The second of this year’s racing highlights is the Giro’s 12th stage. The race finally came alive and the stage result was uncertain until the very end when Cesare Benedetti, a long time worker, finally got his day in the limelight.
Giro d’Italia
2020 World Tour Teams
Over the weekend the UCI announced 20 men’s teams had applied for a spot in the UCI World Tour. With the existing 18 teams and Cofidis as the 19th there’s been a small surprise with Arkéa-Samsic joining the applicants. Here’s a quick look at how the system works and some of the questions and issues around it.
The Moment The Giro d’Italia Was Won
Richard Carapaz is solo on the Colle San Carlo on Stage 14, he’s got a slender lead of 20 seconds but behind a team mate in Mikel Landa is marking Vincenzo Nibali and Primoz Roglič and they’re both marking each other. Carapaz maintained his advantage on the descent and once on the valley road to Courmayeur the “Locomotive of Carchi” pressed on, hunched low on his bike, hands in the drops and taking for every second he could. It put him in the maglia rosa and he never trembled for the remaining week.
Giro Stage 21 Preview
A time trial to conclude the 2019 Giro d’Italia and the top-3 should change with Primoz Roglič overtaking Mikel Landa today.
Giro Stage 20 Preview
The final mountain stage and a Dolomite roller coaster culminating in the finish on Monte Avena
Giro Stage 19 Preview
It’s back to the Alps for a day of rock and Rolle with the uphill finish a chance for Mikel Landa to continue his remontada.
Giro Stage 18 Preview
A flat stage on Ascension Day, today could be a sprint finish and a decider for the points jersey… but which teams are left to set up a sprint?
Fighting Talk
Simon Yates is having to eat some of words these days after telling Rouleur magazine that his rivals ought to be “shitting themselves” at the prospect of racing against him. His confidence turned out to be excessive but sport relies on rivalry and entertainment, and cycling could do with some more fighting talk to get the public interested. It’s not easy, especially as bike racing relies on cooperating with your enemy in order to beat them.
Giro Stage 16 Preview
No Passo Gavia because of the snow, but there’s an uphill start, the Mortirolo and over 5,000m of vertical gain and it all makes for a livelier stage.