The organizers weren't kidding when they said the 2011 Giro d'Italia would be one of the toughest in memory.
Tuesday's Stage 16 is an individual time trial — a mere 12.7km (7.9 miles) from Belluno to Nevegal. The difficulty comes from the fact that it is all uphill, with sections at 10% to 14% gradient.
Here's a profile and 3D tour supplied by CyclingtheAlps.com …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/24/time-trial-profile-for-tuesdays-stage-16-at-giro-ditalia/
You have to wonder how many cyclists in the 19-man breakaway that developed early on Stage 15 actually thought they had a chance to win on Sunday. The 229km (143-mile) Giro d'Italia bike race over 4 mountain passes ended in a summit finish.
Spain's Mikel Nieve (Eukaltel Euskadi) must have believed. Even after being dropped by Italy's Stephano Garzelli over the last two high passes, Nieve fought back to win the stage atop Val di Fassa.
Race leader Alberto Contador finished in third, just behind Garzelli. Contador continued to add to his margin over his rivals, posting a 4:20 gap over second-place Michele Scarponi (Lampre) at the end of the day …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/22/breakaway-cyclist-wins-5-climb-stage-at-giro-ditalia/
Cyclists face the last of three summit finishes this weekend at the Giro d'Italia, and this one appears to be the most brutal.
Before battling to the summit of Gardeccia-Val di Fassa, the peloton has to ride 229km (143 miles) and pass over four Category 1 or 2 passes.
The third climb of the day is the Passo Giau, the highest point in this year's Giro. As such, the first cyclist over the top wins the Cima Coppi prize.
On the final climb, the cyclists face a 16% gradient in places ….
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/21/giro-ditalia-highest-point-in-sundays-stage-15/
Alberto Contador remained in control of the Giro d'Italia on the steep slopes of Monte Zoncolon on Saturday.
The Spanish cyclist let fellow countryman Igor Anton (Euskaltel Euskadi) escape to a Stage 14 victory, while denying help to second-place rival Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) as he marked the Italian's pace up the mountain.
The 170km (105 miles) bike race from Lienz to Monte Zoncolon was the second of three summit finishes planned for the weekend.
The route was shortened twice: once by 20km to remove the Monte Crostis descent, and another 20km to detour around fans …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/21/contador-chooses-battles-on-zoncolon-summit-at-giro-ditalia/
Jose Rujano might have learned at the Giro d'Italia on Friday that it pays to work with Alberto Contador, instead of drafting him.
The 29-year-old cyclist was the only cyclist in the peloton to catch race leader Contador's wheel on the tough final climb up the Grosslockner, the highest peak in Austria.
The Venezuelan had tried drafting Contador last Sunday on the final attack on the Mt. Etna summit, and Contador kicked it at the end and left Rujano in his dust.
On Friday, Rujano cooperated on the climb ….
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/20/cooperation-brings-victory-to-venezuelan-at-giro/
Stage 13 of the Giro d'Italia bike race is the first of three major mountain stages the peloton will face this weekend.
The peloton faces four rated climbs on the 167km (103.5 miles) race that starts in Spilimbergo and heads to Friday's destination — the 2504m Grosslockner in Austria.
The climbs are:
Passo di Monte Croce Carnico – Category 2
Gailbergsattel – Category 3…
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/20/giro-ditalia-enters-mountain-zones/
The cyclists in the Giro d'Italia peloton rode the HTC-Highroad express for 114 miles from Castelfidardo to Ravenna on Thursday as the team delivered its VIP passenger to the finish line.
Sprinter Mark Cavendish sat on his teammates' wheels until the final 100 yards when he battled for victory against Davide Appollonio (Sky) and Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre).
The Stage 12 victory made Cavendish the first cyclist to win two stages at this year's Giro; it was the 7th Giro victory of his career.
The overall standings remained the same ….
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/19/catching-a-train-to-stage-12-win-at-giro-ditalia/
On a stage dominated by breakaways, a cyclist who sat in the peloton all day won Stage 11 on Wednesday at the Giro d'Italia.
John Gadret (AG2R) attacked from the driving peloton less than a mile from the finish in Castelfidardo. He bridged up to Daniel Moreno (Katusha) and easily passed the surviving member of a 11-man breakaway.
Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank), who had earlier said he wasn't interested in protecting the maglia rosa for every remaining stage of the Giro, still wore the overall leader's jersey …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/18/stage-11-breakaway-sure-thing-spoiled-at-giro-finish-line/
After Tuesday's flat stage, the Giro d'Italia peloton bumps along the jagged profile of Stage 11 from Tortoreto to Castelfidardo.
The 142km (88-mile) route follows the narrow roads through the mountains within sight of the Adriatic Sea.
Classified as a medium mountain stage …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/18/climbing-preview-for-stage-11-of-giro-ditalia-bike-race/
It has been a long, dry spell for the sprinters at the Giro d'Italia bike race, what with mountains, hairpin turns near the finish-line and summit finishes.
That ended Tuesday, as the flat run along the Adriatic Coast for Stage 10 proved to be the perfect opportunity for them.
Rivals Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) and Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) made the most of it, as they battled in the closing meters of the field sprint. Cavendish hung onto Petacchi's rear wheel and then attacked, driving past the Italian to the finish line …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2011/05/17/sprint-rivals-contest-stage-10-at-giro-ditalia/
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