Ryder Hesjedal becomes the first Canadian in pink after the race’s first mountain finish
Having taken the first ever victory of his long career during the previous year’s Giro d’Italia, Paolo Tiralongo (Astana) took his second at the top of the Rocca di Cambio at the end of stage seven. The 24-year-old Sicilian outsprinted defending Giro champion Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) having been the only rider capable of staying with the blue-fuchsia team’s lead out on the steep approach to the finish.
“For a long time I was working for my team leaders and always gave everything for them,” said Tiralongo after the stage. “Today I got a chance to ride my own race. I‘d studied this finish and wanted to try and win. I stayed near the front, suffered and then went with Scarponi at 400m to go. I struggled to close the gap but as he looked around and eased up, I jumped past him and won. It hurt though, as everyone could see when I crossed the finish line.
“I don’t think I’m a campione or a great rider,” he added. “I’m a good rider who works hard and helps his team leaders. I’m here to work for the team and won’t get big headed during the rest of the race.”
This victory was Tiralongo’s second in as many Giri d’Italia - and it came over the defending champion - but he does not hold it in as high regard as the one he took the previous year over the rider who actually wore the Maglia Rosa.
“To be honest, I consider last year’s win at Macugnaga better than this one,” he said. “Last year Alberto Contador let me win but I won in front of him. He’s a friend and I want to dedicate this stage to him because of what he’s going through.”
Fränk Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan) was the best of the rest, beating birthday boy Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) to the line, three seconds behind Tiralongo, to take third place. In fifth place however, just two seconds behind Schleck and Rodríguez, was Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda), who became the first ever Canadian to take the Maglia Rosa.
The 205km stage began with an attack from Fumiyuki Beppu (Orica-GreenEdge), Matteo Rabottini (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia), Reto Hollenstein (NetApp) and Mirco Selvaggi (Vacansoleil-DCM), almost as soon as the peloton had rolled out of the start in Recanati. The four riders quickly managed to open up a lead in excess of nine minutes as the peloton was waiting for action to start in the second half of the stage.
The group was still almost two minutes clear as it approached the final 19.1km climb to the finish; Selvaggi escaped, but was chased down - then dropped - by a counterattack from Stefano Pirazzi (Colnago-CSF Inox) and Jose Herrada (Movistar).
Herrada managed to gap Pirazzi as the final, steep part of the climb began, as the Italian almost overshot the corner; the peloton was on the Spanish rider’s heels however, and Lampre-ISD’s Przemyslaw Niemiec led his captain Scarponi past in the final 500 metres.
Tiralongo was glued to Scarponi’s wheel as he launched his move for the line, and the pair left the chasers behind them. As the road steepened in the final hundred metres though, the Astana rider sprinted around the outside of the defending champion to take the stage.
Schleck led the chase behind them but, with overnight leader Adriano Malori (Lampre-ISD) and second place Michal Golas (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) both left behind on the long, steady climb, it was third place Hesjedal that took the pink jersey back for Garmin-Barracuda.
The break goes early as the peloton rests from the tough previous day
Having experienced its first proper climbing the day before, the Giro d’Italia was to have its first mountaintop finish on stage seven. The 205km course, which headed almost due south across the rolling countryside of the Marche and Abruzzo regions was to cross the 3rd category Colle Galluccio after 101.7km, before finishing atop the 2nd category climb to the finish.
At only 1392 metres high, the stage finish was not one where the pure mountain climbers were expected to make a difference, but it was expected to suit the Ardennes Classics specialists.
Beppu, Rabottini, Hollenstein, Selvaggi attacked immediately and by the 27km point already had a lead of 9’15”. Hollenstein began the day just 1’21” behind new Maglia Rosa Adriano Malori (Lampre-ISD) and so was very quickly the virtual leader on the road.
Malori’s Lampre-ISD team was leading the peloton, but making very little effort to contain the four fugitives and, as Beppu outsprinted his three companions over the top of the Colle Galluccio, the gap was still 8’06”. This gap remained largely constant as the race passed through the feedzone in Trisungo after 111.3km, and was still almost eight minutes as the leaders entered the final 75km of the stage.
Into the final 70km however, the blue-fuchsia team began to pick up the pace, as riders from the Katusha team came forward to help; Russian champion Pavel Brutt took up station on the front, and in the next five kilometres had slashed more than a minute off the quartet’s lead.
With 50km to go the breakaway’s lead had been cut to 5’40” as the race coasted along the predominantly downhill roads towards the foot of the final climb. In the next ten kilometres, the gap closed by only a few seconds though, as the prevailing downward gradient made life easy for the four fugitives.
Garmin-Barracuda was the next team to put its efforts into the chase, with Alex Rasmussen, Jack Bauer, Sébastien Rosseler and Robbie Hunter all sent forward. This finally put some urgency into the chase, as the peloton began to string out, and with 35km to go the gap was little more than four minutes.
The fugitives turn on each other as the final climb approaches
At the Traguardo Volante sprint in the city of L’Aquila - still rebuilding after the earthquake of 2009 - with just 26.2km to go, Beppu countered a sprint from Selvaggi; the Japanese rider beat the Italian to the line, and the pair of them kept going, leaving Rabottini and Hollenstein behind. Rabottini caught up and counterattacked, but the other three fought their way back up to him. This spelled the end of the stage-long cooperation between the four riders, as they entered the final 25km.
The peloton rolled over the line, still led by Garmin-Barracuda, just 2’23” behind them.
The four breakaway riders continued to attack one another as they approached the foot of the final climb, with Rabottini finally getting away with 22km to go. The entire Garmin-Barracuda team was lined up on the front of the peloton by now however, including Lithuanian champion, and former Maglia Rosa Ramunas Navardauskas, and Peter Stetina in the white jersey.
With just over 20km to go however, the American team was pushed aside by a number of other teams, with Liquigas-Cannondale, Astana, Movistar and BMC Racing all moving forward. The lone Rabottini was just 1’45” ahead as he passed under the 20km banner, and slightly less as the climb began.
The first attack from the peloton came from Stef Clement (Rabobank) and he was joined by Pirazzi, before they were pulled back by the peloton. Pirazzi attacked again though, and made his way across to Beppu, Selvaggi and Hollenstein. As he caught and passed the three-man group; with 15km to go he was just 22 seconds behind Rabottini, as Valerio Agnoli (Liquigas-Cannondale) attacked out of the peloton behind him.
The increase in activity at the front proved too much for Malori, and he was dropped by the peloton before he reached the 15km banner; shortly afterwards Golas also drifted away, leaving Hesjedal as the leader on the road.
Agnoli was joined by Daniele Pietropolli (Lampre-ISD) and Jose Herrada (Movistar), but Herrada was not hanging around and left the two Italians behind. With 13.7km to go, Pirazzi caught up with Rabottini, but the Farnese Vini-Selle Italia rider clung desperately to his rear wheel.
Mauro Santaromita (BMC Racing) was next to attack and make his way across the the two chasers. With 12.3km to go Herrada joined the two leaders, but Pirazzi was not keen for more company and accelerated again. Agnoli, Pietropolli and Santaromita were soon together and in pursuit of the three leaders, with Katusha and Astana leading the chase behind.
The finish is in sight and the big guns get ready to fire
There was an attack from Emanuele Sella (Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela) but he was pounced on by Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) and the peloton was back on them immediately. Sella’s teammate Jose Rujano was the next to try, but this simply pulled the peloton up to the three-man chase group.
With 10km to go Pirazzi and Herrada were 26 seconds ahead, as they left the exhausted Rabottini behind. Carlos Ochoa became the next Androni Giocattoli-Venezuelaroder to attack, but Katusha was not allowing anybody else to get far away and spoil its team leader’s birthday.
With just over 9km to go Rabattini was caught and passed by the ever-shrinking peloton, but the two remaining leaders were now 31 seconds clear, and the gap was growing.
Into the final eight kilometres, the peloton settled down, after the flurry of attacks, with Katusha, Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela and Astana leading a steady chase. The gap was closing slowly to the two leaders, but with 6km to go it was still 28 seconds.
With his team chasing hard on the front, stage six winner, mountains jersey wearer, and possible Maglia Rosa in waiting Miguel Angel Rubiano (Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela) was slipping off the back. The Professional Continental team eased up its pace, but Astana took over and lifted it up again.
With 5.2km to go Pirazzi attacked Herrada, but the Spanish rider was back with him again as they hit the five kilometre banner. Their lead was still 24 seconds as the road began to level out, before the short descent towards the final, steep rise to the finish.
Astana was really lifting the pace now though, and the gap was down to just 14 seconds with 3.5km to go; Omega Pharma-Quick Step took over from the Kazakh team, as Pirazzi tried, unsuccessfully, to escape Herrada again.
Pirazzi overcooked the corner at the base of the final climb with just 1.4km to go, and Herrada jumped away. The Spanish rider was clear as he passed under the flamme rouge, but the Lampre-ISD-led peloton was sweeping up Pirazzi and gaining on him.
Niemiec passed Herrada with 400 metres to go with Scarponi right behind him; the Lampre-ISD captain then launched himself up the 10% gradients, Tiralongo was right on his wheel though, and the two of them road away from the others.
Fränk Schleck gave chase, with Rodríguez just behind him, but the two Italians were already too far ahead with the line approaching. Scarponi led Tiralongo into the last corners, but on the final, steep hundred metres, the Astana rider came around the outside to take the victory.