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The team time trial, like the team pursuit, is cycling’s equivalent to finishing off each other’s sentences. Garmin-Barracuda surprised no one yesterday in Stage 4 by doing it best.
As per the best time trial technique, each rider knew his place, read his teammates’ minds, and rode in formation to minimise loss of speed, covering the 33.2 km in 37:04 and propelling 24 year old Lithuanian rider Ramunas Navardauskas into the pink jersey position.
Pro cycling itself epitomises team work, and so does Garmin Barracuda’s loyal domestique Navardauskas, his jersey win popular among team mates and the majority of the peloton.
BMC finished 30 seconds down, surrendering Taylor Phinney’s leader’s jersey and leaving him ruing what might have been. A clearly disappointed Phinney provided a great example of teamwork too, a fan observing on Twitter “he hugged each of his team mates at the finish, left foot on the ground, right foot still in pedal.”
Katusha and Sky did provide some surprises. The Russian team unexpectedly finished five seconds behind Garmin, boosting Joaquim Rodriguez’s GC standing, while Sky disappointed in ninth, perhaps suggesting their Giro team was selected for sprints and giggles. Orica GreenEDGE DS Matthew White was also disappointed with his team’s sixth place, proving not everything goes according to plan.
Don’t expect too many surprises from today’s 209km Modena to Fano Stage 5. Flat, rolling, fairly straight, and flat and rolling again.
The peloton will pass through Bologna, Faenza, Forli and Cesena and skirt the sea at Rimini. With 35km to go, they face the teeny Gabicce Monte (109m) but will coast down it to again roll along a flat final 10km run into Fano. As usual, the riders will need to watch for roundabouts and ancient roads once the sprinter’s teams start firing up.
Theo Bos and Mark Renshaw apparently fell off the back of the Rabobank train quite early in yesterday’s TTT. Bos may still be feeling the affects of his Stage 2 crash but perhaps they are saving their legs for the sprint into Fano. This stage looks good for Renshaw, but watch out for Goss.
Cav may just bounce back from his road burn, too, as this is the last sprint opportunity for a number of stages. Tomorrow the Giro starts to become the Giro – hilly!
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