Stage 9, Firenze (Florence), 170 Km: Maxim Belkov (Katusha) won this stage by attacking from within the breakaway before they were caught by the peleton. Most of the top 10 GC riders stayed the same, with Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) still in the pink jersey. Brad Wiggins (Sky) only avoided losing time because of the sacrifices made by his Columbian teammates Rigoberto Uran and Sergio Luis Henao. Ryder Hesjedal lost 1:06.
Stage 10, Montasio, 167 Km: After the first rest day, Uran (Sky) won the stage by attacking Nibali (Astana), but his team leader Wiggins (Sky) paid the price, losing 37" to Nibali. Uran moved up to 3rd place, behind Nibali and Cadel Evans (BMC).
Stage 11, Vajont, 182 Km: Ramunas Navardauskas (Garmin-Sharp) pulled off a clever counter-attack to win the stage. The GC leaders stayed together, so their standings did not change. Later that same day, in California, teammate Tyler Farrar won a stage of the Tour of California, for a Garmin “Daily Double.”
Stage 12, Treviso, 134 Km: Cavendish won for the third time in this Giro, and his 100th time as a pro. Wiggins lost 3 minutes through cautious descending on rain-wet roads. Both he and Ryder Hesjedal withdrew from the Giro before the start of the next stage, citing ever-worsening chest infections. Also, the sponsors of Team Vacansoleil-DCM announced they will no longer sponsor that team after this season. RadioShack had already made a similar announcement for its team earlier in the season.
Stage 13, Cherasco, 254 Km: Cavendish won again! This time, he looked vulnerable at the end with no teammates to help him, but he found a gap with 350 meters to go and powered through. The other sprinters, even with better support, were still unable to match his winning burst. The GC standings held firm, with Nibali, Evans and Uran claiming the podium.
Stage 14, Bardonecchia, 168 Km: Winter conditions ruled this mountain stage, with rain, fog and snow. The scheduled climb of the Col di Sestriere was cancelled, and the course re-routed. Mauro Santambrogio (Vini Fantini) won the stage, with Nibali following safely in his wake. Uran edged Evans by only 3" for 5th place, so the GC standings remained the same.
Stage 15, Col du Galibier, 149 Km (Sunday May 19): If this sounds French, it is. The Giro crossed into France for this stage, and Old Man Winter continued to grip the race. Rain, fog and snow. Climbing the Col du Télégraphe and the Galibier in July (Tour de France) is one thing. Doing it in May is another story! It would be like trying to ride in May over the Bald Mountain pass on the Mirror Lake Highway, or over Mt. Nebo (both in Utah). These roads often do not open for cars until June – sometimes late June. Once again, this race was shortened by moving the finish line 4 Km down from the Galibier summit. Giovanni Visconti (Movistar) won the stage, followed by a furious battle between two youngsters for the white jersey. Carlos Betancur (Ag2R) placed 2nd, and with his bonus points, leapfrogged Rafal Majka (Saxo-Tinkoff) for the youth classification lead and jersey. Astana policed the peleton against any GC aggression, keeping Nibali safely in control of the pink jersey.
Monday, May 20 was a rest day. I will conclude my summaries of the Giro, after it wraps up on Sunday May 26. But for now, it looks like Nibali is in control, with Evans and Uran lurking. If either challenger could shock Nibali in the May 23 time trial, the pink jersey might be captured. This will be a 20 Km all-out sprint in hilly terrain around Lake Garda, with a 6 Km finish at a 6.8% slope! Let the punishment begin!
If you happen to see the results before my next post, please do not drop a spoiler on us.
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This gives you a little idea how the fog can blanket a mountain stage. Here are Nan Kennard, Matt Jensen and Ashley Jensen brailling their way through La Mongie, a ski resort village near the top of the Col du Tourmalet (Pyrénées) in May, 2011.
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