The first of three very tough hilly stages in this year's Tirrano sees the riders attempt this 228km classic like route into Chieti. This one has a very hard last 40 kilometres after a pretty lump first 188 kilometres which should serve as a pretty decent yardstick for the overall here and perhaps the Ardennes classics later on.
The first two stages have seen some attacking riding and sadly yesterday some crashes, once again it is a wet day in Italy so more tumbles could be on the horizon. All things being equal much of the speculation is that this could come down to a battle between elder statemen Frank Schleck
and race leader Philippe Gilbert
along with rising stars
Belgian Jan Bakelants
and young jersey leader Simone Ponzi
All four are part of a select 13 riders still within 20 seconds of race leader Gilbert, other names to watch in that group are: Maurice Schreurs Alessandro Ballan Chris Froome Jonathan Bellis Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver
and Sergio Ghisalberti
There was some misfortune yesterday for Diego Ulissi Edvald Boasson Hagen Domenik Klemme Robin van der Hugenhaben Joost Posthuma Aleksandr Efimkin Danny Summerhill David López Garcia
and Michael Albasini
and they along with a host of others will look to get themselves back into a shout of a top 10 GC placing today and tomorrow.
We get another attacking start and this leads to a decent 7 man breakaway
Gediminas Bagdonas Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez Paul Martens Thomas De Gendt Jonathan McEvoy Daniel Allonca Maximiliano Richeze
make up this move with McEvoy and Martens the best placed on GC just over five minutes back. Cafe de Colombia with a rider in the break again looking to repeat yesterday's stage win certainly food for thought for the Giro Organisation that have banned the Colombian team from the Italian Grand Tour. It's also a strange move for UBS sprinter Richeze who has been with his team very quiet in this race after a decent Tour of Oman showing.
In the pack Pendleton's are at the front as you would expect.
but nothing really serious and all crash and puncture victims are able to make it back.
The first King of the Mountains prime is worth 16 points to the winner and so with current leader Tesfar Teklit
only on 8 points we are going to get a new leader.
It is Gediminas Bagdonas
who sprints clear ahead of Thomas De Gendt
The Lithuanian then takes over the King of the Mountains lead ahead of the former Eritrean leader! The full points were as follows: Bagdonas (160, De Gendt (12), Richeze (10), Martens (8), R. Chavez (6), McEvoy (4) and Allonca (2).
Note that the Pendletons rider McEvoy is not working for the breakaway and Santander's Allonca is certianly struggling every time there is a gradient. The lead however approaches nearly 11 minutes before some of the favourite teams start to chase.
It is Wiggle and Vesuvio who are doing the grunt work. Almost as soon as the chasing start's some of the heavy sprinters slide back feeling it is time to form a gruppeto, the first names back there are Theo Bos
and Jacopo Guarnieri
The slippery roads are continuing to cause damage and now the peloton are in racing mode these are proving decisive now. A particular nasty one see's Jacob Fiedler
fall heavily.
This also causes Geert Steurs
to fall and unfortunately the Belgian cobbler has to abandon.
The steady chasing has reduced the massive 10+ minute gap down to a more sensible 5 and a half minutes with 60km to go. It is Wiggle that are doing a huge amount of work with their Italian climbers, but this does not stop Guillaume Levarlet
attacking
The Frenchman lies some 6.15 back from Gilbert in 84th place on GC, so he knows only a long range move will work. But he is seen by the others as a threat and his gap is pegged at around 40 to 50 seconds. He isn't caught though quickly with more falls probably making the peloton slow down from time to time. Francesco Bellotti
and Simon Zahner
being two more fairly decent roulers to find the floor.
The breakaway rolls through the first sprint with Thomas De Gendt
taking it ahead of Gediminas Bagdonas
and Jonathan McEvoy
The Pendleton's rider has started to work now that his team have moved away from the front of the front of the pack. Indeed race leader Gilbert despite his lead seems to be being talked down of his overall chances against the likes of Ponzi, Bakelandts and Schleck. The key last 40 kilometres will see whether any of those three can make their presence felt.
There are several little steep climbs here that remind us of an Amstal Gold or a Liege-Bastogne -Liege classic. The first of those is raced at full speed the break having 3 and a half minutes on Levelet and just over four minutes on the wiggle led peloon (down to 94 riders).
The early parts of the climb see's the weaker riders from the breakaway found out with
Daniel Allonca
and Maximiliano Richeze
going first, followed by:
Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez
and Gediminas Bagdonas
This steep first hill is also splitting the peloton into pieces with half the pack split, race radio is reporting that Edvald Boasson Hagen
is in the latter half.
He simply doesn't look up for the fight in this race after being delayed by yesterdays crash and out of position on day one. Towards the top of the climb more decent names are dropped including Danny Summerhill Chris Froome
and stage two winner Honorio Machado
We have three leaders left then of the original 7 man breakaway with Thomas De Gendt
again taking the six seconds and six points ahead this time of Paul Martens
and Jonathan McEvoy
The bonuses are not too important as the pack has the break with the five minutes that Martens and McEvoy are down. Indeed the attacking Levelet is already starting to pick off the fallen riders as he joins Allonca.
The break will contest the last king of the mountains prime with the winner getting 6 points and De Gendt second on the first climb will nab it by attacking over the top.
McEvoy takes second with Martens third, the net result is that De Gendt has the King of the Mountains lead with 18 points over Bagdonas with 16 points, the Lithuanian being dropped before this prime.
The attack asssumedly to take the points takes a second purpose as Martens and McEvoy are unable to close the gap back up. This leaves Milka's useful rouler in the sole lead.
The KoM climb has also caused more riders to drop back from the favourites group with Froome having clawed his way back his team mate 4th on GC Jonathan Bellis
drops back.
We move onto into the last 22 kilometres here is the race situation: Thomas De Gendt
leads
with Jonathan McEvoy
and Paul Martens
at 1.07
then Guillaume Levarlet
at 1.37
with the wiggle led 35 man favourites group at 2.25
10 man Summerhill/Fuglsang group at 3.36
Bellis group at 4.29
Danacek group at 4.58
Flecha group at 5.15
Hagen group at 8.40
The plucky French Carmuese rider joins up with the two chasers in front of him.
The favourites group continues to shred numbers as we get to the third to last climb their numbers are down to just 32.
Popovich, Bertagnolli, Ziani, Pavarin, Nocentini, Grippo, Ponzi Hoogerland, Stundzia, Schleck Vastaranta, Walker, Bakelandts Moletta, Downing, Margaliot, Gilbert Kreuzinger, Efimkin Guldhammer, Klemme Dees, Ljungbald, Ulissi Ballan, Van der Hugnehaben Del Nero, Lopez Garcia Chris Froome Maurice Schreurs Sergio Ghisalberti Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver
make up this 32 man favourites group note not much news of Joost Posthuma
he is miles back seemingly like Hagen effected by yesterday's crashes.
On this little steep climb (third to last from finish), Froome launches an ambitious attack as the peloton reel in Martens and McEvoy (Leverlet slightly ahead)
Froome is followed by Ulissi and the duo join Leverlet a little way clear of the favourites group. But Wiggle are determined to chase this down for their leader Ponzi. They catch all three before the lengthy penultimate climb.
The Anglo-Italian team have done a huge job here and more riders are falling off the back including one of their own as Grippo, Dees and Stundzia are detached.
De Gendt is still plugging away up front but dreams of a stage win are rapidly disappearing.
Rapha Condor having lost Bellis from the lead group seem to have instructed Froome to keep trying and once again the Brit tries to attack with Ulissi again the rider who follows.
This acceleration proves the end of De Gendt with also Klemme, Kreuzinger, Guldhammer, Downing, Margaliot, Nocentini, Ljungbald going backwards.
Sensing that his teammates have done all they can as Froome and Ulissi are reeled in yet again, Ponzi goes on the attack.
It's a really fierce move from the young Italian, however it has grabbed the attentions of Frank Schleck who moves to the front to keep him in check.
Lopez Garcia is amongst the next wave of riders to drop away from contention.
Schleck and Bakelandts manage to bring back Ponzi on the downhill the pace though has detached them and three others from the other favourites.
Gilbert, Ulissi and Froome have joined Schleck, Bakelandts and Ponzi in making the cut. Efimkin quickly realises the danger and bridges.
As he does though the Belgain dangerman Bakelandts goes on the offensive with an attack.
With the last 2100m steep climb Pearl Adidas's big hill climbing rider has a 25 second gap
Schleck, Gilbert, Ponzi, Froome, Efimking and Ulissi have a further 25 seconds on a group of ten behind. This group of ten are Caruso, Ballan, Scheurs, Ghiselberti, Van den Hugenhaben, Rodriguez, Vanstaranta, Hoogerland and Moletta.
Coming onto this final dig we can see it is Efimkin who is leading it out ahead of Gilbert and Schleck who are building up for a final push. Ponzi is looking a little far back here if those two make an acceleration.
Back in the group of ten Ghiselberti tries to get out of the group up to the six man group ahead.
The six man group is splitting into two three's as Ullisi and Froome cannot hold Schleck's wheel. Ponzi is trying to come around and battle back up.
Schleck has come firmly off of Gilbert and Efimkins wheel and is putting it all on a late move to try and get back to Bakelandts.
But he has either misjudged this or could not follow Bakelandts at the time, the Pearl Adidas rider gets the win and probably a time gap to take the GC lead.
Schleck was the fastest in the last 1500m but he couldn't quite get up to this talented Belgian.
He does however gap race leader Gilbert and Efimkin.
Ponzi, Ulissi and Froome follow the Russian in 5th, 6th and 7th.
With Ghiselbert leading the rest home 45 seconds behind the Brit.
Gaps have been recorded between each of the first 7, this with the time bonuses gives Bakelandts a 21 second lead over now points leader Gilbert and 23 seconds over Schleck. Ponzi seemed to make some tactical blunders there and is back in 4th at 58 seconds, Froome an excellent 5th.
The other contenders fan out behind those five, certainly plenty of exciting racing to come. Though Hagen looks way out of it after finishing 70th today over 18 minutes back.
