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!
Darryl Kotyk
Roar Pro
I really like how you work the videos and pictures into your comments. Man, you need to teach me how to do that.
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Roar Guru
Join The Roar tomorrow night for more coverage. Stage 6 brings some hills. Good night!
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Goss still wears the Red Points Jersey. OK, now that's a wrap from me.
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Cavendish and Delilah on the podium.
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Taylor Phinney finished in a group 12 minutes down. Not looking good. He needs rest, not medium mountain stages.
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That was truly a great sprint finish. Goss had to come from one wheel back to almost beat Cav. But Cav takes this one. It is a privilege to watch these two sprint it out.
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Roar Guru
Cavendish smooches his two girls, before he smooches the two girls on the podium
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A great result for Cav after the Stage 3 debacle. Looks like Ramunas Navardauskas will keep pink today. Yet to hear news of the points classification and if Goss did enough to keep it.
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Roar Guru
Renshaw not in the top eight.Where did he go?
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Roar Guru
Final kilometre. Greenedge ramp it up. Lancatser doing a turn out the front, where is Cav? There goes Sky, Geraint Thomas does his job. This is Cav's. No, Goss is just behind Cav. Cav. Goss. Cav takes it not too much in front of Goss. Cav does it for his family!! Bennati (Radioshack) gets third.
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1.5km to go. Renshaw riding beside the fourth rider of Sky's
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Chicci from Omega Pharma trying to start something. Cav still sixth rider in line on his train. GreenEdge tucked in nicely
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A Sky rider peels off, job done.
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GreenEdge and Sky trains riding on two different tracks. Rabo on the third rail in the middle. 3.5kms to go. This will be hectic
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Four rabobank riders head to the front, one of them Renshaw, one of them Brown. Could the Bathurst battler take this?
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Pink jersey too safely with the peloton. GreenEdge look like they're trying to organise something. 6.7 to go, beach to the left of them, greenery to the right, here they are, stuck in the middle.
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Cavendish safely tucked away up the front with his team. 10kms to go. Astana, Lampre in the action too, with FDJ now driving things. Farrar group 40 seconds back. The peloton looks like lego throw on the floor as they all jostle for positon
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Farrar-Hushovd group desparately trying to grasp back on to the peloton on the descent. Too late? 13.3km to go. Farrar almost crashed around a corner. Oh dear
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De Negri caught. 15km to go. Astana driving things now. It's on now with the descent proper.
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Jack Bobridge (GreenEdge) or Jacky Bobby gone too. Can't wait til he gets gold in the Olympics in July so he can concentrate fully on the road after that. Seriously though, what a great track rider. Beautiful to watch.