Formolo wins solo on stage 4 of the Giro, Clarke takes the overall lead

by Matt de Neef

May 13, 2015

Photography by Cor Vos

Supported byWiggle

Davide Formolo (Cannondale-Garmin) has taken the biggest victory of his young career, winning stage 4 of the 2015 Giro d’Italia after a solo move from the lead group in the closing kilometres.

The 22-year-old Italian attacked just before the day’s final ascent, with 14km left to race, and was able to hold off an elite chase group to win by 22 seconds.

Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEdge) won the small bunch sprint for second place, moving into the overall lead in the process, while Jonathan Montsalve (Southeast) rounded out the podium.

Simon Clarke now in the overall lead, but looks to have mistakenly celebrated the stage win without knowing Formolo was up the road.

“The final 500m were absolutely incredible. The noise of the crowd made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck,” Formolo said after the stage. “I only knew I’d won the stage 100m from the finish line.”

The stage didn’t look particularly challenging on paper but a handful of tough uncategorised climbs and an impressive display of strength from Astana saw the race torn apart.

Formolo had been part of a 29-rider escape group that led the peloton by nearly 10 minutes at one point, the lead and the size of the lead group gradually being whittled down throughout the stage. Formolo’s move came from a group of 14 riders, the young Italian able to hold off the chase group and the peloton to register Cannondale-Garmin’s first WorldTour win of the season.

How it unfolded

Another beautiful day awaited the riders as they began stage 4 in Chiavari with 150km and three categorised climbs ahead of them. The famous Cinque Terre region would provide a stunning backdrop for the race which took the riders in a south-easterly direction towards La Spezia.

The first of the day’s categorised climbs, a third-category ascent to Colle de Velva, awaited the peloton inside the first 15km of the stage, with several riders trying to forge clear and establish the day-long breakaway. Over the course of the 14.2km climb, a large lead group began to form, its size fluctuating as the climb wore on.

Eduardo Zardini (Bardiani-CSF) broke clear of the still-forming lead group near the top of the climb, in search of KOM points, and was joined over the top by Franco Pelizotti (Androni Giocattoli) as an increasingly large chase group massed between them and the peloton.

Pelizotti and Zardini were soon caught by the chasing group and by the time the riders were inside the final 100km of the stage, there were 16 riders at the head of the race nearly 10 minutes clear of the peloton.

Astana’s Dario Cataldo bridged to the lead group a short time later and on the slopes of the uncategorised 8km climb to the Passo del Bracco another chase group made contact with the front of the race. With 81 lumpy kilometres left to race, the race was being led by a group some 29 riders strong, among them Davide Formolo, Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEdge), Roman Kreuziger (Tinkoff-Saxo) and Franco Pellizotti (Androni Giocattoli).

Despite having the dangerous Kreuziger in the lead group, Tinkoff-Saxo did much of the chasing in the peloton, reducing the deficit to inside nine minutes by the time the bunch reached the Passo del Bracco, halfway through the race.

The size of the lead group ensured little cooperation at the front of the race and attacks came frequently. This aggression, combined with the challenging terrain, saw roughly 10 riders dropped from the large lead group before Amael Moinard (BMC) split the race further, attacking just before the long descent to Levanto. This move prompted a chase from Sonny Colbrelli (Bardiani-CSF), Martijn Kezer (LottoNL-Jumbo), Chad Haga (Giant-Alpecin) and Giovanni Visconti (Movistar).

At the intermediate sprint point in Levanto, Colbrelli took maximum points, followed by Keizer and Moinard, before the road tilted upwards into the second categorised climb of the day.

That climb of the Passo del Termine — a 10km ascent at an average of 6% — saw the formation of a seven-rider lead group from the remnants of the large, earlier breakaway: Andrey Zeits (Astana), Colbrelli, Moinard, Andrey Amador (Movistar), Salvatore Puccio (Sky), Maxime Monfort (Lotto Soudal) and Davide Formolo.

Back in the peloton, Astana had come to the front to increase the tempo, their efforts bringing the seven leaders’ advantage to inside eight minutes and thinning the peloton down to just 19 riders. Of those 19, five were from Astana (including GC favourite Fabio Aru) while Tinkoff-Saxo’s Alberto Contador only had one teammate (Michael Rogers) and Sky’s Richie Porte only had two teammates for company. Rigoberto Uran, meanwhile, was all alone, left without any of his Etixx-Quick-Step teammates in the reduced peloton.

Overnight leader Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEdge) was one of many riders unable to match the pace of Astana and dropped out of contention, his time in the maglia rosa coming to an end.

After Sonny Colbrelli was dropped from the seven-rider lead group, Davide Formolo was the first of the six leaders over the Passo del Termine — with just inside 50km to race — followed by Amador and Puccio. A chase group containing Roman Kreuziger and Simon Clarke followed 26 seconds behind the six leaders, while the Astana-led “peloton” crested the Passo del Termine just 5:53 behind the lead group.

The six leaders were caught by the chasers with 40km remaining, creating another big group at the head of affairs. On one of the stage’s many unclassified climbs, with roughly 35km to go, Jonathan Monsalve (Southeast) jumped clear of the lead group building a slim advantage. The hard chasing of Astana, meanwhile, reduced the 19-rider peloton’s deficit to just 4:20 with 32km left to race.

Monsalve was brought back into a lead group of 14 riders with 30km to go and behind him Astana continued to do significant damage. The gap was down to 2:40 with 25.5km to the finish and Astana’s numerical advantage in the peloton only improved when Andrey Zeits dropped back from the lead group to help the chase, making it six Astana riders in a peloton of just 20.

The gap was down inside two minutes with 17km left to race and the difference in intensity between the lead group and the Astana-led peloton was easy to see. The leaders looked content to wait for the final climb while Astana continued to drive the pace, a catch appearing imminent.

The leaders crossed the finish line with 15.4km to go, beginning the start of a local lap around La Spezia. David Formolo broke clear of the lead group with 14km to go, just before the start of the 3.4km-long final climb. He was followed a short time later by Giovanni Visconti (Movistar) and Amael Moinard.

Back in the main field Astana continued to drive the pace, albeit with a reduced contingent of four riders, before Fabio Aru put in the first attack from a GC contender so far in this year’s Giro.

Aru’s move came with 10.8km remaining, on the slopes of the final climb to Biassa, and was quickly marked by fellow GC hopefuls Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) and Richie Porte (Sky). The trio reached and joined the remnants of the lead group with 10.5km to the finish while Formolo continued on alone at the front of the race, being followed by Visconti and Moinard.

Davide Formolo crested the final climb alone, with 9.9km left to race, with Visconti and Moinard reaching the summit 30 seconds later. A second chase group, containing Aru, Contador and Porte followed just 12 seconds later.

Formolo powered on alone, bombing the descent towards La Spezia as Visconti and Moinard were caught by the chasers with 5km to race. Simon Clarke, distanced on the climb, managed to claw his way back to the chase group on the descent.

With 4km to the line Formolo had just 30 seconds over the chasers and when the road flattened out with 2.5km to go, his lead was down to 21 seconds. But the baby-faced Italian was able to hold on for a stirring victory, by far the biggest of his young career.

In the nine-strong chase group, Simon Clarke timed his run to perfection, hitting the front just before the line and throwing his hands in the air in celebration. He would later say in a post-race interview that he knew Formolo was up the road, but his initial reaction seemed to suggest he didn’t.

Regardless, the result sees Clarke become the third Australian Orica-GreenEdge rider to wear the maglia rosa in four days. He is followed in the general classification by teammate Esteban Chaves (+10 seconds) and Tinkoff-Saxo’s Roman Kreuziger (+17 seconds). Alberto Contador, Fabio Aru and Richie Porte are all now in the top 10 on GC, with further changes almost certain on tomorrow’s stage.

Stage 5 of the 2015 Giro d’Italia takes the riders 152km from La Spezia to Abetone featuring two categorised climbs along the way. The second of those climbs is 17.3km long with an average gradient of 5.4% and takes the riders to the finish in Abetone — the first of the summit finishes at this year’s Giro.

Go to:  Stage 1 (TTT)  Stage 2  Stage 3  Stage 4 

Giro d'Italia

Stage 4

: Chiavari > La Spezia

Tuesday 12th May (2015)

Classification: 2.UWT

Category: Int. Men

Distance: 150km


Stage Result

1. it
FORMOLO Davide
Team Cannondale - Garmin
03:47:59
2. au
CLARKE Simon
Orica GreenEDGE
 0:22
3. ve
MONSALVE Yonathan
Southeast
 -
4. it
VISCONTI Giovanni
Movistar Team
 -
5. co
CHAVES RUBIO Johan Esteban
Orica GreenEDGE
 -
6. it
ARU Fabio
Astana Pro Team
 -
7. fr
MOINARD Amaël
BMC Racing Team
 -
8. it
CATALDO Dario
Astana Pro Team
 -
9. es
CONTADOR Alberto
Tinkoff - Saxo
 -
10. au
PORTE Richie
Team Sky
 -
11. by
SIUTSOU Kanstantsin
Team Sky
 -
12. co
ATAPUMA HURTADO John Darwin
BMC Racing Team
 -
13. cz
KREUZIGER Roman
Tinkoff - Saxo
 -
14. fr
GENIEZ Alexandre
FDJ
 1:04
15. it
COLBRELLI Sonny
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 -
16. cr
AMADOR Andrey
Movistar Team
 -
17. it
CARUSO Damiano
BMC Racing Team
 -
18. be
VAN DEN BROECK Jurgen
Lotto Soudal
 -
19. ru
TROFIMOV Yuri
Team Katusha
-
20. be
MONFORT Maxime
Lotto Soudal
 -
21. co
URAN Rigoberto
Etixx - Quick Step
 -
22. es
LANDA Mikel
Astana Pro Team
 -
23. cz
KöNIG Leopold
Team Sky
 -
24. it
CUNEGO Damiano
Nippo - Vini Fantini
1:22
25. es
NIEVE Mikel
Team Sky
 2:24
26. it
TIRALONGO Paolo
Astana Pro Team
 -
27. it
ROSA Diego
Astana Pro Team
 2:46
28. us
HAGA Chad
Team Giant - Alpecin
 2:56
29. pl
NIEMIEC Przemyslaw
Lampre - Merida
 -
30. it
PUCCIO Salvatore
Team Sky
 -
31. es
FERNáNDEZ Rubén
Movistar Team
 4:22
32. es
IZAGIRRE Ion
Movistar Team
 -
33. au
ROGERS Michael
Tinkoff - Saxo
 -
34. it
FINETTO Mauro
Southeast
 -
35. it
MONTAGUTI Matteo
AG2R La Mondiale
 4:56
36. ru
KOCHETKOV Pavel
Team Katusha
-
37. ca
HESJEDAL Ryder
Team Cannondale - Garmin
5:25
38. it
STORTONI Simone
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 -
39. kz
ZEITS Andrey
Astana Pro Team
 -
40. it
ZARDINI Edoardo
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 -
41. ee
KANGERT Tanel
Astana Pro Team
 -
42. nl
KRUIJSWIJK Steven
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 8:27
43. it
PELLIZOTTI Franco
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 -
44. us
DANIELSON Thomas
Team Cannondale - Garmin
-
45. fr
COURTEILLE Arnaud
FDJ
 8:34
46. et
GRMAY Tsgabu
Lampre - Merida
 -
47. es
INTXAUSTI Beñat
Movistar Team
 9:21
48. be
GILBERT Philippe
BMC Racing Team
 13:15
49. pt
CARDOSO André
Team Cannondale - Garmin
-
50. it
PIRAZZI Stefano
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 -
51. es
ANTON Igor
Movistar Team
 -
52. pl
SZMYD Sylwester
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
-
53. it
BONGIORNO Francesco Manuel
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 -
54. ch
REICHENBACH Sebastien
IAM Cycling
 -
55. co
BETANCUR Carlos
AG2R La Mondiale
 -
56. es
SANCHEZ Luis Leon
Astana Pro Team
 -
57. nl
KEIZER Martijn
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 -
58. us
BROWN Nathan
Team Cannondale - Garmin
17:21
59. fr
CHEVRIER Clément
IAM Cycling
 -
60. fr
DOMONT Axel
AG2R La Mondiale
 -
61. nl
CLEMENT Stef
IAM Cycling
 -
62. be
ARMéE Sander
Lotto Soudal
 -
63. co
HENAO GOMEZ Sebastián
Team Sky
 -
64. au
GERRANS Simon
Orica GreenEDGE
 -
65. it
ZILIOLI Gianfranco
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 -
66. it
GAVAZZI Francesco
Southeast
 -
67. fr
DUPONT Hubert
AG2R La Mondiale
 -
68. fr
ELISSONDE Kenny
FDJ
 -
69. it
SABATINI Fabio
Etixx - Quick Step
 -
70. fr
BOUET Maxime
Etixx - Quick Step
 17:23
71. it
BOARO Manuele
Tinkoff - Saxo
 -
72. ru
ROVNY Ivan
Tinkoff - Saxo
 -
73. ru
ZAKARIN Ilnur
Team Katusha
-
74. de
BURGHARDT Marcus
BMC Racing Team
 -
75. it
PAOLINI Luca
Team Katusha
-
76. si
POLANC Jan
Lampre - Merida
 -
77. it
MORI Manuele
Lampre - Merida
 -
78. it
ULISSI Diego
Lampre - Merida
 -
79. it
FELLINE Fabio
Trek Factory Racing
-
80. fr
ROUX Anthony
FDJ
 20:00
81. fr
CHAVANEL Sylvain
IAM Cycling
 -
82. fr
BéRARD Julien
AG2R La Mondiale
 -
83. jp
BEPPU Fumiyuki
Trek Factory Racing
-
84. nl
VAN DER LIJKE Nick
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 -
85. ch
KüNG Stefan
BMC Racing Team
 -
86. nl
TJALLINGII Maarten
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 -
87. it
PETACCHI Alessandro
Southeast
 -
88. pl
RUTKIEWICZ Marek
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
-
89. de
GRETSCH Patrick
AG2R La Mondiale
 -
90. it
VIVIANI Elia
Team Sky
 -
91. cz
VAKOC Petr
Etixx - Quick Step
 -
92. nl
LINDEMAN Bert-Jan
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 -
93. it
ALAFACI Eugenio
Trek Factory Racing
-
94. it
BASSO Ivan
Tinkoff - Saxo
 -
95. se
LUDVIGSSON Tobias
Team Giant - Alpecin
 -
96. by
KIRYIENKA Vasil
Team Sky
 -
97. it
TOSATTO Matteo
Tinkoff - Saxo
 -
98. pl
MARYCZ Jaroslaw
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
-
99. it
NOCENTINI Rinaldo
AG2R La Mondiale
 -
100. it
MARANGONI Alan
Team Cannondale - Garmin
-
101. nl
FLENS Rick
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 -
102. nl
HOFLAND Moreno
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 -
103. co
ACEVEDO CALLE Janier Alexis
Team Cannondale - Garmin
-
104. pt
PAULINHO Sérgio
Tinkoff - Saxo
 -
105. it
BERLATO Giacomo
Nippo - Vini Fantini
-
106. pl
OWSIAN Lukasz
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
-
107. be
BOONEN Tom
Etixx - Quick Step
 -
108. ch
DILLIER Silvan
BMC Racing Team
 -
109. it
BUSATO Matteo
Southeast
 -
110. co
QUINTANA Dayer
Movistar Team
 -
111. pl
PATERSKI Maciej
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
-
112. nl
STAMSNIJDER Tom
Team Giant - Alpecin
 -
113. cn
JI Cheng
Team Giant - Alpecin
 -
114. au
DURBRIDGE Luke
Orica GreenEDGE
 -
115. au
HAUSSLER Heinrich
IAM Cycling
 -
116. fr
PINEAU Cédric
FDJ
 -
117. fr
PINEAU Jérome
IAM Cycling
 -
118. be
KEISSE Iljo
Etixx - Quick Step
 -
119. at
EISEL Bernhard
Team Sky
 -
120. de
GESCHKE Simon
Team Giant - Alpecin
 -
121. us
BOOKWALTER Brent
BMC Racing Team
 -
122. es
HERRADA Jesús
Movistar Team
 -
123. by
SAMOILAU Branislau
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
-
124. si
BOLE Grega
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
-
125. es
DE LA CRUZ MELGAREJO David
Etixx - Quick Step
 -
126. ca
HOULE Hugo
AG2R La Mondiale
 -
127. it
FAVILLI Elia
Southeast
 -
128. cn
XU Gang
Lampre - Merida
 -
129. it
DE NEGRI Pier Paolo
Nippo - Vini Fantini
-
130. au
MATTHEWS Michael
Orica GreenEDGE
 -
131. it
BISOLTI Alessandro
Nippo - Vini Fantini
-
132. nz
HENDERSON Gregory
Lotto Soudal
 -
133. au
HANSEN Adam
Lotto Soudal
 -
134. ru
LAGUTIN Sergey
Team Katusha
-
135. au
LANCASTER Brett
Orica GreenEDGE
 -
136. it
CHIRICO Luca
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 -
137. ru
PORSEV Alexander
Team Katusha
-
138. nz
BEWLEY Sam
Orica GreenEDGE
 -
139. dk
BAK Lars Ytting
Lotto Soudal
 -
140. it
BATTAGLIN Enrico
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 -
141. it
BARBIN Enrico
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 -
142. ar
RICHEZE Ariel Maximiliano
Lampre - Merida
 -
143. fr
MOUREY Francis
FDJ
 -
144. it
FERRARI Roberto
Lampre - Merida
 -
145. dk
JUUL-JENSEN Christopher
Tinkoff - Saxo
 -
146. nl
WEENING Pieter
Orica GreenEDGE
 -
147. it
FRAPPORTI Marco
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 21:15
148. it
MODOLO Sacha
Lampre - Merida
 -
149. it
BANDIERA Marco
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 -
150. au
WATSON Calvin
Trek Factory Racing
-
151. al
ZHUPA Eugert
Southeast
 -
152. au
HEPBURN Michael
Orica GreenEDGE
 -
153. it
APPOLLONIO Davide
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 -
154. nl
VAN POPPEL Boy
Trek Factory Racing
-
155. be
BROECKX Stig
Lotto Soudal
 -
156. nl
SLAGTER Tom-Jelte
Team Cannondale - Garmin
-
157. it
BELLETTI Manuel
Southeast
 -
158. de
ARNDT Nikias
Team Giant - Alpecin
 -
159. it
NIZZOLO Giacomo
Trek Factory Racing
-
160. de
GREIPEL André
Lotto Soudal
 -
161. it
RUFFONI Nicola
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 -
162. de
ZABEL Rick
BMC Racing Team
 -
163. pt
SILVESTRE Fábio
Trek Factory Racing
-
164. es
LOBATO Juan José
Movistar Team
 -
165. ro
TVETCOV Serghei
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 -
166. it
DALL\'ANTONIA Tiziano
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 -
167. it
GATTO Oscar
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 -
168. it
MALAGUTI Alessandro
Nippo - Vini Fantini
-
169. it
STACCHIOTTI Riccardo
Nippo - Vini Fantini
-
170. it
COLLI Daniele
Nippo - Vini Fantini
-
171. be
VANDEWALLE Kristof
Trek Factory Racing
-
172. pl
MATYSIAK Bartłomiej
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
-
173. be
VERVAEKE Louis
Lotto Soudal
 -
174. br
FISCHER Murilo Antonio
FDJ
 -
175. fi
VEIKKANEN Jussi
FDJ
 -
176. bg
MIHAYLOV Nikolay
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
-
177. si
MEZGEC Luka
Team Giant - Alpecin
 -
178. be
DE BACKER Bert
Team Giant - Alpecin
 -
179. it
VILLELLA Davide
Team Cannondale - Garmin
-
180. ru
BELKOV Maxim
Team Katusha
-
181. ru
CHERNETCKII Sergei
Team Katusha
-
182. us
FAIRLY Caleb
Team Giant - Alpecin
 -
183. it
BOEM Nicola
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 -
184. de
KLUGE Roger
IAM Cycling
 -
185. it
PELUCCHI Matteo
IAM Cycling
 23:01
186. it
COLEDAN Marco
Trek Factory Racing
-
187. it
MALACARNE Davide
Astana Pro Team
 -
188. lv
SARAMOTINS Aleksejs
IAM Cycling
 -
189. fr
RéZA Kévin
FDJ
 -
190. ro
GROSU Eduard Michael
Nippo - Vini Fantini
-
191. jp
ISHIBASHI Manabu
Nippo - Vini Fantini
23:38
DNF. de
WAGNER Robert
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 -
DNF. be
MEERSMAN Gianni
Etixx - Quick Step
 -

General Classification

1. au
CLARKE Simon
Orica GreenEDGE
 11:54:48
2. co
CHAVES RUBIO Johan Esteban
Orica GreenEDGE
 0:10
3. cz
KREUZIGER Roman
Tinkoff - Saxo
 0:17
4. es
CONTADOR Alberto
Tinkoff - Saxo
 -
5. it
ARU Fabio
Astana Pro Team
 0:23
6. it
CATALDO Dario
Astana Pro Team
 -
7. it
VISCONTI Giovanni
Movistar Team
 0:29
8. fr
MOINARD Amaël
BMC Racing Team
 0:31
9. it
FORMOLO Davide
Team Cannondale - Garmin
-
10. au
PORTE Richie
Team Sky
 0:37
11. by
SIUTSOU Kanstantsin
Team Sky
 -
12. ve
MONSALVE Yonathan
Southeast
 0:57
13. es
LANDA Mikel
Astana Pro Team
 1:05
14. co
URAN Rigoberto
Etixx - Quick Step
 1:11
15. cr
AMADOR Andrey
Movistar Team
 1:13
16. it
CARUSO Damiano
BMC Racing Team
 1:17
17. fr
GENIEZ Alexandre
FDJ
 1:18
18. cz
KöNIG Leopold
Team Sky
 1:19
19. ru
TROFIMOV Yuri
Team Katusha
-
20. be
VAN DEN BROECK Jurgen
Lotto Soudal
 1:21
21. be
MONFORT Maxime
Lotto Soudal
 -
22. co
ATAPUMA HURTADO John Darwin
BMC Racing Team
 1:44
23. it
CUNEGO Damiano
Nippo - Vini Fantini
2:07
24. it
TIRALONGO Paolo
Astana Pro Team
 2:25
25. es
NIEVE Mikel
Team Sky
 2:39
26. it
ROSA Diego
Astana Pro Team
 2:47
27. au
ROGERS Michael
Tinkoff - Saxo
 4:17
28. es
IZAGIRRE Ion
Movistar Team
 4:31
29. pl
NIEMIEC Przemyslaw
Lampre - Merida
 4:52
30. ca
HESJEDAL Ryder
Team Cannondale - Garmin
6:06
31. it
FINETTO Mauro
Southeast
 6:23
32. ee
KANGERT Tanel
Astana Pro Team
 6:35
33. it
ZARDINI Edoardo
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 6:59
34. it
STORTONI Simone
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 7:25
35. ru
KOCHETKOV Pavel
Team Katusha
8:06
36. nl
KRUIJSWIJK Steven
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 8:51
37. es
INTXAUSTI Beñat
Movistar Team
 9:30
38. kz
ZEITS Andrey
Astana Pro Team
 10:09
39. it
MONTAGUTI Matteo
AG2R La Mondiale
 10:15
40. et
GRMAY Tsgabu
Lampre - Merida
 10:30
41. es
SANCHEZ Luis Leon
Astana Pro Team
 13:16
42. be
GILBERT Philippe
BMC Racing Team
 13:18
43. it
BONGIORNO Francesco Manuel
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 13:40
44. es
ANTON Igor
Movistar Team
 13:43
45. co
BETANCUR Carlos
AG2R La Mondiale
 13:51
46. pt
CARDOSO André
Team Cannondale - Garmin
13:56
47. ch
REICHENBACH Sebastien
IAM Cycling
 14:37
48. it
PIRAZZI Stefano
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 14:49
49. au
GERRANS Simon
Orica GreenEDGE
 17:09
50. fr
BOUET Maxime
Etixx - Quick Step
 17:30
51. nl
CLEMENT Stef
IAM Cycling
 17:34
52. it
FELLINE Fabio
Trek Factory Racing
-
53. fr
ELISSONDE Kenny
FDJ
 17:35
54. it
PAOLINI Luca
Team Katusha
17:38
55. ru
ZAKARIN Ilnur
Team Katusha
-
56. it
PUCCIO Salvatore
Team Sky
 17:57
57. it
GAVAZZI Francesco
Southeast
 18:01
58. si
POLANC Jan
Lampre - Merida
 19:19
59. it
ULISSI Diego
Lampre - Merida
 -
60. it
PELLIZOTTI Franco
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 19:23
61. au
MATTHEWS Michael
Orica GreenEDGE
 19:38
62. es
FERNáNDEZ Rubén
Movistar Team
 19:47
63. us
BOOKWALTER Brent
BMC Racing Team
 20:13
64. fr
MOUREY Francis
FDJ
 20:14
65. it
BATTAGLIN Enrico
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 20:25
66. si
BOLE Grega
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
20:33
67. pl
PATERSKI Maciej
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
-
68. it
BASSO Ivan
Tinkoff - Saxo
 21:00
69. es
HERRADA Jesús
Movistar Team
 21:18
70. ru
LAGUTIN Sergey
Team Katusha
21:24
71. it
BOARO Manuele
Tinkoff - Saxo
 21:26
72. ch
DILLIER Silvan
BMC Racing Team
 21:32
73. by
SAMOILAU Branislau
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
21:42
74. nl
SLAGTER Tom-Jelte
Team Cannondale - Garmin
21:56
75. au
HANSEN Adam
Lotto Soudal
 22:45
76. pl
SZMYD Sylwester
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
23:32
77. nl
KEIZER Martijn
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 23:42
78. it
FAVILLI Elia
Southeast
 24:25
79. es
DE LA CRUZ MELGAREJO David
Etixx - Quick Step
 24:30
80. it
COLBRELLI Sonny
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 24:47
81. de
BURGHARDT Marcus
BMC Racing Team
 26:11
82. us
HAGA Chad
Team Giant - Alpecin
 26:20
83. it
VILLELLA Davide
Team Cannondale - Garmin
26:39
84. ru
ROVNY Ivan
Tinkoff - Saxo
 27:23
85. pt
PAULINHO Sérgio
Tinkoff - Saxo
 27:29
86. co
HENAO GOMEZ Sebastián
Team Sky
 27:41
87. nl
WEENING Pieter
Orica GreenEDGE
 27:49
88. fr
DUPONT Hubert
AG2R La Mondiale
 28:00
89. us
DANIELSON Thomas
Team Cannondale - Garmin
28:13
90. fr
CHEVRIER Clément
IAM Cycling
 29:06
91. it
MORI Manuele
Lampre - Merida
 29:24
92. it
BARBIN Enrico
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 30:09
93. by
KIRYIENKA Vasil
Team Sky
 30:20
94. be
ARMéE Sander
Lotto Soudal
 30:24
95. it
BELLETTI Manuel
Southeast
 30:30
96. it
SABATINI Fabio
Etixx - Quick Step
 31:03
97. us
BROWN Nathan
Team Cannondale - Garmin
31:27
98. it
ZILIOLI Gianfranco
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 32:42
99. it
VIVIANI Elia
Team Sky
 34:12
100. de
GRETSCH Patrick
AG2R La Mondiale
 34:43
101. it
PETACCHI Alessandro
Southeast
 34:47
102. it
DE NEGRI Pier Paolo
Nippo - Vini Fantini
34:52
103. ch
KüNG Stefan
BMC Racing Team
 35:04
104. fr
COURTEILLE Arnaud
FDJ
 35:10
105. se
LUDVIGSSON Tobias
Team Giant - Alpecin
 35:11
106. it
NIZZOLO Giacomo
Trek Factory Racing
35:39
107. de
GESCHKE Simon
Team Giant - Alpecin
 35:42
108. it
BISOLTI Alessandro
Nippo - Vini Fantini
36:01
109. it
COLLI Daniele
Nippo - Vini Fantini
36:07
110. it
APPOLLONIO Davide
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 36:13
111. br
FISCHER Murilo Antonio
FDJ
 36:45
112. be
VANDEWALLE Kristof
Trek Factory Racing
37:00
113. jp
BEPPU Fumiyuki
Trek Factory Racing
37:15
114. it
TOSATTO Matteo
Tinkoff - Saxo
 37:21
115. be
BOONEN Tom
Etixx - Quick Step
 37:25
116. fr
CHAVANEL Sylvain
IAM Cycling
 37:35
117. nl
HOFLAND Moreno
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 37:36
118. it
CHIRICO Luca
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 37:47
119. au
DURBRIDGE Luke
Orica GreenEDGE
 38:10
120. bg
MIHAYLOV Nikolay
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
38:15
121. it
MARANGONI Alan
Team Cannondale - Garmin
38:20
122. dk
JUUL-JENSEN Christopher
Tinkoff - Saxo
 38:45
123. de
GREIPEL André
Lotto Soudal
 38:46
124. nz
BEWLEY Sam
Orica GreenEDGE
 39:21
125. it
NOCENTINI Rinaldo
AG2R La Mondiale
 39:26
126. ca
HOULE Hugo
AG2R La Mondiale
 -
127. ar
RICHEZE Ariel Maximiliano
Lampre - Merida
 39:38
128. pl
OWSIAN Lukasz
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
39:44
129. au
LANCASTER Brett
Orica GreenEDGE
 39:52
130. it
ALAFACI Eugenio
Trek Factory Racing
39:58
131. es
LOBATO Juan José
Movistar Team
 40:14
132. fr
DOMONT Axel
AG2R La Mondiale
 40:18
133. au
HAUSSLER Heinrich
IAM Cycling
 40:29
134. ru
BELKOV Maxim
Team Katusha
41:52
135. at
EISEL Bernhard
Team Sky
 42:05
136. dk
BAK Lars Ytting
Lotto Soudal
 42:06
137. nl
TJALLINGII Maarten
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 42:15
138. ru
PORSEV Alexander
Team Katusha
42:27
139. fr
PINEAU Cédric
FDJ
 42:39
140. pl
RUTKIEWICZ Marek
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
42:45
141. it
BERLATO Giacomo
Nippo - Vini Fantini
42:46
142. pl
MARYCZ Jaroslaw
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
43:00
143. it
FRAPPORTI Marco
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 43:01
144. it
BUSATO Matteo
Southeast
 43:27
145. nz
HENDERSON Gregory
Lotto Soudal
 43:50
146. it
RUFFONI Nicola
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 43:52
147. pl
MATYSIAK Bartłomiej
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
44:00
148. si
MEZGEC Luka
Team Giant - Alpecin
 44:04
149. be
BROECKX Stig
Lotto Soudal
 44:05
150. pt
SILVESTRE Fábio
Trek Factory Racing
44:11
151. it
FERRARI Roberto
Lampre - Merida
 44:23
152. nl
LINDEMAN Bert-Jan
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 44:29
153. nl
VAN POPPEL Boy
Trek Factory Racing
44:30
154. de
ARNDT Nikias
Team Giant - Alpecin
 44:43
155. de
ZABEL Rick
BMC Racing Team
 44:49
156. cz
VAKOC Petr
Etixx - Quick Step
 45:07
157. it
MALACARNE Davide
Astana Pro Team
 45:14
158. fr
RéZA Kévin
FDJ
 45:27
159. nl
VAN DER LIJKE Nick
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 45:51
160. co
ACEVEDO CALLE Janier Alexis
Team Cannondale - Garmin
46:08
161. fr
BéRARD Julien
AG2R La Mondiale
 46:14
162. cn
XU Gang
Lampre - Merida
 46:30
163. it
BANDIERA Marco
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 46:37
164. fr
ROUX Anthony
FDJ
 46:59
165. it
MODOLO Sacha
Lampre - Merida
 47:01
166. nl
FLENS Rick
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 47:19
167. us
FAIRLY Caleb
Team Giant - Alpecin
 -
168. co
QUINTANA Dayer
Movistar Team
 47:21
169. it
MALAGUTI Alessandro
Nippo - Vini Fantini
47:27
170. it
STACCHIOTTI Riccardo
Nippo - Vini Fantini
-
171. fr
PINEAU Jérome
IAM Cycling
 47:41
172. au
WATSON Calvin
Trek Factory Racing
47:42
173. be
VERVAEKE Louis
Lotto Soudal
 48:04
174. be
KEISSE Iljo
Etixx - Quick Step
 48:43
175. it
GATTO Oscar
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 48:51
176. nl
STAMSNIJDER Tom
Team Giant - Alpecin
 49:00
177. ro
TVETCOV Serghei
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 49:01
178. cn
JI Cheng
Team Giant - Alpecin
 49:06
179. be
DE BACKER Bert
Team Giant - Alpecin
 49:08
180. ru
CHERNETCKII Sergei
Team Katusha
50:01
181. al
ZHUPA Eugert
Southeast
 50:24
182. ro
GROSU Eduard Michael
Nippo - Vini Fantini
50:53
183. it
BOEM Nicola
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 55:12
184. au
HEPBURN Michael
Orica GreenEDGE
 55:54
185. fi
VEIKKANEN Jussi
FDJ
 56:44
186. it
DALL\'ANTONIA Tiziano
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 56:57
187. de
KLUGE Roger
IAM Cycling
 57:52
188. it
COLEDAN Marco
Trek Factory Racing
1:06:16
189. jp
ISHIBASHI Manabu
Nippo - Vini Fantini
1:07:01
190. lv
SARAMOTINS Aleksejs
IAM Cycling
 1:07:17
191. it
PELUCCHI Matteo
IAM Cycling
 1:09:37

Mountains Classification

1. ru
KOCHETKOV Pavel
Team Katusha
15
2. it
FORMOLO Davide
Team Cannondale - Garmin
14
3. it
ZARDINI Edoardo
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 14
4. it
ULISSI Diego
Lampre - Merida
 12
5. co
CHAVES RUBIO Johan Esteban
Orica GreenEDGE
 6
6. it
VISCONTI Giovanni
Movistar Team
 6
7. es
HERRADA Jesús
Movistar Team
 6
8. cr
AMADOR Andrey
Movistar Team
 5
9. it
PELLIZOTTI Franco
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 4
10. nl
LINDEMAN Bert-Jan
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 3
11. fr
MOINARD Amaël
BMC Racing Team
 2
12. be
GILBERT Philippe
BMC Racing Team
 2
13. it
PUCCIO Salvatore
Team Sky
 2
14. pl
OWSIAN Lukasz
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
2
15. it
CATALDO Dario
Astana Pro Team
 1
16. kz
ZEITS Andrey
Astana Pro Team
 1
17. it
GAVAZZI Francesco
Southeast
 1
18. au
HANSEN Adam
Lotto Soudal
 1
19. it
BERLATO Giacomo
Nippo - Vini Fantini
1
20. nl
WEENING Pieter
Orica GreenEDGE
 1

Points Classification

1. it
VIVIANI Elia
Team Sky
 53
2. it
FRAPPORTI Marco
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 40
3. nl
HOFLAND Moreno
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 35
4. it
FORMOLO Davide
Team Cannondale - Garmin
26
5. be
GILBERT Philippe
BMC Racing Team
 26
6. au
CLARKE Simon
Orica GreenEDGE
 26
7. au
MATTHEWS Michael
Orica GreenEDGE
 25
8. de
GREIPEL André
Lotto Soudal
 25
9. al
ZHUPA Eugert
Southeast
 20
10. nl
LINDEMAN Bert-Jan
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 20
11. si
MEZGEC Luka
Team Giant - Alpecin
 18
12. fr
MOINARD Amaël
BMC Racing Team
 17
13. it
NIZZOLO Giacomo
Trek Factory Racing
17
14. ve
MONSALVE Yonathan
Southeast
 16
15. it
VISCONTI Giovanni
Movistar Team
 14
16. it
PETACCHI Alessandro
Southeast
 14
17. it
TIRALONGO Paolo
Astana Pro Team
 12
18. it
FELLINE Fabio
Trek Factory Racing
12
19. it
COLBRELLI Sonny
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 10
20. pl
OWSIAN Lukasz
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
10
21. it
BERLATO Giacomo
Nippo - Vini Fantini
10
22. it
ARU Fabio
Astana Pro Team
 9
23. it
APPOLLONIO Davide
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 8
24. it
COLLI Daniele
Nippo - Vini Fantini
7
25. ru
LAGUTIN Sergey
Team Katusha
7
26. co
CHAVES RUBIO Johan Esteban
Orica GreenEDGE
 6
27. nl
KEIZER Martijn
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 6
28. si
BOLE Grega
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
5
29. it
PAOLINI Luca
Team Katusha
5
30. it
GAVAZZI Francesco
Southeast
 4
31. cz
KREUZIGER Roman
Tinkoff - Saxo
 3
32. it
CATALDO Dario
Astana Pro Team
 3
33. it
BATTAGLIN Enrico
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 3
34. es
CONTADOR Alberto
Tinkoff - Saxo
 2
35. nl
VAN POPPEL Boy
Trek Factory Racing
2
36. ch
DILLIER Silvan
BMC Racing Team
 2
37. pl
MATYSIAK Bartłomiej
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
2
38. es
SANCHEZ Luis Leon
Astana Pro Team
 2
39. it
MONTAGUTI Matteo
AG2R La Mondiale
 2
40. us
HAGA Chad
Team Giant - Alpecin
 2
41. au
PORTE Richie
Team Sky
 1
42. ru
PORSEV Alexander
Team Katusha
1
43. cr
AMADOR Andrey
Movistar Team
 1
44. it
COLEDAN Marco
Trek Factory Racing
1

Youth Classification

1. co
CHAVES RUBIO Johan Esteban
Orica GreenEDGE
 11:54:58
2. it
ARU Fabio
Astana Pro Team
 0:13
3. it
FORMOLO Davide
Team Cannondale - Garmin
0:21
4. et
GRMAY Tsgabu
Lampre - Merida
 10:20
5. it
BONGIORNO Francesco Manuel
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 13:30
6. it
FELLINE Fabio
Trek Factory Racing
17:24
7. fr
ELISSONDE Kenny
FDJ
 17:25
8. si
POLANC Jan
Lampre - Merida
 19:09
9. au
MATTHEWS Michael
Orica GreenEDGE
 19:28
10. es
FERNáNDEZ Rubén
Movistar Team
 19:37
11. es
HERRADA Jesús
Movistar Team
 21:08
12. ch
DILLIER Silvan
BMC Racing Team
 21:22
13. it
COLBRELLI Sonny
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 24:37
14. it
VILLELLA Davide
Team Cannondale - Garmin
26:29
15. co
HENAO GOMEZ Sebastián
Team Sky
 27:31
16. fr
CHEVRIER Clément
IAM Cycling
 28:56
17. it
BARBIN Enrico
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 29:59
18. us
BROWN Nathan
Team Cannondale - Garmin
31:17
19. it
ZILIOLI Gianfranco
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 32:32
20. ch
KüNG Stefan
BMC Racing Team
 34:54
21. se
LUDVIGSSON Tobias
Team Giant - Alpecin
 35:01
22. nl
HOFLAND Moreno
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 37:26
23. it
CHIRICO Luca
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 37:37
24. au
DURBRIDGE Luke
Orica GreenEDGE
 38:00
25. ca
HOULE Hugo
AG2R La Mondiale
 39:16
26. pl
OWSIAN Lukasz
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
39:34
27. it
ALAFACI Eugenio
Trek Factory Racing
39:48
28. fr
DOMONT Axel
AG2R La Mondiale
 40:08
29. it
BERLATO Giacomo
Nippo - Vini Fantini
42:36
30. it
RUFFONI Nicola
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 43:42
31. be
BROECKX Stig
Lotto Soudal
 43:55
32. pt
SILVESTRE Fábio
Trek Factory Racing
44:01
33. de
ARNDT Nikias
Team Giant - Alpecin
 44:33
34. de
ZABEL Rick
BMC Racing Team
 44:39
35. cz
VAKOC Petr
Etixx - Quick Step
 44:57
36. nl
VAN DER LIJKE Nick
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 45:41
37. co
QUINTANA Dayer
Movistar Team
 47:11
38. it
STACCHIOTTI Riccardo
Nippo - Vini Fantini
47:17
39. au
WATSON Calvin
Trek Factory Racing
47:32
40. be
VERVAEKE Louis
Lotto Soudal
 47:54
41. ru
CHERNETCKII Sergei
Team Katusha
49:51
42. al
ZHUPA Eugert
Southeast
 50:14
43. ro
GROSU Eduard Michael
Nippo - Vini Fantini
50:43
44. au
HEPBURN Michael
Orica GreenEDGE
 55:44
45. jp
ISHIBASHI Manabu
Nippo - Vini Fantini
1:06:51

Teams Classification

1.
Astana Pro Team
 35:06:57
2.
BMC Racing Team
 0:12
3.
Team Sky
 0:14
4.
Tinkoff - Saxo
 3:12
5.
Movistar Team
 4:08
6.
Team Cannondale - Garmin
12:44
7.
Orica GreenEDGE
 16:04
8.
Lotto Soudal
 17:57
9.
Bardiani - CSF Pro Team
 18:20
10.
Southeast
 20:56
11.
Team Katusha
21:49
12.
FDJ
 25:24
13.
Lampre - Merida
 29:35
14.
Etixx - Quick Step
 34:06
15.
AG2R La Mondiale
 44:03
16.
CCC Sprandi Polkowice
51:59
17.
Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec
 54:48
18.
IAM Cycling
 57:14
19.
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
 1:07:40
20.
Nippo - Vini Fantini
1:08:32
21.
Trek Factory Racing
1:24:05
22.
Team Giant - Alpecin
 1:33:12
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Tags: , ,
  • Winky

    Simon Clark would have endeared himself more to me if he’d been honest…”Yeah, that’s a bit embarrassing, isn’t it? I really thought I had the win. I didn’t realise Formolo was still up the road until Visconti told me! But still, it gives everyone something to laugh about. Great ride by Formolo today”.

    Instead he was unconvincing with “…of course I knew he was up the road. I was celebrating the pink jersey”.

    I mean, why lie?

    • http://www.cyclingTips.com.au/ Wade Wallace

      Looking at the body language tells all…

      • alexroseinnes

        yip, he should have owned it

        • Whippet

          I agree that he should have owned it. Also, it would be nice to get back to the old school notion of not claiming it. Victories are best celebrated with the teammates that helped put you across the line first.

    • Nath

      So winning the leader’s jersey isn’t worth celebrating? I don’t know if he is lying or not, and neither do you, but given Formolo was going solo for some time it seems quite unlikely that Clarke’s DS wasn’t in his ear letting him know the race situation, or that Chavez didn’t tell him. I love how people think they know everything based on some television footage. Just be happy for the guy and enjoy the race.

      • Winky

        I enjoyed the race very much. Sure, I should/could have prefaced my comment with “If he really didn’t know Formolo was in front……”.

        But I’m also of the view that as I effectively pay Clark’s salary when I buy the sponsors’ products, and that he gets paid to ride a bike precisely because people like me want to watch him do it, I get to call this stuff out. If he wants unquestioning adulation, he’s in the wrong game as a professional sportsman. If he takes this stuff seriously, or if I’ve hurt his feelings, he should perhaps consider another career.

    • http://www.cyclingTips.com.au/ Wade Wallace

      The body language tells all…

      • Winky

        Agreed. I watched it a few times, and that sure looks like disappointment to me after Visconti’s comment and gesture.

      • Dave

        Pretty clear.

        When he looks back on it later, he’ll definitely be more embarrassed by his inability to have a laugh at himself than the act of celebrating a stage win.

        Besides, everyone loves laughing at a good second place celebration - it’s the best reason that two-way radio should be banned from racing!

      • Dave

        And it turns out it wasn’t even the first time for Orica - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV3pD3wssJQ

      • Jessy Vee

        When he bridged back across to the chasing group, his shoulders were slumped in relief, and then he held it together until the end. If someone tapped me on the back and spoke to me, I’d turn and listen… But maybe his hands on his head could also be read as ‘I can’t believe I did it. I can’t believe the stage is over’, and the head turn to find Chavez and celebrate together. He could barely hold in the emotion in his post-race interview - his voice wavering with every word. I guess we’ll never know the truth ;)

    • a different ben

      I’d be surprised he didn’t know — they were in the same finishing straight, he would have had sight of Formolo. Look at the top photo.

      • Dave

        Lots of cars and motos in the gap though.

      • http://www.cyclingTips.com.au/ Wade Wallace

        Those TV camera lenses at the finish line can hugely compress the image to make it look like riders are very close behind.

        • a different ben

          Fair point, the time gap was 22s, and at full pace that’s about 350m.

          • Dave

            And Clarke was also in the group and almost getting boxed in until the last few moments, not leading it with a view ahead.

            He wouldn’t have been getting a play-by-play over the radio, even if they did have a live video stream in the team car they would hopefully avoid yakking in the riders’ ears during a sprint.

  • SLH

    If I was Simon Clarke, I’d have celebrated in an even bigger way than he did. No one deserves the success more than him. Most under recognised talent in Australian cycling and has been for years. The ultimate all rounder and the ultimate professional.

    • Paolo

      ?? What are Evans or Gerrans in you book if Clarke is the ultimate alrounder? Good rider, yes, but ….made himself look silly with the “i knew he was in front” comment.

      • SLH

        I think you’re missing my point Paolo. I’m not saying that Gerrans/Evans etc aren’t - they don’t execute that role as team leaders. Clarke is the ultimate team man, and can do whatever it takes to get the job done. He’s excelled on the track, KOM at the Vuelta, can sprint and can TT. He’s more than good. It’s a shame that his raw emotion displayed on the line seems to be overshadowing the achievement of the day

      • Michele

        Clarke is the ultimate professional.

        The effort he put in for Matthews at this year’s Amstel Gold is a perfect example [one of just many]. He’s ordered to follow a late attack in the race; that attack fizzles out [Nibbles got the sooks], and so Clarke attacks solo, giving the peloton something to chase.

        He buries himself, gets caught with 8 kms to go, catches his breath for all of 5 minutes then goes straight back onto the front of the peloton to keep the pace as high as possible and to ensure Matthews is in pole position for the final drag up the Cauberg.

        A selfless rider if ever there was one.

        And can I add there is no correlation between how good a rider is by how they ‘celebrate’ as they cross a finish line. Need evidence of this? Just go check out Evans himself :)

  • Wuz

    I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel about Aru, can anyone help me out here? He’s done bugger-all in the lead-up yet seems strong enough to lead the attack that shook up the GC, plus Astana/Henderson and all that. I guess we just have to wait and see and hope he’s not in the mix in the final weeks so it’s no longer an issue, but I dunno, I feel uneasy.

    • sli1

      I’m with Wuz. He was meant to be sick in the lead up. It would seem there is something so obvious within he peloton that Henderson felt he could tweet openly about it. If Aru is in the mix at the end its great for Italy, however many onlookers (myself included) will be sceptical.

      Agree that Clarke should have fessed up. I’m guessing a couple of hours later he probably thought he could have handled better.

      • Dave

        Hendo didn’t tweet openly about it though, he chickened out and made a “mistake” with Aru’s user name.

        If he ACTUALLY knew, he would have stood by it like a man.

        • http://www.cyclingTips.com.au/ Wade Wallace

          When legal repercussions are threatened and he’s got a family to support in his last year in his career, would you think it’s worth it? I certainly would have taken the tweet down. Good on him for making a stand, even if it wasn’t the politically correct thing to do.

    • KAOS

      Not only Aru but the entire Astana team?? Distinct similarities to ‘He who shall not be named’ & Discovery Channel…

  • Chris Andrews

    It seemed like the timing with 2.5km to go was wrong - the TV display fluctuated wildly. Eyeballing it it seems like like Formolo had about 35 secs or so to go (after a GREAT descent) and didn’t start hurting/losing time till around 1.5km to go. What a stunning effort!

    • http://www.cyclingTips.com.au/ Wade Wallace

      Here is some background info on how time gaps are calculated for TV: http://cyclingtips.com.au/2012/06/how-time-gaps-are-calculated/

      • Dave

        There’s definitely also the issue that this race is (um, how to put this) *in Italy* as well.

        There is a Fiat dealer down the road from me, and the number of tow trucks I see there definitely goes to show the stereotype is rooted in truth.

        • Michele

          I love Italy; my favourite place to holiday. I’ve also got Italian in my blood.

          It’s the “Italian-ess” of the Giro that endears me to it. It’s not as polished as the TdF; it doesn’t pretend to be. Sometimes it feels like the organisers are making things up as they go along. Sometimes they literally are when it comes to snowcapped mountain climbs.

          My favourite ‘Italian’ moment so far has to the be the ‘fun fact’, or the ‘claim to fame’ regarding the coastal town of Voltri. Sure, the ASO likes to focus on showcasing some 13th century castle as the Tour de France rides past it.

          But not so in Italy ….

          • Dave

            Definitely. If you want TdF levels of order and organisation and precisely coordinated flypasts of old chateaux, you watch the TdF.

            The Giro is better for not being so professionally organised and for honouring racers rather than pedalling machines - but people need to be told that if they have only come into the sport from watching the Tour de France and they’re expecting a slick stage-managed production.

  • Daniel

    1. Must have been shenanigans with the time gaps on the coverage. Flying up and down way to quickly.

    2. Does anybody get the sense that Oleg Tinkoff declared before the race started that they were going to make a show of strength? What other possible explanation could there be for Tinkoff riding their guys into the ground (again) chasing a break with one of their own guys in it? The tactically sensible move would have been to let Astana burn their guys chasing or else risk giving Kreuziger a couple of minutes on GC. Seriously, is there any other rational explanation for Tinkoff trying to reign in the break last night?

    • Dave

      The time gaps are based on the GPS positions of the TV motorbikes.

      Lots of groups on the road, motorbikes switching between them and being marshalled around when gaps are closing means it will always be sloppy at the end of the more interesting stages.

      It will always be this way until they switch to using transponders on the actual race bikes and roadside beacons to update/correct the positioning.