Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
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2020 Tour de France | 2020 Giro d'Italia
The audiobook version of The Story of the Tour de France, Volume 1 is available.
History is a gallery of pictures in which there are few originals and many copies. - Alexis de Tocqueville
Current racing:
- May 8 - 30: Giro d'Italia
- May 18 - 22: Vuelta Ciclista Andalucia - Ruta del Sol
Upcoming races:
- May 22: Tour du Fimistère
Cancelled & postponed races:
- April 30 - May 5:
Tour de Yorkshire - May 1:
Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt - May 4 - 9:
4 Jours de Dunkerque - May 15:
GP de Plumelec-Morbihan
Latest completed racing:
- May 13 - 16: Challenge Illes Balears
- May 16: Tro-Bro Léon
- May 5 - 9: Volta ao Algarve
- April 27 - May 2: Tour de Romandie
- April 30 - May 2: Vuelta Asturias
- April 25: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
- April 19 - 23: Tour of the Alps
- April 21: La Flèche Wallone
Giro d'Italia stage ten team reports:
We posted the report from stage winner Peter Sagan's Bora-hansgeohe team with the results.
Here's the report from GC leader Egan Bernal's INEOS Grenadiers team:
Egan Bernal leads the Giro d’Italia by 14 seconds as the race arrives at its first rest day.
Egan Bernal will start stage 11 on Wednesday in pink. Sirotti photo
The Colombian was well protected by his Grenadiers teammates during a 10th stage that was clipped off at a rapid pace.
With the day’s break caught with 43 kilometres to go, the main GC excitement arrived at the intermediate sprint in Campello sul Clitunno. Bernal jumped onto the wheel of Filippo Ganna in a bid to take some bonus seconds. Closest rival Remco Evenepoel gave chase and pushed ahead of the pink jersey. Jhonatan Narvaez arrived late with a strong sprint to deny Evenepoel all three seconds, with Bernal dropping just a single second in the exchange.
The finale in Foligno featured a crash which the maglia rosa had to make his way through. With the 3km rule applied, Bernal and much of the peloton were able to coast to the finish and secure the same GC time as winner Peter Sagan.
As the race heads into the rest day Daniel Martinez remains in 11th overall, 1:13 behind his compatriot.
Egan Bernal:
(On the intermediate sprint) "I was just following Pipo (Ganna). I saw the opportunity and I went behind him. If you are following him it is a lot easier! I just took one second but I didn’t make any effort so why not? We are here also to enjoy the race and we are doing that.
"(The stage) was actually really hard. Bora did a really great job heading into the climb. They did a really, really hard pace. I think everyone was full gas. It was harder than we expected this morning but finally we came through the day and we are happy because of that."
Here's the report from GC second-place Remco Evenepoel's Deceuninck-Quick Step team:
Monday afternoon, the bunch arrived in Foligno – the town where 549 years ago the first book in Italian was printed, Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy” – but the short trek through the Abruzzo region produced no masterpieces, just full gas racing from the off. The profile of the 139km stage 10 was an undulating one, featuring some challenging gradients which were used by some teams to decisively distance the sprinters and deal a blow to their hopes of victory.
But the stage also had a subplot, at the intermediate sprint in Campello sul Clitunno. With the original breakaway overhauled on the last climb, the GC favourites took the spotlight for a few moments, and Remco Evenepoel didn’t miss the rendez-vous. Brought to the front of the field by his Deceuninck – Quick-Step teammates, the Belgian showed amazing power, launching the sprint from 200 meters out and grabbing two bonus seconds.
Remco Evenepoel before the stage start. Sirotti photo
The stage came down to the expected mass gallop, albeit one where many fast men were absent, and it was Peter Sagan (Bora-hasgrohe) who took the win. Remco concluded in the main group, a couple of seconds down after the peloton was split due to a crash, and he retained his second place in the general classification, where thanks to the bonifications he picked up, sits just 14 seconds behind the overall leader.
Here's the report from stage 10 second-place Fernado Gaviria's UAE Team Emirates:
Fernando Gaviria edged closer to his first victory of the season with 2nd place behind Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) on stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia from L’Aquila to Foligno (139km).
Peter Sagan (left) edges out Fernando Gaviria (right). Sirotti photo
During what was a relatively flat stage, the Cat.4 climb (6.8km at 5%) shook up the peloton with many of the top sprinters losing contact. Gaviria, surrounded by his teammates, held his position in the bunch on the fast descent to the line in Foligno.
As the sprint opened up it was Sebastian Molano who pounced first in an attempt to set things up for Gaviria who was glued to the wheel of Sagan. Molano was brought back in the final straight with Gaviria unable to come on terms with Sagan who took the spoils heading into the first rest-day of the race.
Gaviria: “Sagan was very strong in the end and he deserved the win today. My condition is good but as a sprinter it’s tough to say you are really happy with a performance unless you win. I’m content that I’m getting closer, my condition is good and I’m hungry to go for that win in the second week.”
Davide Formolo remains in touch for the General Classification in 10th position, 1’02’’ behind race leader Egan Bernal (Ineos-Grenadiers).
The race resumes on Wednesday with Stage 11 on the mountainous terrain from Perugia to Montalcino ( 162km).
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