all words by Mike Franchetti
Following the sudden rise of Tadej Pogacar and Egan Bernal, it feels like Astana’s Miguel Angel Lopez was “the next big thing” for all of five minutes. The buzz around Lopez did, in fact, last well over eighteen months; roughly starting mid-way through his breakout Vuelta Espana in 2017 and following him round during a
After Tom Dumoulin was forced out of the race – and with Simon Yates lacking a bit of everything – the 102nd Giro d’Italia was always going to hit a very different note to the one we had anticipated. Astana struggled to impose their depth of talent on the GC, crippled somewhat by the obvious
Congratulations to Damiano Cima! Today’s victory will be the highlight of his career – and he deserves it for the way he has approached the 102nd Giro d’Italia. Ackermann looked frustrated with the peloton’s inability to catch the runaway Italian but has deservedly wrestled the points jersey back from Arnaud Demare. The Just Profile A
I was right about one thing; Nibali, Landa, Carapaz and (just about) Lopez are the strongest climbers in this race. Yates is trying to back up his bark but is yet to deal any damage. Roglic’s on the edge of a blow up… can he survive until Verona? As a Nibali fan, I have obviously
Stage 13 was a good day for Primoz Roglic, a great day for Mikel Landa, and an even better one for stage winner Ilnur Zakarin. Meanwhile, we’re still waiting for insight into just how good the stealthy Vincenzo Nibali is feeling. More mountains tomorrow. The Just Profile An early category two climb guarantees another bold
One mountain was all it took to divide the GC favourites. Miguel Angel Lopez and Mikel Landa wriggled free on the Montoso; and held off the chasers by 28 seconds at the finish in Pinerolo. The popular Cesare Benedetti took a brilliant stage win as a mixture of unfamiliar names fought for stage honours. I’m
Tomorrow’s stage ends in Pinerolo, not too far from the Palazzo dei Principi d’Acaia. Near to the palace is the San Maurizio church known for it’s beautiful view of the nearby Alps. This is quite fitting as tomorrow’s Giro d’italia stage acts as the gateway for a long weekend of hard riding in the alps.
This Grand Tour reminds me of many from the turn of the century; lots and lots of sprinting followed by lots and lots of climbing. We’ll likely see the fastmen abandon one by one over the weekend with very little to look forward to when we leave Emilia-Romagna and head to Piedmont and beyond. Let’s
