Target: Recover after yesterday. Hope the other teams are as shattered as we are.
Wilson, Williams, Brownlee down to Average.
Pinot down to Very good.
All others Good. Need a recovery stage.
No Breakaway.
Group stays together, Brownlee manages to stay in the peleton until 20km to go. Peter Sagan takes the stage win. British Airways just keep themselves out of trouble.
Stage Winner: Peter Sagan (CAN)
Pink Jersey: Rigoberto Urán (OPQ)
Sprint Jersey: Peter Sagan (CAN)
Mountain Jersey: Simon Clarke (OGE)
Young Rider Jersey: Thibaut Pinot (BAY)
Team Award: Astana Pro Team
Stage 10 of the Giro: Individual Time Trial 42.6km
Target: Pinot is better at longer TT, so hope to put some damage into Uran and stick with Nibali.
Williams and Brownlee: back upto Very Good, all other Excellent.
Pinot finishes 6th, losing only 17 seconds to the stage winner Talansky. Wiggins is poor finishing 4th on the stage. Of the other Favourites: Nibali finishes 2nd 6 seconds behind Talansky, Uran has a poor day day coming in 28th, 1 minute 16 seconds down on Talansky, Beginning to look like a two horse race.
Stage Winner: Andrew Talansky (GAR)
Pink Jersey: Vincenzo Nibali (AST)
Sprint Jersey: Peter Sagan (CAN)
Mountain Jersey: Simon Clarke (OGE)
Young Rider Jersey: Thibaut Pinot (BAY)
Team Award: Astana Pro Team
Target: Aim to go for the stage win, hopefully put some time into Uran and Nibali.
All riders at excellent recovery.
British Airways follow Astana all day, making the Kazakh team do the work. Peleton stays together until the final climb. Uran attacks with 10km to go, Nibali and Pinot follow. Nibali and Pinot work together and Uran is distanced, with 4k to go Pinot attacks.
However Nibali hangs on, and beats Pinot in the sprint. Meaning Pinot moves up to 2nd.
Stage Winner: Vincenzo Nibali (AST)
Pink Jersey: Vincenzo Nibali (AST)
Sprint Jersey: Peter Sagan (CAN)
Mountain Jersey: Robert Kiserlovski (TFR)
Young Rider Jersey: Thibaut Pinot (BAY)
Team Award: Astana Pro Team
Target: Time for a bit of a rest, 2 days to recover and get ready for the next set of mountains.
Pinot: Excellent recovery.
Kennaugh, Bibby, Gallopin down to very good.
Rest of team down to good.
Breakaway of 4 riders: M Rabattini (YFS), E Battaglin (BAR), M Tjallinji (BEL), F Reda (AND)
Quiet stage for British Airways, Cannondale and Argos-Shimano do the work. Breakaway is caught, and theres a bunch sprint. Peter Sagan takes the stage.
Stage Winner: Peter Sagan (CAN)
Pink Jersey: Vincenzo Nibali (AST)
Sprint Jersey: Peter Sagan (CAN)
Mountain Jersey: Robert Kiserlovski (TFR)
Young Rider Jersey: Thibaut Pinot (BAY)
Team Award: Astana Pro Team
Target: Time for a bit of a rest, 1 more day to recover and get ready for the next set of mountains.
Pinot. Kennaugh: Excellent recovery.
Bibby, Gallopin, Jungels and Chaves – Very good.
Wilson, Brownlee, Williams – Good.
Breakaway of 4 riders: (Sorry didn't note their names)
Cannondale and Astana work to bring back the breakaway. Quite happy to let them do the work. Pinot sits behind Gallopin. Sagan attacks on the descent, Brotish airways push it hard enugh to make sure Nibali doesn't try and breakaway on the descent. Sagan takes the stage with a solo win. Degenkolb takes second place from a reduced peleton (70 riders).
Stage Winner: Peter Sagan (CAN)
Pink Jersey: Vincenzo Nibali (AST)
Sprint Jersey: Peter Sagan (CAN)
Mountain Jersey: Robert Kiserlovski (TFR)
Young Rider Jersey: Thibaut Pinot (BAY)
Team Award: Astana Pro Team
Stage 14 of the Giro: Queen Stage. Mountains (3xHC climbs) 240.5km
Target: The queen stage, the team are getting excited now. Can the rider dubbed the new "Fignon" by the French media move into Pink. Gaffeff spends his time trying to keep the team calm but the young team is finding it difficult,
Pinot, Gallopin – excellent recovery.
Kennaugh, Bibby, Chaves – Very good.
Jungles, Wilson, Brownlee – Good.
Williams – Average.
Oh and it's windy (46km/h), this is going to be a pig of a stage. With a headwind into the final climb.
A reasonably quiet stage until the final climb. At this point there is a group of 54 with a breakaway of 8 (A Jeannanson (FDJ), M Moser (CAN), E Vorganov (KAT), S Pirazzi (BAR), J Moreno (MOV), R Valls (LAM), T Damerasu (ARG), J Hoogerland (AND)).
British Airways has two support riders left (Chaves and Kennaugh), Astana still have 4 riders left supporting Nibali.
Astana setting a murderous pace, Riders dropping off the back as they crack, first Kennaugh then Chaves drop off the back leaving Pinot alone. Astana still have their 4 support riders. Then Uran breaks, leaving an elite group of 7.
With 4km to go, Pinot attacks. But the rest of the group work together to catch him up, and Nibali attacks with less than 500m to go to take victory on the queen stage by 7 seconds over the following 6 riders (including Pinot).
Truly a great stage, and a great win for teamwork. Pinot went too early again and couldn't hold it (perhaps down to inexperience). Has this secured the Giro for the Italian?
Stage Winner: Vincenzo Nibali (AST)
Pink Jersey: Vincenzo Nibali (AST)
Sprint Jersey: Peter Sagan (CAN)
Mountain Jersey: Stefano Pirazzi (BAR)
Young Rider Jersey: Thibaut Pinot (BAY)
Team Award: Astana Pro Team
Stage 15 of the Giro: Hilly (with a major descent at the end) 185.0 km
Target: With the descent we need to watch nibali, we also have the problem that the team is shattered. But with a rest day tomorrow, we should be able to push ourselves.
6 breakaway riders. Good day for a breakaway. Astana being made to do all the work. E Battalglin (BAR), G Izaguirre (MOV), E Sella (AND), S Clarke (OGE), J Roy (FDJ), W Anacona (LAM).
Giving headline writers all over the world an easier day, the fabulously named Winner Anacona (LAM) takes the stage.
Pinot stuck on his own on the final climb, no major attack but with the very fast descent Pinot can't stay with him. Pinot loses 39 seconds, but stays in 2nd. Astana will be working hard for the next week though.
Stage Winner: Winner Anacona (LAM)
Pink Jersey: Vincenzo Nibali (AST)
Sprint Jersey: Peter Sagan (CAN)
Mountain Jersey: Simon Clarke (OGE)
Young Rider Jersey: Thibaut Pinot (BAY)
Team Award: Astana Pro Team
Rest day 2: Strategy think. Our 1st rest day target of a podium seems reasonably secure. Can we push for the win, well be have to go for it.
The team are shattered, this is less about tactics than morale. Gaffeff tried to gee up the riders. "we've done better than expected already, go out there and give it everything. When Thibaut is on the Podium is Milan, that is your work that put him there. The only question now is which step he will be on."
Target: Flat stage so unlikely to be anything major. A bit more recovery before the TT tomorrow. The descent at the end needs to be watched in case Nibali tries to do something crazy, but unlikely.
Jungels, Williams, Wilson and Brownlee: Very Good recovery.
All others Excellent.
Flat stage. Wind speed 38kph. Rest day for us. With a 4th cat near the end, maybe a Gallopin stage chance.
Astana and Cannondale teams doing the work. British Airways just look to keep Pinot out of trouble and a half an eye of Nibali.
Carlos Betancur attacks on the surprisingly steep 4th cat at the end, the rest of the peleton together to allow the sprinters to get over. Surprising Cannondale didn't push it harder. Betencur holds off the peleton and then Sagan wins the bunch sprint to finish 2nd ahead of Kristoff.
Stage Winner: Carlos Betancur (AGR)
Pink Jersey: Vincenzo Nibali (AST)
Sprint Jersey: Peter Sagan (CAN)
Mountain Jersey: Simon Clarke (OGE)
Young Rider Jersey: Thibaut Pinot (BAY)
Team Award: Astana Pro Team
Target: Pinot won the Mountain TT in the tour of Romandie. Will see how he does today. Other than that no massive tactical finesse "Ride as fast as you can".
Pinot, Gallopin, Chaves, Kennaugh: Excellent recovery.
Jungels: Very good
Bibby, Williams, Wilson, Brownlee: Good.
An absolutely stonking (technical term) performance by Pinot as he takes 1 minute 20 seconds out of Nibali. The Giro is back on again. It is now however a two horse race, Uran now over 5 minutes back.
Stage Winner: Thibaut Pinot (AGR)
Pink Jersey: Vincenzo Nibali (AST)
Sprint Jersey: Peter Sagan (CAN)
Mountain Jersey: Simon Clarke (OGE)
Young Rider Jersey: Thibaut Pinot (BAY)
Team Award: Astana Pro Team
Breakaway: E Battaglin (BAR), B Hermans (BMC), D Rebellin (CCP), K Vandewalle (TFR) and F Reda (AND)
A day (and the last one) for the sprinters. Astana do the work unto the 60km point when the Sprinter teams takeover. Cannondale, Omega Pharma and Argos Shimano lead the way.
The sprinter teams (Just) get it wrong, the breakaway rider E Battalin taking the stage from P Sagan on a photo finish. Sagan is not amused, however if he finishes he should keep the sprinters jersey.
Stage Winner: Enrico Battaglin (BAR)
Pink Jersey: Vincenzo Nibali (AST)
Sprint Jersey: Peter Sagan (CAN)
Mountain Jersey: Simon Clarke (OGE)
Young Rider Jersey: Thibaut Pinot (BAY)
Team Award: Astana Pro Team
6 man breakaway: T Slagter (GRS), S Pirazzi (BAR), M Bouet (ALM), F Mourey (FDJ), R Zoidl (TFR), J Atapuma (BMC).
British Airways making Astana do all the work. 46kmh head wind on last climb. Pete Kennaugh struggles on the climb dropping back away from the front, Pinot stays behind him looking to bring them back to the front. But Nibali attacks as Pinot drops back, but with 12km to go surely he can't stay away. Pinot and Van den Broeck work together to chase him back but Nibali stays away for a fantastic win. Taking another 42 seoonds out of Pinot.
You'd have to say, that should secure the Giro for Nibali now.
Stage Winner: Vincenzo Nibali (AST)
Pink Jersey: Vincenzo Nibali (AST)
Sprint Jersey: Peter Sagan (CAN)
Mountain Jersey: Simon Clarke (OGE)
Young Rider Jersey: Thibaut Pinot (BAY)
Team Award: Astana Pro Team
Breakaway of 6: E Sella (AND), J Moreno (MOV), F Bongiorno (BAR), M Moser (CAN), T Slaghter (GRS), M Bouet (ALM)
162km: Chaves crashed, But was able to get back onto the back.
Stage win for Pinot. Drive by Astana and British Airways. 22 seconds ahead of Nibali. Followed Betancur attacks with 4 k to go, then went over the top.
Stage Winner: Thibaut Pinot (BAY)
Pink Jersey: Vincenzo Nibali (AST)
Sprint Jersey: Peter Sagan (CAN)
Mountain Jersey: Simon Clarke (OGE)
Young Rider Jersey: Thibaut Pinot (BAY)
Team Award: Astana Pro Team
Will be an epic fight in last week for the win!
