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The peloton face one of the longest legs of the 2014 Giro d’Italia tonight, a 247-kilometre slog from Sassano to Montecassino, with Australia’s Michael Matthews looking to retain his overall lead and possibly even secure his first stage win. Join us on The Roar for live updates from 10:30pm AEST.
Stage 5 saw Lampre-Merida’s Diego Ulissi claim victory, the first Italian to stand atop the podium for the 2014 Giro. Still, it was a strong day for Australia, Orica-GreenEDGE’s Matthews retaining the maglia rosa and Cadel Evans rolling over the finish line in second place, collecting a precious six-second bonus which saw him climb to third place on general classification at +15 seconds.
Stage 6 is fairly flat, but is also one of the longest stages and the final 8.7km is a category 2 climb to Montecassino, sure to test some tired leg Cadel Evans is describing it as “a similar kind of stage (as Stage 5); not a ‘difficult climb’ but a longer climb after a longer stage.”
Though Matthews is regarded as a sprinter, he’s not afraid of the slopes, saying earlier in the week, ““I hope to conserve some energy for Stages 5 or 6, which are my goals for the Giro this year. They are the ones that really suit me the best. I will be focusing on them.”
Finishing sixth yesterday makes today arguably Matthews’ final chance at an individual top-of-podium place, something he said yesterday he wants to achieve for his teammates:
“If you watched the race today, you saw the boys riding on the front for the entire race. Any of them could be in the jersey right now. I’m just the lucky one that has it on my back. I would have liked to win the stage to pay them back for all the work they’ve been doing for me these last couple days.”
However, there are plenty of other contenders for the stage victory.
The GC big guns came out to play yesterday, with Evans’ second place possibly not planned by his GMC team but simply the result of a need to chase down breaks from fellow overall candidates Joaquim Rogdriguez (40th at 1:47) and Nairo Quintana (14th at 1:09). Both Quintana and particularly Rodriguez are looking to claw back some time, and a day with a climb to the finish is as good a time as any to get it, particularly when you factor in the ten-second bonus for victory.
Of course with over 50 minutes already separating Matthews from 195th-placed Ramon Carretero, an early breakaway of low-placed riders could be given enough rope by the peloton for a dark horse to claim the stage.
Whatever the outcome, it’s sure to be a thrilling evening of racing, and any stage with an Aussie in the overall lead – looking to “keep the pink ball rolling” as ‘Bling’ put it – is mighty sweet.
Be sure to join The Roar at 10:30pm (AEST) and join the conversation by leaving your comments below.
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