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The battle for the General Classification has truly begun at the 2015 Giro D’Italia with race favourite Alberto Contador taking the overall race lead on the summit finish of Abetone.
The stage winner on the day was Lampre-Merida’s Jan Polanc who rode an incredibly gutsy breakaway victory but the main story was the clear emergence of Contador, Fabio Aru and Richie Porte as the three contenders for the Tour’s General Classification.
In a telling acceleration two-thirds of the way up the final climb Contador sprinted away from the large peloton that had survived a relatively tranquil day, with only Astana’s Aru and Team Sky’s Porte able to bridge across to him.
Other pre-race contenders such as Rigerberto Uran (Etixx-Quickstep) and Giovanni Visconti (Movistar) were unable to match the Spainards ferocious pace and for the second day running were forced to minimise their losses, falling further away from the race lead.
Porte looked especially calm, towing a struggling Aru across the gap after Contador’s initial acceleration.
The trio was able to quickly chase down the reaming breakaway members with only veteran Frenchman Sylvian Chavanel holding on for a close second.
The sight of the three contenders playing cat and mouse towards the end of the stage is something we will undoubtedly see many more times before this tour ends.
Unfortunately for Australian team Orica GreenEdge, neither Simon Clarke the holder of the Maglia Rosa for the stage or Columbian climber Esteban Chaves were able to hold onto the leaders despite a valiant effort from both.
The Australian team now hands over the Pink leader’s jersey to to Contador and his Tinkoff-Saxo team who will be looking to hold onto it until the final day in Milan in two and a half weeks time.
GC Standings
1. Alberto Contador – Tinkoff Saxo
2. Fabio Aru – Astana (+2)
3. Richie Porte – Team Sky (+20)
4. Roman Kreuziger – Tinkoff Saxo (+22)
5. Dario Cataldo – Astana (+28)
Stage Results
1. Jan Ploanc – Lampre-Merida
2. Sylvan Chavanel – IAM Cycling (+1:31)
3. Fabio Aru – Astana (+1:31)
4. Alberto Contador – Tinkoff Saxo (+1:31)
5. Richie Porte – Team Sky (+1:31)
Play time is over in the Giro d’Italia, as the race steps up to its first summit finish. Join The Roar from 11:00pm (AEST) for Stage 5 live commentary and friendly banter.
After yesterday’s relatively benign-looking stage turned into a barn burner that left more than one general classification hopeful losing time and gasping for air, we can expect nothing less than fireworks as the peloton tackles Stage 5’s two categorised climbs, including a category 2 summit finish.
The gruelling 150-kilometre stage rises and falls steadily through the heart of Tuscany, covering the category 3 climb of Foce Carinelli before rising steadily for the final 50 kilometres and arriving at the day’s final category 2 climb to Abestone.
What the climb lacks in pure steepness it surely makes up for in length, the final 17 agonising kilometres coming with an average 5 per cent gradient. Action on the final slopes will come thick and fast from both GC contenders and those looking to take the stage win.
Accelerations from team Astana and GC hopeful Fabio Aru were enough to distance two-time Giro runner up and GC rival Rigoberto Urán on yesterday’s final climb. The young Italian will put similar pressure on the peloton today as part of his mission to make up as much time in the mountains as he can.
Uran will have a point to prove after losing 22 seconds yesterday and this is a climb that will suit him, but he will still have to grit his teeth to keep up with the young mountain goat.
The two other main GC contenders, Richie Porte and Alberto Contador, played things very cooly yesterday, tightly holding Aru’s wheel, and will likely be doing the same today.
Outside of the GC battles watch for Orica-GreenEDGE’s Colombian climber Esteban Chaves to try and light up the stage and continue the Aussie team’s week in pink.
A whole host of Italians will be hoping to repeat yesterday’s heroics of Davide Formolo and the Cannondale-Garmin rider may well be inspired enough to try his luck for a second day running.
I’ll be cheering for Chaves, but my tip is for Aru to try and blow the race open before tomorrow’s flat stage. Summit finishes have a knack of revealing how a rider is truly feeling though, so join us tonight from 11pm (AEST) as we cover Stage 5 of the 2015 Giro d’Italia.
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