Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Katusha) did indeed go to war with himself in the time trial turning in a credible performance but it wasn't enough to not lose the Maglia Rosa by a mere 16 second to Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin - Barracuda) who rode a superb TT. Sixteen seconds after 91 hours 39 minutes and 2 seconds of racing. Rodriguez's 2nd place is the narrowest margin in the history of the Giro since Fiorenzo Magni’s victory of 64 years ago.
Marco Pinotti (BMC) was the stage winner in 33'06" at an average speed of 51.117 km/h
Ryder Hesjedal becomes the first Canadian to win the Giro d'Italia. Joaquin Rodriguez finishes 2nd and a very strong TT performance byThomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil) moved him into 3rd ahead of Michele Scarponi. For the fifth time in Giro history, and for the first time in the last
17 years, since 1995, there are no Italians on the podium.
"I realized I could win 5 km before the finish line," said Hesjedal. "It was an incredible Giro, really tough, and without the help of the Garmin team I would never have managed to make history the way I did." After hearing the Canadian national he added, "Right now I'm thinking of my wife Ashley who is the most important thing in my life. I'm also thinking about the years of work that it took to be here for this crazy occasion. Let me enjoy this, I'll never forget it."
"I’m obviously not happy; it's really tough to lose by only 16 seconds, but what can I do? Think about the time bonuses that I didn't have, or the mountain stages all concentrated towards the end?" said Rodriguez. "I know for sure that in the future I can win a major stage race; these three weeks have confirmed that. This is where I start afresh".
"It's a real shame, but I didn't deserve it," reflected Michele Scarponi, on his 4th place finish. "I didn't come here just to be the first of the Italians. I had number one on my back, and I wanted a different Giro."
"Compliments to Hesjedal, Rodriguez and De Gendt, who deserved their places on the podium," said Basso. "I can guarantee that this was not my last Giro d’Italia. I’ve heard all sorts of things said, but my sporting funeral will not be for a few years yet. I have won at the Giro various times, always racing the same way. I'm happy to accept criticism, but I wouldn't have changed anything except for in the last few days, when I didn't perform as I would have liked. Now I'm just going to think about resting and then go to the Tour de France to help Vincenzo Nibali realize his dream".
The other Classification winners:
Maglia Rossa – Points: Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha)
Maglia Bianca – Best Young Rider: Riboberto Uran Uran (Sky Procycling)
Maglia Azzurra – KoM: Matteo Rabottini (Farnese Vini Selle Italia)
Stage 21 Highlights:
Ryder's win is a great step forward for road cycling in Canada. There are Canadians that are saying they had never heard of the Giro d'Italia let alone Ryder Hesjedal, but now because of Hesjedal's amazing feat, Canadians know both!
ReplyDeleteCanadian media are now calling Ryder a favourite for the Tour d'France and getting excited for that Grand Tour, and while maybe that's not completely accurate, this first Canadian Grand Tour win gets people in Canada thinking about something other than hockey which is another feat in itself.
Thank you Italian Cycling Journal for your wonderful Giro Coverage.
ReplyDeleteGrandissimo!