Cycling

Sunday's showcase stage 15 of the Giro d'Italia has been shortened due to bad weather and snow in the Alps.

Italian emerges to win stage and move up to fourth at Giro d'Italia

Mauro Santambrogio matched Vincenzo Nibali's attack at the end of stage 14, and then rode to victory. Photo: Graham Watson | www.grahamwatson.comBARDONECCHIA, Italy (VN) — Mauro Santambrogio (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia) achieved his biggest career win Saturday in the Giro d’Italia’s cold run to Jafferau. The Italian from the Lake Como area, better known for his domestique work, attacked with overall leader Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) to conquer the 14th leg of the three-week race. “I still hasn’t sunk [in],” the chubby-faced Santambrogio said in a television interview. “But to get up on the podium with the fans cheering was great.” ‘Un accordo’ Unlike when Eddy Merckx tracked down and passed José Manuel Fuente in 1972, the only other time the race visited Jafferau, Santambrogio’s move bore fruit. Though he snapped up the 20-second bonus for the stage win, he helped Nibali gain time and a 12-second bonus on his GC rivals. The Italian duo seemed to have struck un accordo, Italian for “an agreement.” Vini Fantini, who had the director of its Fast Web sponsor in the team car following the pair, won its first Giro stage. Santambrogio captured his biggest win since Tre Valli Varesine in 2009. And Nibali, with his gesture, gained an important ally. “It would’ve been hard to follow him had he attacked me because he’s going well,” Santambrogio said. “I think he did well, he gained time and I won a stage.” Santambrogio also gained time on his rivals and jumped up from sixth to fourth in the GC. He now sits 2:47 behind Nibali and only one second behind Rigoberto Urán (Sky), who is third. Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) is second, 1:26 behind Nibali. “To be fourth in [the] GC is good, but I’m not really here for the GC,” Santambrogio said. “I came to win a stage, which I have now.” After years with Lampre and helping Evans at BMC, Santambrogio switched to Luca Scinto’s second division team for this season. He has raced hard since February to help the squad earn its Giro d’Italia and other wild card spots. His goal was a stage win — which he now has. Santambrogio and Vini Fantini have seemingly made a deal with Nibali, who is down a teammate after losing Alessandro Vanotti to a crash in stage 14. Paolo Tiralongo and Fabio Aru are recovering from earlier crashes in the race, which puts Nibali at the mercy of other teams’ attacks. Nibali’s squad is now running on Fantini wine. Not only can Nibali rely on Santambrogio, but also Danilo Di Luca and the entire neon-yellow team. This is how cycling works, although it should not detract from Santambrogio’s win. Out of the shadows Santambrogio responded when Urán and Androni Giocattoli teammates Diego Rosa and Franco Pellizotti attacked. He followed Nibali on the toughest section from 2km out. And he made the final selection, dropping Evans with 900 meters left. He led from 700 meters before the finish line, never once challenged by Nibali. He shook off his troubled past, which includes being named in the Mantova doping investigation, and could now ride into the top 3 in the GC. “I was lost because I was in strong teams like Lampre and BMC. Having big champions and captains like Evans meant that I was always working for others and couldn’t show my real value,” the 28-year-old said. “Now that I have my own chances I can show what I was capable of. “This [win] is thanks to [the team], which showed such belief in me. I’ve found myself again.”

Edvald Boasson Hagen pulled out a stunning performance on home ground to win stage four at the Tour of Norway and claim the race lead.

Sicilian extends lead over Evans and Uran

Following the order by the Valloire Prefecture, and taking note that – after 24 hours, following the assessment of the weather conditions – the Prefecture itself has revised its position, by authorizing the original course of stage 15, the Direction of the Giro d'Italia confirms the original itinerary except for the last 4.250 kms.The finish will therefore be set in Les Granges du Galibier - Monumento Pantani (Pantani Monument).The start, initially scheduled for 12:30 pm, is rescheduled to 1:00 pm.Considering the ever-changing weather conditions, should the weather deteriorate during the night, the Direction of the Giro reserves the right to make further modifications in order to protect the riders’ and caravan’s safety.Follow on Twitter: ITALIANCYCJOURN or receive an email when new content is added using the "Follow by Email" button on the right side column. With more than 2,800 stories in this blog the custom search feature (right column) works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button underneath the search button. Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, racing, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com.

Mauro Santambrogio (VIN) won Stage 14 of 2013 Giro d’Italia. Santambrogio and race leader Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) appeared first out of the mist to take the top two positions on the stage, the latter extending his race lead in the process. Rigoberto Urán (SKY) clung on to third place overall after a gritty ride. Race Report The stage, from Cervere to Jafferau in north-western Italy, was extended by 12km as a result of the re-routing and once again the riders got under way in cold and wet conditions. Seven riders broke away early, but after three of them crashed on the treacherous roads, it was left to Luca Paolini (Katusha), Matteo Trentin (Omega Pharma – Quick-Step), Sonny Colbrelli (Bardiani Valvole – CSF Inox) and Daniele Pietropolli (Lampre-Merida) to press on as a quartet. They built up a lead of over nine minutes and as the new route rose gently up the Susa Valley towards the ski resort of Bardonecchia, just below Jafferau, the peloton was able to make only small inroads into the gap. The advantage was just over five minutes by the time Trentin suffered a puncture and dropped behind 17km out, and was still at 4:40 when the remaining trio passed through Bardonecchia and embarked on the final climb. Paolini battled on gamely but was finally engulfed by a surging lead group in which Nibali strengthened his grip on the race. Bonus seconds for Santambrogio bumped the Italian to a single second behind Urán on the general classification, the pair 2:46 and 2:47 off the maglia rosa respectively. Information from Team Sky website used in the race report. Race Results Giro d'Italia (2013) - Stage 14 Cervere to Bardonecchia (168km) 18 May 2013 Stage 14 | Stage 13 | Stage 12 | Stage 11 | Stage 10 | Stage 9 | Stage 8 (ITT) | Stage 7 | Stage 6 | Stage 5 | Stage 4 | Stage 3 | Stage 2 (TTT) | Stage 1 Stage Position Name Nationality Team Time 1 SANTAMBROGIO, Mauro ITA FARNESE VINI 4:42:55 2 NIBALI, Vincenzo ITA ASTANA 0 3 Alberto BETANCUR GOMEZ, Carlos COL AG2R LA MONDIALE 9 4 SANCHEZ GONZALEZ, Samuel ESP EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI 26 5 URAN URAN, Rigoberto COL SKY PROCYCLING 30 6 EVANS, Cadel AUS BMC RACING 33 7 POZZOVIVO, Domenico ITA AG2R LA MONDIALE 8 KISERLOVSKI, Robert CRO Radioshack Leopard 9 COLBRELLI, Sonny ITA BARDIANI VALVOLE - CSF INOX 55 10 CARUSO, Damiano ITA Cannondale Pro Cycling 58 11 MAJKA, Rafal POL Saxo Tinkoff 59 12 TROFIMOV, Yury RUS KATUSHA 13 PELLIZOTTI, Franco ITA ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI +1:04 14 ROSA, Diego ITA ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI +1:08 15 NIEMIEC, Przemyslaw POL LAMPRE - ISD 16 DUARTE AREVALO, Fabio Andres COL COLOMBIA +1:15 17 INTXAUSTI ELORRIAGA, Benat ESP MOVISTAR +1:24 18 SCARPONI, Michele ITA LAMPRE - ISD +1:28 19 PAOLINI, Luca ITA KATUSHA +1:41 20 Luis HENAO MONTOYA, Sergio KHM SKY PROCYCLING +1:48 21 KANGERT, Tanel EST ASTANA +2:16 22 DANIELSON, Thomas USA Garmin-Sharp +2:32 23 DI LUCA, Danilo ITA FARNESE VINI +2:40 24 PIETROPOLLI, Daniele ITA LAMPRE - ISD +2:53 25 PETROV, Evgeny RUS Saxo Tinkoff +3:21 26 ATAPUMA HURTADO, Darwin COL COLOMBIA 27 CAPECCHI, Eros ITA MOVISTAR 28 DUPONT, Hubert FRA AG2R LA MONDIALE +3:25 29 FELLINE, Fabio ITA ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI +3:39 30 MARTINEZ DE ESTEBAN, Egoi ESP EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI +4:01 31 SERPA PEREZ, Jose Rodolfo COL LAMP

RCS Sport ready to make further changes if the weather worsens

AceCo debuted a flurry of new K-Edge computer mounts just before the start of the time trial at the Tour of California. Included in the upcoming crop are a new standard Garmin Edge mount, a new TT-specific Garmin Edge mount, and two TT-specific mounts for SRM’s PowerControl heads – all of which will be available around mid-July.The new standard K-Edge Garmin mount looks to be a significant improvement over the original one. Gone is the complex three-piece machined aluminum layout in favor of a simpler and sleeker two-piece configuration with bottom-entry bolts, a more rounded shape, and an extension that angles more sharply inward so as to almost disappear when a computer is mounted.AceCo is keeping the old K-Edge mount's standard quarter-turn interface but instead of machining that from aluminum as well, there will now be a bolt-in injection molded plastic insert that yields both a smoother and lighter feel as well as a 'clickier' lock for improved security. In addition, the modular design will allow AceCo to more quickly develop mounts for other computer brands such as CycleOps and CatEye."What we've done is gone with a more of a platform concept," said AceCo principal Joe Savola.Claimed weight is 32g and suggested retail price will be US$49.99. As before, several anodized colors will be available.AceCo is also nearing completion of its long-awaited time trial/triathlon-specific K-Edge Garmin mount. Time trial and triathlon setups present unique problems in that there's often not enough space in between the extensions for the standard quarter-turn interface to work. AceCo has cleverly gotten around the issue, however.Instead of rotating the computer head to lock it into place on a stationary mount, the new TT-specific K-Edge Garmin mount uses rotating tabs – simply place the computer head on the mount, reach underneath the mount, and rotate the cradle. Savola admits that side-mounted buttons can be tough to access given the low and tight confines but in fairness, time trial racers and triathletes aren't likely to be flipping through a bunch of menu pages during an event, anyway.AceCo's prototype was mostly built using a 3D printer but the production version will use a mix of machined aluminum, Delrin, and injection-molded plastic – all of which will be produced in the United States.Retail price will be rather expensive at US$59 but Savola says it's an unavoidable consequence of the mount's complexity and domestic manufacturing.Finally, AceCo unveiled two TT-specific mounts for SRM's range of PowerControl computers. The machined aluminum mounts will be offered to fit both standard 22mm-diameter round and Shimano-standard oval extensions. While SRM's newest mounts include a locking tab, AceCo's K-Edge models stick to the older ball-and-spring setup, although Savola insists it's very secure given the tight precision fit.Savola said the SRM mounts will “tentatively” retail us $59.99,

Vincenzo Nibali's attack late in stage 14 proved to be a pivotal moment for him at the Giro. Photo: Graham Watson | www.grahamwatson.comBARDONECCHIA, Italy (VN) — Cold might be the most dangerous rival for Vincenzo Nibali (Astana). Nibali prefers warmer climates, but the Shark has erased any doubt about who is charge of this year’s Giro d’Italia. In a weather-shortened stage 14, Nibali had such command of the race he could afford to play kingmaker at the same time as taking small, but important gains on his most direct GC rivals. “It’s too early to say the race is over. The Giro is long,” Nibali said. “Today was a very hard stage, very cold, but I felt good and I took some time.” Nibali punched the accelerator with just under 2 kilometers to go in the 7km final climb up the Jafferau summit to drop a grenade in the already highly stressed GC group. Only the puffy-cheeked Mauro Santambrogio (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia) could follow. Santambrogio countered with 800m to go to drop Carlos Betancur (Ag2r-La Mondiale) and his former BMC Racing teammate Cadel Evans to tow Nibali to the line. His payback was his first career grand tour stage victory. With Evans and podium rival Rigoberto Urán (Sky) struggling in their wake, Nibali was content to let Santambrogio coast across the line unchallenged. “Santambrogio was strong and helped me make the differences,” Nibali continued. “I don’t like being called the master of this Giro. Anything could happen. I need to take more time before I can breath easy.” Snowy conditions forced organizers to reroute the stage around the Cat. 2 Sestriere summit, but Nibali only needed 7km of the final climb to Jafferau to turn the screws. In fact, he only needed 1,800 meters. He jumped, Santambrogio followed, and the pair drove it to the line to help Nibali take a tighter grip on pink. Despite ceding the stage and the 20-second winner’s bonus to Santambrogio, the damage was done. With the 12-second, second-place finish-line bonus, Nibali tightened his grip on the maglia rosa on a day when he feared the cold. Evans dropped from 41 seconds to 1:26 back, while Urán also ceded ground to stay third at 2:46 back. Santambrogio bolstered his podium hopes to climb into fourth at 2:47. Despite his fear of freezing, Nibali is in the hot seat of the Giro. Saturday only reconfirmed that he’s well positioned to win his first pink jersey with still more than a week of racing to go. A half dozen riders lined up in the rain in Cervere within two minutes of the pink jersey. Nearly five hours later, that rain turned to snow as temperatures plummeted across the Italian Alps. The GC hopes of two main threats dipped with the temperatures, with 2011 winner Michele Scarponi (Lampre-Merida) and Robert Gesink (Blanco) losing 1:28 and 4:16, respectively, to sink out of contention. Sky tried to turn the screws to put pressure on Nibali, putting Dario Cataldo at the front to ramp up the speed on the final 7km climb up the Jafferau climb above the ski village at Bardonecchia. With an average grade of above 9 percent and ramps as steep as 14 percent, the switchbacked climb seemed ideal for Urán, who started the stage third and was ready to take advantage of the full support of Sky the early departure of team leader Bradley Wiggins with a chest cold. Urán surged clear with about 5km to go, but there was no dropping Nibali, who continues to race with a cool hand throughout the Giro. “Sky showed their intentions today. They set the tempo of the stage and Urán tried a few times to attack us,” Nibali said. “They will continue to be dangerous. Evans is also dangerous. We haven’t seen the last of him yet.” Although Wiggins and Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) started as the top favorites for the pink jersey, Nibali has demonstrated he’s a step ahead of the pack with consistent, steady racing throughout the first half of the Giro. He has