the breakaway has begun to dismantle. Manuele Boaro (Saxo Bank) has attacked off the front. A little left in his legs it seems!
12:55am
Kit Harvey said | 12:55am | Report comment
Adriano Malori (Lampre-ISD) looks like he has received a new bike. It shouldn’t take him too long to get back into the main field.
12:49am
Kit Harvey said | 12:49am | Report comment
Dangle, dangle go the peloton. The main pack is toying with the riders in the breakaway like a lion playing with its prey.
12:52am
Kit Harvey said | 12:52am | Report comment
The gap sits at around 20 seconds and has already been allowed to stay there for longer than strictly necessary. Some call it cruel, I call it professional cycling.
12:44am
Kit Harvey said | 12:44am | Report comment
The break’s lead has expanded again to 23 seconds. Interesting state of affairs with 38km remaining in the stage.
12:42am
Kit Harvey said | 12:42am | Report comment
The catch is near! The break’s lead is down to 15 seconds and it’s dropping.
12:42am
Kit Harvey said | 12:42am | Report comment
I hope the time gap is correct and I’m not getting fed false information.
12:40am
Kit Harvey said | 12:40am | Report comment
With 41.4km remaining in the stage the break’s lead has been reduced to well under 30 seconds. Perhaps a surprising lift in pace by the main field.
12:33am
Kit Harvey said | 12:33am | Report comment
The peloton is letting the breakaway dangle a at 50 secs-one minute off the front. They could increase the tempo at any stage and make the catch, but I expect the five leaders to be left out the front for a little longer – there is still 45.5km remaining.
12:23am
Kit Harvey said | 12:23am | Report comment
Some fairly tight corners as the riders make their way through this section of the course with 52km remaining of 255km.
12:17am
Kit Harvey said | 12:17am | Report comment
For those that have just tuned in – there is a five-man breakaway comprised of: Olivier Kaisen (Lotto Belisol), Adrian Saez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Mickael Delage (FDJ-Big Mat), Stefan Denifl (Vacansoleis-DCM) and Manuele Boaro (Saxo Bank). Their lead is currently 1’02″ over the main field.
12:22am
Darryl Kotyk said | 12:22am | Report comment
The peloton is moving a little faster now….how long until they catch them? Any predictions on the sprint finish, Kit?
12:25am
Kit Harvey said | 12:25am | Report comment
It’s hard to go past Mark Cavendish (as ever), but I’m loving Matt Goss’ form this Giro. He’s a tough sprinter and could be a real show. I think the peloton will let the breakaway’s advantage hover at around the one minute mark. I expect the peloton will bide their time, there is no need to catch them with 50km still remaining in the stage.
12:28am
Kit Harvey said | 12:28am | Report comment
Mark Renshaw (Rabobank) is an outside chance. Would like to see him win a stage for himself for a change.
12:45am
Darryl Kotyk said | 12:45am | Report comment
I agree….although having Cav or Goss take it would be great, it would be nice to see a fresh face like Renshaw at the front.
12:46am
Kit Harvey said | 12:46am | Report comment
Can’t help but agree with you there Darryl. Admirable as Cav and Goss are, it would be nice to see one of the outsiders steal stage honours.
12:10am
Kit Harvey said | 12:10am | Report comment
The leading group on the road is now just 40 seconds ahead of the main pack.
12:12am
Kit Harvey said | 12:12am | Report comment
The peloton has slowed on its passage through the feed zone, there are a few problems with the race GPS at the moment. I will get the revised time gap to you as soon as possible.
12:09am
Kit Harvey said | 12:09am | Report comment
The breakaway riders are now passing through the feed zone, often a site of mayhem as the peloton passes through. Here they come!
12:08am
Kit Harvey said | 12:08am | Report comment
Quiet stage so far. 63km remain. The breakaway’s advantage sits at 1’13″ and it’s dropping at quite a rapid rate.
11:53pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 11:53pm | Report comment
Just over 70km’s left in this stage. Riders have already been in the saddle for a long time today and strategizing for the finish.
12:30am
Kit Harvey said | 12:30am | Report comment
The riders will certainly have earned their rest day after stage 15 on Sunday!
11:46pm
Kit Harvey said | 11:46pm | Report comment
Thanks Daryl, the riders have just rolled over the five hour mark, still with just a shade under 80km to go in what will be a long day at the office for the peloton.
11:54pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 11:54pm | Report comment
Welcome, Kit. Thanks for taking over the stage coverage. Take us to the finish line….it’s sure to be a fantastic conclusion to stage 11.
12:26am
Kit Harvey said | 12:26am | Report comment
Thanks Darryl, apologies for the typo on your name. It’s late!
11:40pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 11:40pm | Report comment
Our expert live blogger, Kit Harvey, will be taking over the action very shortly. Thanks for letting me update you on stage 11 so far and be sure to stay with us for live coverage through to the end of today’s stage and the rest of the Giro stages.
11:39pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 11:39pm | Report comment
I saw someone on Twitter commenting on how the camera man must be in love with Mark Cavendish….yes, he is getting a lot of face time in today’s stage.
11:37pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 11:37pm | Report comment
The lead group has increased their gap to 3:00. There’s still a long way to go, so let’s see what the peloton will do about this.
11:18pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 11:18pm | Report comment
Cav made it up the climb okay and is sitting comfortably in the peloton…..likely with thoughts of the finish flashing across his mind.
11:13pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 11:13pm | Report comment
Kaisen has taken the points ahead of Delage and Denifl….as the leaders reach the top of the climb.
The gap is now under 2 minutes.
11:11pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 11:11pm | Report comment
Kaisen leads the climb up the Poggio alla Croce (a category 3).
11:08pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 11:08pm | Report comment
There is already speculation of possible crashes again at the finish of today’s stage. There are 3 quite major corners leading into the finish, so let’s hope the riders make it through okay. The sprint finish is sure to be the highlight of today’s race.
10:38pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 10:38pm | Report comment
Gap still averaging around 2:50 out in front.
10:31pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 10:31pm | Report comment
The peloton has got a little more life in it and narrowed the gap to 2:45. Let’s see where this goes.
10:10pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 10:10pm | Report comment
Looks like Kaisen has taken the first immediate sprint for Lotto Belisol. Confirmation of the minor placings coming soon.
10:02pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 10:02pm | Report comment
Pretty quiet in today’s stage, but I know we’ll be in for an explosive finish.
9:51pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 9:51pm | Report comment
Saez de Arregui (EUS), Delage (FDJ), Kaizen (LTB), Bolero (SAX) and Denifl (VCD) have 4:05 “advantage, peloton quiet.
9:48pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 9:48pm | Report comment
A nice shot from Assisi for stage 11 start! http://t.co/zKPbgJuJ
9:45pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 9:45pm | Report comment
Saez de Arregui (EUS), Delage (FDJ), Kaisen (LTB), Boaro (SAX) & Denifl (VCD) have 3 minutes now. Ponzi dropped.
9:36pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 9:36pm | Report comment
Weather for today’s stage is fairly clear and a current temperature of 12 C. More details at http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=43.070167,12.617518.
9:22pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 9:22pm | Report comment
It was short lived, Ponzi was quite quickly caught by the peleton.
9:16pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 9:16pm | Report comment
KM87 Saez de Arregui (EUS), Kaisen (LTB), Denifl (VCD), Boaro (SAX) and Delage (FDJ) 2:35 ahead.
9:08pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 9:08pm | Report comment
What are your predictions for the finish of this stage? Will it be Cav as many have predicted? Will Goss push through?
9:04pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 9:04pm | Report comment
Gap of the lead group dropped to 2.35 after 82 km. Ponzi has dropped out of the escape group, so 5 escapees left.
9:03pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 9:03pm | Report comment
Ponzi overtaken by peloton. The breakaway gap is now 2’25” / Ponzi ripreso dal gruppo.
9:02pm
Darryl Kotyk said | 9:02pm | Report comment
Giro d’Italia stage 11 has started! From Assisi to Montecatini Terme, the longest one with 255 km #giro