The Inner Ring - Part 171

The Moment The Giro Was Won

Monday, 30 May 2016Sunday, 29 May 2016

The moment the race was lost? Steven Kruijswijk started the day’s stage to Risoul with a three minute lead on Esteban Chaves and more than four minutes on Vincenzo Nibali. With his form and recent performances this looked more than comfortable. A crash on the snowy descent of the Colle dell’Agnello and a long chase,saw him finish the stage almost five minutes down on Nibali and surrender the maglia rosa to Esteban Chaves who had just lost time to Nibali on the summit finish to Risoul.

The 2016 Giro d’Italia was an unusual contest marked as much by illness, injury and accident as by tactics and attacks. No sooner did a rider occupy the top spot, whether as the lead hope for the overall classification or the fastest sprinter did they suffer misfortune or decide to pull out.

Giro Stage 21 Preview

Sunday, 29 May 2016

A procession and a sprint, that’s the usual formula for the final stage of a grand tour. Last year saw a breakaway stick and with so few sprinters left in the race it could happen again.

Giro Stage 20 Preview

Saturday, 28 May 2016Saturday, 28 May 2016

Yesterday’s stage had a fast start, saw the big names fighting hard on the Colle dell’Agnello, pulling on the long descent and emptying the tank on the summit finish to. Now they’ve got to do it all over again and Vincenzo Nibali will duel with Esteban Chaves.

Giro Stage 19 Review

Friday, 27 May 2016

Mountain stages have their ups and downs. The profile shows us that. Today brought a different kind, the tables were turned after Steven Kruijswijk crashed and cracked, Esteban Chaves took over the race lead and after weeks of feeling the pressure Vincenzo Nibali let it all out on the road to Risoul, won the stage and sobbed under the podium. And there’s still a giant mountain stage to go.

A Ride In Italy

Friday, 27 May 2016

With the Giro on this month one aim is to cover aspects of Italian cycling that the race cannot quite convey, whether it’s reading La Gazzetta or watching the race on Italian TV and now a quick take on what it’s like to ride in Italy.

Giro Stage 19 Preview

Friday, 27 May 2016

The race reaches its high point the the mighty, gruelling Colle dell’Agnello and then a long descent and the summit finish to Risoul in France. After months of fears and doubt the weather looks fine so the roads are open for two days to test Stevie “Wonder” Kruijswijk.

Thanks to Prendas Ciclismo

Thursday, 26 May 2016

Sponsors of this website get an appreciative message of thanks on here and it’s time to say grazie mille to Prendas for their support during the Giro and beyond. The content on here doesn’t happen by itself and the generous backing from sponsors and readers through kit sales is essential to keeping the wheels turning. Thank-you to all.

Giro Stage 18 Preview

Thursday, 26 May 2016Thursday, 26 May 2016

A long procession and then a superb finish to the stage with the Pramartino climb and, it’s not visible in the profile above, a savage steep cobbled climb just before the finish.

Giro Stage 17 Preview

Wednesday, 25 May 2016

A flat day promised to the sprinters only there are now so few left in the race that their teams could struggle to contain the breakaways that exploit the hilly first half of the stage.

Giro Stage 16 Review

Tuesday, 24 May 2016Tuesday, 24 May 2016

As we wait for photos of today’s stage to be made available to accompany the review of today’s stage the painting above by Pieter Bruegel can serve as an illustration in the meantime. It was a battle from the start to the finish where Steven Kruijswijk came out on top.

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