Wednesday 22nd May 2013
a weekly double-shot of road racing
issue ten
rapha.cc
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S AT U R D AY — Gi r o d ’Ita l ia — Gl a va To u r
su n day —Gi ro d ’ Italia —Rá s —Gl a va To ur
M o n day — G ir o d’It alia — Rás
tu e sday —G ir o d’It alia —Rás
w e d n e sday —Gir o d’I talia —R ás
t h ursday —Gir o d’I talia —R ás
the gir o this week
f riday —Gir o d’I talia —R ás
S AT U R D AY —Gir o d’I talia —R ás
su n day —Gi r o d ’ I t a l i a —R á s
team sky at the gir o
We d n es d ay | S TA G E 1 7 | 2 1 4 k m Caravaggio Vicenza
Perhaps the last chance for the sprinters, as the final climb is small. Vicenza is home to Campagnolo. T hu r s d ay | S TA G E 1 8 | 2 0 . 6 k m Mori Polsa
The cruellest of stages: a short, uphill race against the clock that will deplete the legs before two big days in the mountains. Fr id ay | S TA G E 1 9 | 1 39 k m Ponte di Legno Val Martello
Two legendary climbs, the Gavia and the Stelvio, plus a summit finish – the Rapha Cycle Clubs are the places to be today. S a tu r d ay | S TA G E 2 0 | 2 0 3k m Silandro Tre Cime de Lavaredo
A third day of high mountains, a third uphill finish. A vicious final test of the gc contenders’ ability to defy gravity. S un d ay | S TA G E 2 1 | 1 9 7 k m Riese Pio Brescia
A long final procession for whoever has survived the mountains best and taken the maglia rosa to Brescia. viking of the month
Boasson Hagen’s Home Win Congratulations to Team Sky’s Edvald Boasson Hagen, who stood on the podium for four of the five Glava Tour stages, and took home from Norway both the overall yellow and the ‘super sprint’ green jersey. Boasson Hagen, the Norwegian national champion, had to settle for fourth place on his birthday (in stage three), but moved definitively into the race lead after winning stage 4. Alexander Kristoff of Katusha, had been leading up to that point, and it took a concerted team effort on the 198km-long Queen Stage to take the yellow jersey. It was Boasson Hagen and Team Sky’s second consecutive Glava Tour victory.
Urán’s the Man As the peloton briefly exits the mountains today, Wednesday, Team Sky will be focused on racing the rest of the Giro without Sir Bradley Wiggins. “As a team, we manage the medical aspect of our operation particularly well,” Team Principal Sir Dave Brailsford said. “We very rarely have riders who drop out of races due to illness. However, given the severity of the conditions, and the much larger proportion of the peloton than normal that are ill, unfortunately on this occasion there was nothing we could do.” Instead of working for Bradley, they will be concentrating on keeping Rigoberto Urán in contention for a podium spot. “Nine became eight in the peloton but the team quickly rallied around Rigoberto,” said Sports Director Marcus Ljungqvist, as the team departed Bussetto for stage 13, the morning Wiggins announced he was withdrawing from the race with a chest infection. Urán had showed himself in stage 10, winning impressively on the Giro’s first summit finish as an already ailing Wiggins suffered but hung on. “You could argue we hit the front too early and burnt a few of our matches there but you have to take chances and you have to be prepared to try and make things happen,” Ljungqvist said of that stage. The rest day has given the team a chance to regroup, and with Urán showing remarkable resilience in the bad conditions, making it safely to the finish in the shortened Galibier stage, there is still everything to play for. The weather will continue to play a part. Despite his grit, Urán will be hoping that it relents and no more mountain stages will be cut short. After all, it is on the climbs that he has shown his competitive edge, while Nibali, in contrast, has looked isolated. The hat-trick of stages starting with the 20.6km uphill time trial on Thursday are key; prosper when the road turns to the sky and Urán might forge his legend on the Stelvio, Gavia and Tre Cime de Lavaredo, some of the Giro’s most legendary climbs. All Rapha Cycle Clubs will be screening coverage of the remaining stages of the Giro.
rain capes are italian #prostyle