The two major lessons we have taken from a thrilling first nine days in Italy is that Bradley Wiggins is very much on the ropes in the wet weather while Cadel Evans certainly made a very good choice to ride the Giro.
Having started under blue skies and a bright sun in Naples, the Giro d’Italia has morphed into a miserable, sodden and crash-strewn affair – horrific if you’re in the saddle but fairly epic if you’re watching from the comfort of your armchair.
On the first of two rest days in the 96th edition of the Corsa Rosa, Felix Lowe looks at the race’s main talking points, recaps all the action and makes some predictions for the next six days.
Sky considering Plan B after Wiggins’ wet wobbles
When Bradley Wiggins was distanced by the Astana-led main pack en route to Florence he was nursed back into contention by five Sky team-mates. Tellingly, neither Rigoberto Uran nor Sergio Henao were on hand.
The Colombian pair both lost time in stage four while dropping to help their leader – and with Wiggins’s struggles with the rain showing no signs of drying up, Sky seem to have implemented a Plan B.
Following the ITT, the British team now have three riders in the top ten – and you get the impression that both Henao and Uran are ready to ride for themselves should Wiggins fail to get his act together.
Dial 3-1-1 for non-emergency services
Things could be worse for Wiggins – he could be Ryder Hesjedal. The Canadian defending champion looked in excellent early form in this year’s race, riding off the front on a punchy climb in stage three and then bragging later on that it wasn’t even an acceleration.
But Hesjedal put in a poor performance in relation to the other big guns in Saturday’s ITT and then lost a further minute after apparently bonking on the Cat.4 Fiesole climb near Florence on Sunday.
He’s now 3:11 down on GC – the same number Canadians use for non-emergency municipal services in the Toronto region. Many would venture that things are fairly critical for Hesjedal – this is certainly an emergency.
Done and dusted for Nibali?
If you’d told Vincenzo Nibali that he’d ship just 11 meagre seconds to Wiggins on the first time trial of the race, he’d have laughed in your face.
The Italian expected to enter the second phase of the Giro around two minutes down on his British rival; as it is, he’s in pink and holds 1:16 over Wiggins.
What’s more, he knows Wiggins is psychologically on the ropes – compare his own reaction to crashing in stage seven (he did so twice on the slippery final descent) to that of Wiggins, whose bike handling resembled more that of Michael Rasmussen on an off-day than a Tour de France winner.
But the race has yet to enter its critical phase and Nibali still has his work cut out if he is to hold at bay a man whom he failed to trouble in the mountains in last year’s Tour.
Consistent Cuddles goes into the red
The biggest surprise so far has been the resplendent return to form of Cadel Evans, the Australian veteran whose decision to ride the Giro was interpreted by many as a Tour leadership snub by his BMC management.
Save a slight wobble in the mid-section of the ITT, Evans has not faltered so far.
Usually the one with complex psychological issues, the 36-year-old has neither crashed nor cracked in the rain. In fact, a series of consistently high finishes has not only won him vital bonus seconds but has also seen him amass enough points to move into the lead in the red jersey competition.
Trailing Nibali by just 29 seconds on GC is a dream come true for the man most had written off.
Katusha justifying their non-wildcard entry
When Katusha responded to their World Tour reprieve and re-acceptance on the Giro by naming a squad devoid of last year’s most aggressive rider, Joaquim Rodriguez, it was thought that the Russian team would be coming along merely to make up numbers (numbers which, with 23 teams and not the usual 22, were too high in the first place).
But Katusha enter the second phase of the race as the most successful team – with two stage wins (for Luca Paolini and Maxim Belkov) and Paolini’s four-day stint in the pink jersey. They have certainly done nothing to make race director Michele Acquarone regret having let them into the race through the back door. Far from it.
Stage 1: Cavendish in pink after win
For the second time in his career, the sprinter picks up the famous maglia rosa after an opening day win in an explosive bunch sprint in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.
Cav takes victory despite a poor lead-out by his OPQS team-mates and a large crash in the peloton which holds up many of his rivals, including John Degenkolb.
“My friend Paul Smith is here today so it’s great to get the win in front of him,” Cav name-drops at the finish.
Stage 2: Puccio in pink
Twenty-three-year-old Italian Salvatore Puccio, riding his debut Giro d’Italia, is the surprise pink jersey after Sky blitz the team time trial on the island of Ischia.
Puccio’s slight tinge of ginger hair leads some to question whether Sean Kelly was doing a spot of training in Sicily late in ’88 nine months before the rider’s birth in Menfi.
Stage 3: Paolini powers to the race lead
Aged 36 and remarkably riding his first ever Giro, Luca Paolini attacks on the descent into Ascea to take the victory and maglia rosa almost seven years after his last Grand Tour win, in the 2006 Vuelta.
Fabio Taborre of Vini Fantini comes close from a long break while Michele Scarponi’s hopes take a battering after the 2011 winner crashes just outside the 3km-to-go point to lose 55 seconds.
Stage 4: Battaglin battles to win
While Bardiani Valvole’s Enrico Battaglin takes the victory in Apocalyptic conditions in Serra San Bruno, all talk is about Bradley Wiggins dropping to sixth from second on GC after the 2012 Tour winner is held up by a late crash to lose 17 seconds.
Stage 5: ‘Tache-tastic Degenkolb rides his luck
German youngster John Degenkolb manages to dodge a crash by his Argos-Shimano lead-out man in the closing bend before rounding Marco Canola to post his first career win in the Giro and showpiece his natty moustache on the podium.
Stage 6: Cavendish doubles up
Distanced on the climbs towards the end of the previous stage, Cavendish wins the stage everyone expected him to win – this time after an expert lead-out by his OPQS team-mates and in particular Gert Steegmans.
Cav likens his team to a “the important bits and the engine of a car” while modestly describing himself as “the last bit at the end – the exhaust – the bit that makes the most noise.” He also dedicates the win to the late Wouter Weylandt on the second anniversary of the rider’s passing away.
Stage 7: Skyfall
Bradley Wiggins and Colombian duo Sergio Henao and Rigoberto Uran all drop out of the top 20 after the Sky leader crashes on a wet descent while trying to keep in touch with his rivals.
Sporting his own pair of home-made cycling shoes, Adam Hansen takes a maiden Grand Tour win with a superb solo attack – about time too, considering this is his fifth consecutive Grand Tour.
Spaniard Benat Intxausti takes the pink jersey after Paolini loses time in the poor conditions.
Stage 8: The only way is Essex
Everyone expected one Briton to win the technical 55km ITT but instead we were treated to the sight of Chelmsford’s Alex Dowsett of Movistar taking the spoils in Saltara. Wiggins finishes 10 seconds back in second place after picking up an early puncture – and although he rides back into fourth place on GC, his time gains over all his rivals (bar Ryder Hesjedal) are minimal.
Stage 9: Magnificent Maxim
Once again, Wiggins struggles in the wet weather but fights back to finish alongside his rivals after Russian Maxim Belkov soloed to the biggest win of his career in a sodden Florence. Defending champion Hesjedal falls further back after cracking on the last of four climbs in the Apennines.
Predictions for Phase II of the race
The good news for Bradley Wiggins is that all these summit finishes on the horizon means one less descent per day.
The bad news is that the race hits the proper mountains now with three major altitude finales – including Sunday’s historic stage atop the Galbier.
Wiggins says he’s climbing better than ever – and his time split up the last ramp of the ITT suggests he’s not wrong. But can he cope with a succession of wicked short and sharp stages in the Alps and Dolomites – even if the sun comes out?
Here are some predictions for the next six days of racing:
– Nibali will still be in pink come the next rest day but by then it will be a three-horse race between him, Wiggins and the quietly impressive Robert Gesink, winner of stage 14 to Bardonecchia, with both Sky’s Colombians lurking with intent.
– Sky will be an entirely different kettle of fish in the mountains where they should assert their authority. They will go from having three riders in the top ten to three in the top five.
– Cadel Evans will be found out on the seriously high stuff and the Australian will lose considerable time up the Galibier to drop out of the top five.
– Ryder Hesjedal will win a stage but not enough time to put him back in contention.
– Colombia (the country) will have its 10th stage on the Giro – but the rider may not be from Colombia (the team). Nor from Sky, for that matter. Cannondale’s Cayetano Sarmiento’s ears may prick here…
– Stefano Pirazzi will still be in the blue jersey after multiple breakaways – but the Italian will still be without a stage win, plus he’ll be no closer to making Robinson Chalapud’s Christmas card list.
– Cavendish will pick up a third win in Treviso but will be denied by both Viviani one day later in Cherasco before calling it a day and quitting the race.
Fancy a wager on your favourite sport? Head on over to PlayUp for great odds and friendly customer service and pick a winner. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Australia's Jai Hindley has said he is "lost for words" after a shock stage victory at the Tour de France earned him the leader's…
Australia's Jai Hindley has said he is "lost for words" after a shock stage victory at the Tour de France earned him the leader's…
Tadej Pogacar has won a drama-packed Tour of Flanders, winning in a breakaway with Matieu van der Poel second, Mads Pedersen third and Wout…
Women are not allowed to compete in the Tour de France. However you choose to re-read that sentence, the fact remains: the most famous…
The jam-packed month-by-month quiz full of 2022 sports trivia!
Australian Grace Brown has won silver in the women's time trial, the first event at the world road cycling championships.
