The Italian fans seemed really ecstatic...........

Hey, don't make jokes of my graphics card, that has its own will, and decides to run the game without public on the sides of the road!!!!
Ecstatic before big screens somewhere else in Italy!

At least it makes the Swedish nationals realistic

Hey you guys,

I would like to thank all of you that voted for me in the Team Story of the year contest, as well as the Story writer of the year contest. Winning the Team Story of the year-award is something amazing! I'm very happy that my long lasting story gets this award.

Thank you all!!!!

You totally deserved the award

The competition was tough, but you made it! And I must say, it may be the most deserving award of all, Petronas is a landmark on this site, so it goes without saying it was destined for that award Nicely done!

Congrats dienblad, the voting was close, but the award went to the right place...

No one else can match your level of consistent, amazing, and long.

The 13th stage is again a flat one, 207 kilometres from Feltre to San Dona di Piave in the region of Veneto. All the GC-contenders will try to save as much energy as possible, because of the 2 following stages with mountain top finishes at Tre Cime di Lavaredo and the Passo Pordoi.



GC-contenders taking it easy + sprinter teams not willing to chase the BOTD to make it a mass sprint = breakaway win!
But first something else, namely crashes. Thomas Löfkvist (GC's number 13) crashes early in the race and has to ride over 120 kilometres solo, finishing 15 minutes behind the stage winner. But an other crash causes more victims. 14 kilometres before the finish, Janez Brajkovic and José Rujano try to hug each other, resulting in both riders hitting the tarmac. For Brajkovic it is already the 2nd time this Giro. But more riders hit the tarmac because of this: Jurgen Van den Broeck (again), Enrico Gasparotto, Tom Dumoulin, Cadel Evans and Ivan Basso. The last 2 riders have to leave the Giro, both due to a fractured coccyx. Can this be the end of their careers??



Carlos Oyarzun has attacked out of the 13-rider BOTD with 15km to go, and manages to keep this lead untill the finish. It's the 2nd stage win for Movistar and the biggest win in the career of the rider from Chile. Luc Hagenaars (Rabobank) takes the 2nd place, and STijn Vandenbergh (Katusha) the 3rd.
Tyler Farrar wins the sprint for place 14 at 1'42, beating Peter Sagan and Theo Bos. The group Brajkovic looses 2'31 to the first peloton, meaning Sagan jumps to the 10th place in the GC .

1	Carlos Oyarzun	Movistar Team	4h44'04
2	Luc Hagenaars	Rabobank Cycling Team	s.t.
3	Stijn Vandenbergh	Katusha Team	s.t.
4	Aidis Kruopis	BMC Racing Team	s.t.
5	Jimmy Casper	Team Europcar	s.t.
6	Fabio Taborre	Acqua & Sapone	s.t.
7	Maarten Wynants	Omega Pharma - Quick·Step	s.t.
8	Simon Clarke	Dexia	s.t.
9	Sergio Marinangeli	Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli	s.t.
10	Iljo Keisse	Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team	s.t.

1	Wilco Kelderman	Petronas - Monster Energy	48h38'49
2	Vincenzo Nibali	Radio Shack - Nissan	+ 48
3	Michele Scarponi	Saxo Bank SunGard	+ 1'16
4	Bauke Mollema	BMC Racing Team	+ 2'24
5	Igor Antón	Euskaltel - Euskadi	+ 2'51
6	Rein Taaramäe	Sony Ericsson	+ 3'22
7	Francis De Greef	Petronas - Monster Energy	+ 6'22
8	Dario Cataldo	Omega Pharma - Quick·Step	+ 7'03
9	Rob Ruijgh	Petronas - Monster Energy	+ 7'12
10	Peter Sagan	Petronas - Monster Energy	+ 7'46

No changes.





So we managed to stay out of trouble again. The next 2 stages will show if Kelderman can fight for the GC-win, as 2 epic stage finishes await at Tre Cime di Lavaredo and Passo Pordoi.

EPIC!!!!!!!!

Wow, so Evans + Basso gone...
Nice that Kelderman could stay out of trouble

And also:
Yaaay, the only guy from Chili in the DB(I guess, at least it is at my game) wins the stage!

Still doing great in Italy
And congratulations for your award

Kelderman doing what he has to do

Congrats with the storyaward. A well deserved victory for a epic player.

Hope that Wilco will ride well in that leg-hurting stage!

Y U NO USING AWARD SINGNATURE?

177580

The first of 2 stages that will show us who can win tis Giro, is also the longest of this edition. After the start in Portogruaro, te road keeps on ascending over 220 kilometres, with 6 KOTM-sprints, and the finish at the summit of the legendary Tre Cime di Lavaredo, at an altitude of 2390 metres and the last 5 kilometres with a gradient over 10%. The total of height metres today is 5092!



13 riders form the BOTD, none of them are riders that can treathen the GC-contenders. Pavel Brutt (Katusha), Stefano Borchi (BMC), Bruno Rizzi (Acqua et Sapone), Andrey Amador (Movistar), Mauro Pinotti (Androni), Patrick Facchini (Alitalia), Giairo Ermeti (Farnese Vini), Manuele Mori (Lampre), Arnaud Courteille (Europcar), Azan Bazayev (Astana), Dominique Cornu (Vacansoleil), Theo Bos (Omega Pharma) and Ronan van Zandbeek (Rabobank) crest the summit of the Forcella di Monte Resi with a margin of 3'07 to the peloton.



Too often, a GC-contender has crashed in this Giro and this time, GC's number 9 is the one to hit the tarmac in the ascend of the Forcella di Monte Resi. It's Rob Ruijgh, but luckily, our luxury domestique can continue his race and will join the peloton shortly after.



While the BOTD has a margin of 2'52, BMC's Jurgen Van den Broeck decides to try to bridge the gap, looking for a stage win after loosing a lot of time because of some crashes. He gets countered by Morris Possoni (Sky) and Pieter Weening (Qantas).



Van den Broeck, Weening and Possoni bridge the gap to the BOTD. That BOTD has become a lot smaller in the ascend of the Passo della Mauria. Only Pinotti, Amador and Borchi have managed to stay in the leading group. At 2'13, they are followed by Franco Pellizotti and Fabio Aru, who attacked out of the peloton a few kilometres earlier. That peloton follows at 4'25. We try to keep the pace as low as possible, so our worse climbers can help in the flat part towards the next climb. Euskaltel has taken control of the pace of the peloton.



In the valley towards the foot of the Passo Tre Croci, we have taken control of the pace of the peloton, consisting of 81 riders. Consequently, the peloton is only 2'19 behind the leading group. Pellizotti and Aru have joined them.



For 2 riders that had a dream about the GC-podium, that dream has ended. Both José Rujano and Janez Brajkovic, the latter one bruised all over his body after 2 crashes, can't follow the pace of the peloton anymore and will both loose more than half an hour today.



Pellizotti tries to thin out the leading group and succeeds in his attempt. Only Possoni, Van den Broeck, Weening and Aru can follow him. But with the peloton only 1'52 behind, and some climbing to go, this won't be enough for them to win the stage.



The chasing peloton has become smaller and smaller. Due to the pace set by Vincenzo Nibali, only 18 riders can stay in this group, 1'07 behind the leaders. From the GC-top 10, only Francis De Greef (7th) and Peter Sagan (10th) are missing in this group.



The 5 leaders get caught, and almost immediately, Jurgen Van den Broeck attacks again. He gets countered by Lampre's Simon Spilak.



Van den Broeck and Spilak don't have a chance against the chasing group and get caught after a few kilometres. Then, even before the real climb to Tre Cime di Lavaredo begins, Vincenzo Nibali attacks. He must feel that GC-leader Wilco Kelderman isn't having his best day and is vulnerable. Igor Antón tries to counter, not counting the weak attempt by Spilak.Kelderman continues riding in his own pace, knowing that today he can't handle the change of speeds.



Not only Antón, but surprisingly also Rein Taaramäe was able to counter Nibali. The 3 start the real ascend to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo with a margin of 33 seconds to a group with Kelderman, Scarponi, Rowe, Mollema, Spilak, Cataldo and Van den Broeck. Rob Ruijgh got dropped out of this group when Nibali attacked and follows at 2'15.



In the short descend towards the toll booth, Igor Antón ha staken the lead of the race. Nibali and Taaramäe follow at '14, Scarponi at '30 and Kelderman at '41. But the most difficult part of this climb has to come. The last 5 kilometres are ascending with an average gradient of 11.7% and a maximum of 17%.



With the last steep kilometres remaining, Scarponi has bridged the gap to Nibali and Taaramäe. The 3 are only '17 behind Anton and '23 in front of the Maglia Rosa.



Apparently, Anton has misjudged the climb, has his pace drops and the 2 Italians close the gap to him. Scarponi brutally takes over the lead of the race, with a small 11-second gap to Nibali and Antón. Taaramäe follows at '22 and Kelderman at '34. Our young Dutch leader is suffering a lot in this climb, with an ultimate attempt to stay in the GC-lead. Every 10 metres, the virtual lead switches between him and Nibali.



Nibali seems to be playing with his opponents, as he looks over his shoulder to the suffering face of Antón. He puts the pressure on his pedals and within hundred metres, he bridges the gap to Scarponi. The 2 have a margin of '27 to Antón. Both Taaramäe and Kelderman have managed to join teh winner of the previous 2 editions of the Giro, although Kelderman has a meeting at the moment with a dozen of men with the hammer.



Vincenzo Nibali outsprints Michele Scarponi and wins the prestiguous stage to the summit of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo. Then the clock starts ticking, and due to the bonus seconds, Nibali will take over the Maglia Rosa when it hits 28 seconds. First, Antón corsses the finish line at '25, before Kelderman finishes in 4th at '48.
The time gaps are huge today, as only 5 riders manage to finish within 5 minutes of Nibali. About 25 riders finish outside the time limit, among them sprinters as Andrea Guardini, Denis Galimzyanov and our Jens Mulder.

1	Vincenzo Nibali	Radio Shack - Nissan	6h16'38
2	Michele Scarponi	Saxo Bank SunGard	s.t.
3	Igor Antón	Euskaltel - Euskadi	+ 25
4	Wilco Kelderman	Petronas - Monster Energy	+ 48
5	Rein Taaramäe	Sony Ericsson	+ 1'01
6	Simon Spilak	Lampre - Alitalia	+ 3'08
7	Bauke Mollema	BMC Racing Team	s.t.
8	Luke Rowe	Qantas Airways	+ 3'16
9	Jurgen Van den Broeck	BMC Racing Team	+ 4'12
10	Dario Cataldo	Omega Pharma - Quick·Step	s.t.

1	Vincenzo Nibali	Radio Shack - Nissan	54h55'55
2	Wilco Kelderman	Petronas - Monster Energy	+ 20
3	Michele Scarponi	Saxo Bank SunGard	+ 36
4	Igor Antón	Euskaltel - Euskadi	+ 2'40
5	Rein Taaramäe	Sony Ericsson	+ 3'55
6	Bauke Mollema	BMC Racing Team	+ 5'04
7	Dario Cataldo	Omega Pharma - Quick·Step	+ 10'47
8	Simon Spilak	Lampre - Alitalia	+ 11'52
9	Luke Rowe	Qantas Airways	+ 14'27
10	Rob Ruijgh	Petronas - Monster Energy	+ 16'21

1	Edvald Boasson Hagen	Dexia	147
2	Wilco Kelderman	Petronas - Monster Energy	123
3	Peter Sagan	Petronas - Monster Energy	110
4	Vincenzo Nibali	Radio Shack - Nissan	82
5	Michele Scarponi	Saxo Bank SunGard	76

1	Vincenzo Nibali	Radio Shack - Nissan	25
2	Michele Scarponi	Saxo Bank SunGard	20
3	Igor Antón	Euskaltel - Euskadi	16
4	Franco Pellizotti	Lampre - Alitalia	16
5	Alejandro Valverde	Dexia	15

1	Wilco Kelderman	Petronas - Monster Energy	54h56'15
2	Luke Rowe	Qantas Airways	+ 14'07
3	Peter Sagan	Petronas - Monster Energy	+ 22'34
4	Mikel Landa	Euskaltel - Euskadi	+ 29'05
5	Tom Slagter	Rabobank Cycling Team	+ 31'48

1	Petronas - Monster Energy	165h19'51
2	Euskaltel - Euskadi	+ 5'28
3	Saxo Bank SunGard	+ 9'35
4	BMC Racing Team	+ 19'29
5	Lampre - Alitalia	+ 24'41

So now we know what everybody is capable of. Vincenzo Nibali is the main candidate to win this Giro, with Michele Scarponi in second. Kelderman and Igor ANtón will battle for the 3rd place, with Rein Taaramäe as a dark horse.
I must say that I'm very proud at Kelderman, who showed today that he has the right atitude to race a GT. So loosing the Maglia rosa today, won't mean loosing his chance at the podium!