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The Giro d'Italia starts in Sicily on Saturday and takes in 21 stages across 3,497km (2,173 miles) before it concludes in Milan on Sunday 25 October.
With more than 40,000m of climbing and three individual time trials in the rearranged 103rd edition of the race, where will it be won and lost?
Saturday's opening time trial includes a steep 1.1km climb up to the centre of Monreale, with the quickest rider at the intermediate time check taking the blue jersey as the first leader of the mountains competition.
From there it's a fast-running descent into the heart of Palermo which will give time-trial specialists - and newly crowned world champion Filippo Ganna - plenty of encouragement.
After 3,481km of racing the Giro could be decided by a blistering final 15.7km time trial.
While a turnaround on the scale of last month's Tour de France is unlikely given the nature and distance of the course, any small time gaps could still be exploited by the main contenders.
Who are the favourites for the maglia rosa?
Geraint Thomas: Well off the pace at the Criterium du Dauphine in August, Britain's Thomas appears hungry and motivated after being omitted from the Ineos Grenadiers team for the Tour de France.
Given Ineos' troubles at the Tour, the Giro represents an opportunity for both to prove a point. A second-place finish at Tirreno-Adriatico and fourth place in the time trial at the World Championships suggest 2018 Tour de France champion Thomas is riding back into form at the right time.
With his capacity to climb and three individual time trials working in his favour, the 34-year-old Welshman will arrive at the Grande Partenza as one of the big favourites.
Simon Yates: Yates will be hoping it is third time lucky at the Giro. The Mitchelton-Scott rider spectacularly cracked on the Colle delle Finestre when leading the race in 2018, to eventually finish 21st. He was eighth the following year.
However, he comes into this year's race having underlined his credentials as a potential winner, finishing third at the Tour de Pologne and winning Tirreno-Adriatico.
Victory in the 2018 Vuelta a Espana proved the Briton has the nous to win a three-week race but, with his time-trialling likely to be a weakness, he may need a solid lead heading into the final stage.
Steven Kruijswijk: Kruijswijk comes to the Giro after missing out on Jumbo-Visma's challenge to win the Tour with a shoulder injury.
Third in the 2019 Tour, the Dutch rider has unfinished business at the Giro, after a crash when leading the 2016 race destroyed his hopes of winning, while an illness 12 months later forced him to withdraw.
A consistent and durable rider, Kruijswijk will be counting on a hard final week in the mountains to crack his rivals.
Vincenzo Nibali: Nibali, arguably has the best pedigree of any rider at the race, having won all of cycling's Grand Tour's in a stellar career.
Now 35, the Italian will have the benefit of Giulio Ciccone supporting him on the Trek-Segafredo team and will hope to find his legs after subdued displays at Tirreno-Adriatico and the Giro dell'Appennino.
Second to Richard Carapaz in 2019, Nibali - nicknamed the Shark - knows how to win here better than most with seven stage successes and two overall race victories.
Jakob Fuglsang: Former mountain biker Fuglsang missed the Tour to concentrate on the Giro and finished a creditable fifth in the road race at the World Championships.
The Dane is likely to be buoyed by the support of Astana team-mates Oscar Rodriguez, Aleksandr Vlasov and Miguel Angel Lopez, who is fresh from a sixth-placed finish at the Tour - where he claimed a superb win on the Col de la Loze.
However, at 35, Fuglsang still has to prove he can compete at the sharp end of a Grand Tour, with only one top-10 finish in his career.
With more than 40,000m of climbing and three individual time trials in the rearranged 103rd edition of the race, where will it be won and lost?
Saturday's opening time trial includes a steep 1.1km climb up to the centre of Monreale, with the quickest rider at the intermediate time check taking the blue jersey as the first leader of the mountains competition.
From there it's a fast-running descent into the heart of Palermo which will give time-trial specialists - and newly crowned world champion Filippo Ganna - plenty of encouragement.
After 3,481km of racing the Giro could be decided by a blistering final 15.7km time trial.
While a turnaround on the scale of last month's Tour de France is unlikely given the nature and distance of the course, any small time gaps could still be exploited by the main contenders.
Who are the favourites for the maglia rosa?
Geraint Thomas: Well off the pace at the Criterium du Dauphine in August, Britain's Thomas appears hungry and motivated after being omitted from the Ineos Grenadiers team for the Tour de France.
Given Ineos' troubles at the Tour, the Giro represents an opportunity for both to prove a point. A second-place finish at Tirreno-Adriatico and fourth place in the time trial at the World Championships suggest 2018 Tour de France champion Thomas is riding back into form at the right time.
With his capacity to climb and three individual time trials working in his favour, the 34-year-old Welshman will arrive at the Grande Partenza as one of the big favourites.
Simon Yates: Yates will be hoping it is third time lucky at the Giro. The Mitchelton-Scott rider spectacularly cracked on the Colle delle Finestre when leading the race in 2018, to eventually finish 21st. He was eighth the following year.
However, he comes into this year's race having underlined his credentials as a potential winner, finishing third at the Tour de Pologne and winning Tirreno-Adriatico.
Victory in the 2018 Vuelta a Espana proved the Briton has the nous to win a three-week race but, with his time-trialling likely to be a weakness, he may need a solid lead heading into the final stage.
Steven Kruijswijk: Kruijswijk comes to the Giro after missing out on Jumbo-Visma's challenge to win the Tour with a shoulder injury.
Third in the 2019 Tour, the Dutch rider has unfinished business at the Giro, after a crash when leading the 2016 race destroyed his hopes of winning, while an illness 12 months later forced him to withdraw.
A consistent and durable rider, Kruijswijk will be counting on a hard final week in the mountains to crack his rivals.
Vincenzo Nibali: Nibali, arguably has the best pedigree of any rider at the race, having won all of cycling's Grand Tour's in a stellar career.
Now 35, the Italian will have the benefit of Giulio Ciccone supporting him on the Trek-Segafredo team and will hope to find his legs after subdued displays at Tirreno-Adriatico and the Giro dell'Appennino.
Second to Richard Carapaz in 2019, Nibali - nicknamed the Shark - knows how to win here better than most with seven stage successes and two overall race victories.
Jakob Fuglsang: Former mountain biker Fuglsang missed the Tour to concentrate on the Giro and finished a creditable fifth in the road race at the World Championships.
The Dane is likely to be buoyed by the support of Astana team-mates Oscar Rodriguez, Aleksandr Vlasov and Miguel Angel Lopez, who is fresh from a sixth-placed finish at the Tour - where he claimed a superb win on the Col de la Loze.
However, at 35, Fuglsang still has to prove he can compete at the sharp end of a Grand Tour, with only one top-10 finish in his career.
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Perhaps the most stylish trophy in sport ......
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Geraint Thomas claimed fourth place at the Giro d'Italia's opening day time trial - 26 seconds ahead of British rival Simon Yates.
The stage was won by Thomas' Ineos Grenadiers team-mate Filippo Ganna - who was also victorious at the world time trial championship last Friday. Yates, 28, was 17th, nearly a minute down on Ganna's winning time of 15 minutes and 24 seconds. The 15.1km race was marred by a crash for Astana's Miguel Angel Lopez. Lopez was taken to hospital by ambulance after crashing through the barrier at the 9.4km time check when he momentarily took one hand off the bars on his bike. His front wheel hit a bump in the tarmac, which pitched the bike off to his right, through a steel barrier and into members of the crowd near the centre of Palermo. "Miguel Angel has been taken to hospital for further observation. We will update you as soon as we know more," said a team statement on Twitter. The Columbian automatically abandons the race because he did not get to the finish of the stage. Stage 1 result and general classification 1. Filippo Ganna (Ita/Ineos Grenadiers) 15 minutes 24 seconds 2. João Almeida (Por/Deceuninck-Quick Step) +22secs 3. Mikkel Bjerg (Den/UAE-Team Emirates) same time 4. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineo Grenadiers) +23secs 5. Tobias Foss (Nor/Jumbo-Visma) +31secs 6. Josef Cerny (Cze/CCC) +36secs 7. Matteo Sobrero (Ita/NTT Pro cycling) +40secs 8. Lawson Craddock (USA/EF Pro Cycling) +41secs 9. Miles Scotson (Aus/Groupama-FDJ) +42secs 10. Matthias Brandle (Aus/Israel Start Up Nation) same time Others 17. Simon Yates (GB/Michelton-Scott) +49secs |
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Quack Quack
 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/54405087 Whether it's television shows, clothes or music, we can all think of stuff out there that's so bad, it's good. So... welcome to the greatest kit you'll probably never dare to wear: the EF Pro Cycling's special Giro d'Italia 'duck' outfit. The American team is no stranger to colour schemes and concepts that are a little, um, 'out there' - given that their day job kit is fluorescent pink. But this one? Just... wow. The leader's jersey of the current Tour of Italy, known as the maglia rosa, is pink. So teams with similar schemes are often encouraged to change their kits. Keen to do things more than a little differently, EF decided to produce what can only be described as a psychedelic graphical explosion - complete with duck. And the coup de grace: time trial helmets shaped like a duck's bill. The reaction has been inevitably mixed in the cycling community and beyond. But it appears to be too much for cycling's world governing body the UCI, who have fined the team 500 Swiss francs for each competing athlete - a total of £3,358.80 - for "non-compliant clothing". Naturally, EF team boss Jonathan Vaughters - a colourful and charming character in his own right - was thrilled, responding sarcastically on Twitter: "Oh @UCI_cycling you guys are always looking out for the best interest of the sport, aren't ya? Thanks for the $4,000 of fines for wearing our crazy ducks. Hope [UCI boss] @DLappartient enjoys his dinner on us! Salud!" |
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Geraint Thomas retained his advantage over Simon Yates in the Giro d'Italia as Diego Ulissi won after a late attack on stage two.
Thomas' Ineos Grenadiers team-mate Filippo Ganna continues to lead overall after his win in Saturday's time trial. Ulissi broke away from the peloton with about 1km to go of the final climb before powering away from Peter Sagan. Thomas remains fourth overall 23 seconds down, with Michelton-Scott's Yates eighth, 49 seconds back. Thomas, 34, earned the gap he has over his general classification rivals after fourth place during the time trial into Palermo, which began the three-week race across Italy. The only other GC challenger close to his time is Yates, 28, who is expected to lose time to Thomas in the race's three time trials, before recovering it during the mountain stages. Ulissi, of Tour de France winners UAE-Team Emirates, won his seventh career Giro stage after an impressive late push away from the peloton up a small final climb after the 149km race from Alcamo to Agrigento on Sicily. Bora Hansgrohe's Sagan followed, but was not able to stay with Ulissi in the final sprint. It is a year since three-time road race world champion Sagan has won a race. |
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Monday 5 October - stage three: Enna - Etna, 150km
The first summit finish of the race should see the general classification battle begin to form. An 18.9km final climb takes the riders up a succession of hairpins as the gradient kicks up from 6% to 11% in the final 1.5km. Mitchelton-Scott will be hoping to replicate their success on the sixth stage at Mount Etna in 2018, when Colombia's Esteban Chaves and Britain's Simon Yates completed a one-two while distancing Thibaut Pinot, Miguel Angel Lopez and Chris Froome. |
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Stage 3 result blew the race wide
OPEN Favs out of contention  |
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Britain's Geraint Thomas is out of contention for the Giro d'Italia after losing more than 12 minutes on stage three to Mount Etna.
The Ineos Grenadiers rider, 34, crashed just before the start after a drinks bottle became lodged under his front wheel.  Fellow Briton and race favourite Simon Yates of Michelton-Scott lost more than four minutes. The stage was won by EF Pro Cycling's Jonathan Caicedo. Deceuninck-Quick Step's Joao Almeida now wears the leader's pink jersey, although he is tied on time with Caicedo. Thomas and Yates were the two strongest contenders to win this year's Giro, which promised to be a battle of two riders coming into form. Instead, it was a miserable day for both as the rain fell in the dramatic surrounds of Etna's dried black lava flows. Thomas crashed during the neutralised zone before the start of the mountainous stage up to Sicily's volcano. He appeared to be riding comfortably despite badly torn kit and landing on his hip. But as the stage wore on Thomas slipped back from the peloton about 25km from the end of the stage. Ineos even sacrificed the leader's pink jersey, taking race leader Filippo Ganna back to try to to help Thomas recover. Thomas was third in the general classification before the stage, 26 seconds ahead of Yates in eighth. Soon after Thomas' demise, Yates began to fade in a similar way, slipping back from a rapid peloton. Yates had shown strong form in the lead-up to the Giro, winning last month's Tirreno-Adriatico warm-up race a few seconds ahead of Thomas, who was also recovering form after being left out of the Tour de France. With 18 days of racing remaining, Thomas is now 11 minutes 17 seconds down in the general classification, while Yates has a deficit of 3mins 46secs. It will be a bitter disappointment for Ineos, who had a terrible Tour campaign by their standards after defending champion Egan Bernal abandoned the race when he lost seven minutes to leaders on stage 15. The team had won every Tour since 2015 until last month. Thomas will be assessed by the team's medical staff and decision made on whether he should continue in the race from Tuesday's 140km sprint stage from Catania to Villafranca Tirrena. Ineos may chose to focus their general classification aims on Tao Geoghegan Hart, who is their highest-placed rider at 3mins 19secs down. The highest-placed British rider is Deceuninck-Quick Step's James Knox, at 1min 40secs behind. "It's still a long Giro," said Ineos sport director Matteo Tosatto. "We have Filippo and Rohan [Dennis] with some good chances in the time trials and we also have [Jonathan] Castro[viejo] and Tao riding well. We'll take stock tonight and look at our approach for the rest of the race." As rivals sensed trouble for both riders the pace of the peloton picked up, with two-time winner Vincenzo Nibali's Trek-Segafredo team taking over at the front. Despite a stray Labrador nearly knocking several riders off their bikes before the final 19km climb up to Etna, many of the remaining team leaders made back time. Steven Kruijswijk of Jumbo-Visma, Astana's Jakob Fuglsang, Bora-Hansgrohe's Rafal Majka and Nibali - nicknamed the Shark of Messina - all recovered time lost after poor time trials on stage one. Sicilian Nibali, 35, is now one of the favourites at 55 seconds behind overall leader Joao Almeida of Deceunick-QuickStep. General classification 1. Joao Almeida (Por/Deceuninck-Quick Step) 7 hours 44 minutes 25 seconds 2. Jonathan Caicedo (Ecu/EF Pro Cycling) same time 3. Pello Bilbao (Spa/Bahrain-McLaren) +37secs 4. Wilco Keldermann (Ned/Sunweb) +42secs 5. Harm Vanhoucke (Bel/Lotto-Soudal) +53secs 6. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita/Trek-Segafedo) +55secs 7. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita/NTT) +59secs 8. Brandon McNulty (USA/UAE-Team Emirates) +1min 11secs 9. Jakob Fuglsang (Den/Astana) +1min 13secs 10. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned/Jumbo-Visma) +1min 15secs Others 25. Simon Yates (GB/Michelton-Scott) +3mins 46secs 53. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +11mins 17secs Sky KNEW when they abandoned their sponsorship deal, Ineos increasingly looking to have been sold a lemon  |
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Britain's Geraint Thomas has been forced to pull out of the Giro d'Italia because of a fractured hip.
The Ineos Grenadiers rider, 34, crashed just before the start of Monday's third stage after a drinks bottle became lodged under his front wheel. The Welshman completed the stage but lost more than 12 minutes, effectively ending his hopes of winning the race. A scan on Monday was inconclusive but a second on Tuesday morning showed a fracture. "It's so frustrating. I'd put so much work in to this race," said Thomas, who won the Tour de France in 2018. "I did everything I could and feel like I was in just as good, if not better shape, than when I won the Tour. I was feeling really good. So for it just to end like this is gutting. "I was really up for starting today. I woke up and wanted to start with the boys and at least help them go for stages over the next few days, but deep down I knew something wasn't right, so we went to get these extra scans. "It does make the decision easier when there's a fracture in some ways, because obviously I don't want to do anymore damage." |
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Ineos Grenadiers doctor Phil Riley said: "Geraint had an MRI and a CT scan this morning [Tuesday] which revealed a small undisplaced fracture in the lower part of the pelvis which wasn't picked up on the X-rays yesterday.
"As a precaution he will be withdrawn from the race as it's an injury that could easily be aggravated." |
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Italy's Luca Wackermann was taken to hospital after a helicopter "flying too low" caused a crash near the end of stage four of the Giro d'Italia.
 Vini Zabu-KTM's Wackermann and Etienne van Empel both fell in the incident. Dutch rider Van Empel was able to get back up but his teammate was less fortunate. "Wackermann was sent to the hospital, he was barely conscious," team boss Andrea Citracca told Italian TV station RAI2. "The helicopter was flying too low, the movement of the air blew up the barriers. It is not clear if he has broken his pelvis. The barriers were not tied properly." |
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Demar wins the sprint
AGAIN Why is Sagab fav Hes past it  |
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Arnaud Demare won stage six of the Giro d'Italia in a sprint finish for his second victory of the 2020 race.
French Groupama-FDJ rider Demare powered away from Team Sunweb's Michael Matthews and Astana's Fabio Felline to win in Matera at the end of the 188km ride from Castrovillari. Deceuninck-QuickStep's Joao Almeida remains in the leader's pink jersey. Britain's Simon Yates finished in the peloton and remains nearly four minutes behind Almeida. But the Mitchelton-Scott rider, who lost time on stage three, could narrow that gap, with plenty of climbing in the Italian Alps to come. Demare, who also won stage four, was one of a reduced bunch after a short but steep climb near the finish. Peter Sagan found himself boxed in and when Demare kicked, the 29-year-old rapidly gapped Matthews and Felline to win comfortably on the uphill finish. "This is absolutely amazing," he said. "It was a really strong climb, really steep, I lost a few positions but I didn't go too crazy. "I managed to get back up, I was in the wheel of the Astana guy, and I just kept following. "I can't believe I got there at the finish - that was really hard. This morning, I didn't know if there was going to be even a chance for a sprint. It's amazing." General classification 1. Joao Almeida (Por/Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 22hrs 1min 01secs 2. Pello Bilbao (Spa/Bahrain-McLaren) +43secs 3. Wilco Kelderman (Ned/Team Sunweb) +48secs 4. Harm Vanhoucke (Bel/Lotto-Soudal) +59secs 5. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita/Trek-Segafredo) +1min 01secs 6. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita/NTT Pro Cycling Team) +1min 05secs 7. Jakob Fuglsang (Den/Astana Pro Team) +1min 19secs 8. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned/Jumbo-Visma) +1min 21secs 9. Patrick Konrad (Aut/Bora-Hansgrohe) +1min 26secs 10. Rafal Majka (Pol/Bora-Hansgrohe )+1min 32secs Selected others: 19. Tao Geoghegan Hart (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +3mins 18secs 20. James Knox (GB/Deceuninck-Quick-Step) +3mins 26secs 21. Simon Yates (GB/Mitchelton-Scott) +3mins 52secs |
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Cross winds blowing as predicted
Race already blown apart  |
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Just like at The Open, it's a different game when the wind blows
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Demare
AGAIN |
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He's on a roll
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Simon Yates has withdrawn from the Giro d’Italia ahead of Saturday’s stage eight after testing positive for coronavirus.
The 28-year-old began to show mild symptoms following stage seven on Friday, his Mitchelton-Scott team said, and was subsequently tested at the request of their medical team. Yates has been isolated in his hotel room and will now enter a period of quarantine. |
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Britain's Alex Dowsett claimed a solo victory in the eighth stage of the Giro d'Italia with Matthew Holmes third.
The 32-year-old Israel Start-Up Nation rider was part of a six-man breakaway allowed to go free on the 200km run from Giovinazzo to Vieste. There was no change in the general classification, Joao Almeida retaining his 43-second lead over Pello Bilbao. Britain's Simon Yates withdrew from the race before the start of the stage after testing positive for coronavirus. Dowsett rode away inside the final 20km as he used his time-trialling skills to take victory by 75 seconds. It was his second career Giro stage win, seven years after his success on the stage eight time trial of the 2013 edition, and a first Grand Tour victory for his young team. Fellow Briton Holmes was beaten to second place by Salvatore Puccio, while the peloton eventually rolled home almost 14 minutes behind. Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome will join Israel Start-Up Nation next year, but Dowsett's own future is uncertain in the final months of his contract. "It's been such a tough year," said Dowsett, who is due to become a father in the coming months. "Just all the uncertainty and trying to work out how I'm going to get to next year and still be racing, still be doing what I love, and still being able to put food on the table for three of us rather than two come January. "Hopefully this year will help secure something for next year." |
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Mark Cavendish says his career could be at an end following Sunday's one-day Gent-Wevelgem classics race.
The 35-year-old has struggled for form in recent seasons, suffering from the Epstein-Barr virus. He spent much of Sunday's race in Belgium in the breakaway, showing his best form for some time, but finished 74th, more than six minutes down on winner Mads Pedersen. "That was perhaps the last race of my career," a tearful Cavendish said. |
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Portugal's Ruben Guerreiro claimed stage nine at the Giro d'Italia as compatriot Joao Almeida retained his overall lead in the event.
Almeida faltered on the final 9.6km climb in the mountainous stage in Abruzzo, but holds a 30-second overall lead for the race leader's pink jersey. Guerreiro, 26, claimed his first stage win after a tight battle in the rain against Spain's Jonathan Castroviejo. Monday is the first rest day in the 21-stage race, which ends on 25 October. It was the second stage win for Education First at this year's Giro after Ecuador's Jonathan Caicedo won last Monday on the summit at Mount Etna. Guerreiro is the first Portuguese rider to win a stage on the Giro d'Italia since Acacio da Silva in 1989. He pulled away from fellow breakaway rider Castroviejo in the last 300 metres of the final climb. Tuesday's 10th stage will be a 177km mountain trek between Lanciano and Tortoreto. |
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2TEAMS SENT HOME AFTER POSITIVE TESTS
Including Jumbo and Mitchdon Scott Will the race finish And can Nibiai hang on ? |
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Sagan Triumphs
Cest Manifque |
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Demare gets
REVENGE |
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Ineos Grenadiers' Jhonatan Narvaez won stage 12 of the Giro d'Italia in treacherous conditions.
The Ecuadorian, 23, was the best of a breakaway group ahead of the peloton, in which Joao Almeida retained the leader's pink jersey. Rain fell across most of the 170km stage, which started and finished in Cesenatico, causing several punctures. Mark Padun chased Narvaez until about 22km to go before needing to change his bike. Friday's 192km stage is a sprinter's run from Cervia to Monselice. Narvaez's was a sweet victory for British team Ineos, who have lost their lead riders in both Grand Tours this season, Egan Bernal midway through the Tour de France and Geraint Thomas early in the Giro with a fractured pelvis. The team have focused on stage wins since, taking two through powerhouse time-trial specialist Filippo Ganna and now Narvaez. The whole field was split into several groups as the stage dragged on through several long category three and four climbs around the hills of Emilia Romagna - where famous Italian Tour de France and Giro champion Marco Pantani grew up. In the general classification, Deceuninck-Quick Step protected Almeida, while other teams lost several domestiques. But most of the main contenders who remain in this race of attrition did not lose significant time, including Sunweb's Wilco Kelderman, only 34 seconds down, and Trek-Segafredo's Vincenzo Nibali at one minute one second. Pre-race favourites Thomas, Simon Yates of Michelton-Scott and Steven Kruijswijk of Jumbo-Visma have all abandoned. Yates and Kruijswijk quit after contracting the coronavirus, prompting their teams to withdraw from the race, leading to questions over whether the Giro should continue to its conclusion in Milan on 25 October. |
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General classification after stage 12
1. Joao Almeida (Por/Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 49hrs 21mins 46secs 2. Wilco Kelderman (Ned/Sunweb) +34secs 3. Pello Bilbao (Spa/Bahrain-McLaren) +43secs 4. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita/NTT Pro Cycling Team) +57secs 5. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita/Trek-Segafredo) +1min 1sec 6. Patrick Konrad (Aut/Bora-Hansgrohe) +1min 15secs 7. Jai Hindley (Aus/Team Sunweb) +1min 19secs 8. Rafal Majka (Pol/Bora-Hansgrohe) +1min 21secs 9. Fausto Masnada (Ita/Deceuninck-Quick-Step) +1min 36secs 10. Jakob Fuglsang (Den/Astana) +2min 20secs |
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A leading team wants the Giro d'Italia to end a week early, citing a "clearly compromised" coronavirus bubble.
EF Pro Cycling - winners of two of the 12 stages so far - wrote to race organisers asking for the race to end this Sunday. However, cycling's governing body, the UCI rejected, the request. On Tuesday, the Mitchelton-Scott and Jumbo-Visma teams withdrew from the tour following positive tests in their camps. "With a clearly compromised bubble," EF's letter said, "and an expected lag between exposure and symptoms/positives, it must be expected that further illness will result." |
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Britain's Chris Froome will race against Tour de France runner-up Primoz Roglic at the Vuelta a Espana.
Jumbo-Visma's Roglic, 30, lost the Tour de France on the final time trial to Tadej Pogacar in September in one of the event's most dramatic finales. Four-time Tour winner Froome, who rides for Ineos Grenadiers, is aiming to win the Vuelta for a third time. The three-week Grand Tour begins on Tuesday in Irun near Bibao after being delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. |
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Italy's Diego Ulissi claimed his second victory at the 2020 Giro d'Italia in a sprint finish on stage 13.
Ulissi, 31, edged out Portugal's Joao Almeida, who extended his overall race lead after collecting six bonus seconds on the line. Austria's Patrick Konrad was third, with Britain's Tao Geoghegan Hart finishing fourth on the 192km route from Cervia to Monselice. Saturday's 14th stage is a 34.1km time trial from Conegliano to Valdobbiadene. Almeida, 22, who is racing in his first Grand Tour, now leads the race by 40 seconds from Sunweb's Dutch rider Wilco Kelderman, with Spain's Pello Bilbao a further nine seconds adrift. "I am a bit disappointed with my second place, I wanted a stage win. I was really close but not close enough," Almeida said. "The goal was the stage win, the seconds is just a bonus. After the descent, the group was quite small. I saw three guys [team-mates] with me and I know I can be fast in small groups, so we tried. The team really deserve to have won but Ulissi was fastest." A largely sedate day of racing sparked into life in the final 40km, as a seven-man breakaway was reeled in and two categorised climbs in quick succession splintered the peloton. Arnaud Demare, who has won four stages in this year's race, was initially dropped on the Roccolo climb and although he fought his way back, was decisively dropped on the final climb, the Calaone. Triple world champion Peter Sagan missed an opportunity to leapfrog the Frenchman in the points classification after falling back on the Calaone. And with Deceuninck-Quick-Step's James Knox and Fausto Masnada helping to maintain a high speed towards the line, Almeida finished half a wheel behind Ulissi in the sprint finish. Meanwhile, Australia's Michael Matthews says he has twice tested negative for coronavirus since withdrawing from the race before the start of stage 10. The Sunweb rider was among a number of riders and support staff to test positive on the first rest day. "I got a test the next morning which came back negative. Then on the Wednesday I got another test that came back negative. I am super-happy with that," Matthews said. "It's sad to be out of the race but I am really happy I am fit and healthy and that I don't have Covid-19." |
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General classification after stage 13
1. Joao Almeida (Por/Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 53hrs 43mins 58secs 2. Wilco Kelderman (Ned/Sunweb) +40secs 3. Pello Bilbao (Spa/Bahrain-McLaren) +49secs 4. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita/NTT Pro Cycling Team) +1min 03secs 5. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita/Trek-Segafredo) +1min 07sec 6. Patrick Konrad (Aut/Bora-Hansgrohe) +1min 17secs 7. Jai Hindley (Aus/Sunweb) +1min 25secs 8. Rafal Majka (Pol/Bora-Hansgrohe) +1min 27secs 9. Fausto Masnada (Ita/Deceuninck-Quick-Step) +1min 42secs 10. Jakob Fuglsang (Den/Astana) +2min 26secs |
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Saturday 17 October - stage 14: Conegliano - Valdobbiadene, 34.1km
After a mix of hilly and flatter stages suiting the puncheurs and sprinters, the Giro's third weekend begins with its second individual time trial. The rolling terrain in the Prosecco vineyards of Treviso could be the backdrop for a big day in the overall race. All-rounders like Geraint Thomas, Rohan Dennis and Ilnur Zakarin, plus Steven Kruijswijk, will look to make gains on a route that takes in a category four climb up the Muro di Ca' del Poggio - briefly hitting a gradient of 19% - and ends with a punchy 5.5% slope to the finish. |
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neos Grenadiers rider Filippo Ganna claimed his third stage win at the 2020 Giro d'Italia as Joao Almeida extended his overall race lead on stage 14.
Italian world time trial champion Ganna finished ahead of team-mate Rohan Dennis with Brandon McNulty in third. McNulty's effort on the 34.1km time trial from Conegliano to Valdobbiadene saw him climb to fourth overall. But it was also a good day for Almeida, who now leads by 56 seconds from Wilco Kelderman. The 22-year-old, who started the day 40 seconds ahead of the Dutch rider, gained ground on all of his general classification rivals bar McNulty. Spain's Pello Bilbao and two-time Giro winner Vincenzo Nibali are now both over two minutes adrift of the maglia rosa as the race heads towards a demanding final week in the mountains. "It was a good day," said Almeida. "I did a good time trial and now I have a few seconds more on Wilco Kelderman. I hope to continue like this, I feel good." American McNulty's superb ride saw him rise seven places in the general classification, while Britain's Tao Geoghegan Hart also impressed, moving up a place to 11th. While Ineos Grenadiers were dealt a blow by Geraint Thomas' injury and subsequent withdrawal after stage three, they have now won four stages so far. And with Ganna in such dominant form against the clock they will be favourites to add at least one more in the concluding time trial in Milan. "This is my third victory in the Giro, I am very proud of it," Ganna said. "This year I have improved a lot thanks to the help of my team. Every little improvement is important and contributes to performances such as this one." Earlier on Saturday, cycling's governing body, the UCI, confirmed that there had been no new reported cases of Covid-19 at the race after 512 tests were conducted on Thursday and Friday. The tests, which went beyond the original protocols for the race, were conducted after EF Pro Cycling - winners of two of the 14 stages so far - wrote to race organisers asking for the race to end this Sunday. On Tuesday, Mitchelton-Scott and Jumbo-Visma both withdrew from the tour following positive tests in their camps. Another round of testing is due to take place on Monday's second rest day. Sunday's 15th stage sees the race take the mountainous 185km route from Base Area Rivolto to Piancavallo. |
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General classification after stage 14
1. Joao Almeida (Por/Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 54hrs 28mins 09secs 2. Wilco Kelderman (Ned/Sunweb) +56secs 3. Pello Bilbao (Spa/Bahrain-McLaren) +2mins 11secs 4. Brandon McNulty (US/UAE Team Emirates) +2mins 23secs 5. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita/Trek-Segafredo) +2mins 30secs 6. Rafal Majka (Pol/Bora-Hansgrohe) +2mins 33secs 7. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita/NTT Pro Cycling Team) Same time 8. Fausto Masnada (Ita/Deceuninck-Quick-Step) +3mins 11secs 9. Patrick Konrad (Aut/Bora-Hansgrohe) +3mins 17secs 10. Jai Hindley (Aus/Sunweb) +3mins 33secs It's the tour of multiple multiple stage winners |
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Inexos win another stage
On a roll Going for the hattrick on Tuesday |
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Briton Tao Geoghegan Hart won his first Grand Tour stage to climb to fourth place overall at the Giro d'Italia.
His win on stage 15 gave Ineos Grenadiers their fifth stage victory at the 2020 Giro, while Deceuninck-Quick Step's Joao Almeida held onto the leader's pink jersey. Several of the main contenders lost time on the 153km route from Base Aerea Rivolto to Piancavallo north of Venice. Two-time winner Vincenzo Nibali lost over two minutes on the final climb. |
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Geoghegan Hart, 25, powered past another contender for pink in Sunweb's Wilco Kelderman for the win in the final few metres of the category one summit finish, after the Dutchman's team-mate Jai Hindley had led up the long final climb.
Geoghegan Hart dedicated the victory to Nico Portal, Ineos' sporting director who died of a heart attack aged 40 in March this year. "This is something incredible for me. I don't know about [the GC], I haven't seen the results - but crossing the line first is something truly incredible. "This one is for Nico Portal. We lost him this spring and it's been really difficult for the team - this season has had great highs and lows, in the Tour [de France] and for me personally, and also in this race. "We just have to foster the Grenadier spirit in this team and keep fighting back like we know we can." Despite his young age, the east Londoner has long been a part of the Ineos/Sky set-up as a domestique, but like so many of the team's riders he is capable of winning the over general classification in stage races. Race favourite Geraint Thomas crashed early in the Giro and abandoned after he suffered a fractured pelvis when a discarded drinks bottle became lodged under his front wheel. It appeared Ineos would have to settle for trying to win single stages for a second Grand Tour in succession after a disastrous Tour de France. But this has been one of the most unpredictable Giros for years, and after spending at least a week more than three minutes down, Geoghegan Hart finds himself in contention even at 2mins 57secs behind. His biggest strength is climbing, and as the race heads for a final week's racing in the ever-colder Italian Alps he stands a good chance of gaining time, especially on leader Almeida who is thought to be more effective in time trials. Kelderman could be Geoghegan Hart's main rival, but Pello Bilbao of Bahrain-McLaren, Rafal Majka of Bora-Hansgrohe and Trek-Segafredo's Vincenzo Nibali are only a few seconds behind. After a rest day on Monday, the three-week race is heading into it's final week in the Italian Alps, where it was feared adverse weather could cause stages to be cut short or even cancelled. Weather forecasts are currently reasonably favourable if cold in places, but organisers are wary the coronavirus could also play a part. All riders and staff will now be tested for a third time during the race after last week's rest day tests produced three positive Covid 19 results for riders - including Britain's Simon Yates - and several other team members, causing Mitchelton-Scott and Jumbo-Visma to pull out of the race. Tuesday's stage is a huge, undulating 229km course from the north eastern city of Udine to San Daniele del Friuli. |
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General classification after stage 15
1. Joao Almeida (Por/Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 59hrs 27mins 38secs 2. Wilco Kelderman (Ned/Sunweb) +15secs 3. Jai Hindley (Aus/Sunweb) +2mins 57secs 4. Tao Geoghegan Hart (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) 2mins 57secs 5. Pello Bilbao (Spa/Bahrain-McLaren) +3mins 10secs 6. Rafal Majka (Pol/Bora-Hansgrohe) +3mins 18secs 7. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita/Trek-Segafredo) +3mins 29secs 8. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita/NTT Pro Cycling Team) +3mins 50secs 9. Patrick Konrad (Aut/Bora-Hansgrohe) +4mins 09secs 10. Fausto Masnada (Ita/Deceuninck-Quick-Step) +4mins 12secs |
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World champion Julian Alaphilippe crashed out after hitting a motorbike as Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel won at the Tour of Flanders.
 Alaphilippe, 28, was part of what would become the winning breakaway, when he hit a race motorbike 35km from the finish of the 243km one-day epic. That left Van der Poel, 25, and Belgium's Wout van Aert, 26, to battle it out at the finish in Oudenaarde. And Van der Poel edged it on the line, with Alexander Kristoff coming third. The pair started their sprint at the same time and Alpecin-Fenix rider Van der Poel just managed to hold off his Jumbo Visma rival Van Aert. It is his first win in one of cycling's Monuments - the five most prestigious one-day races - and comes 34 years after his father Adri won the race. It also ended Van Aert's hopes of becoming the first rider to win the Tour of Flanders and Milan-San Remo in the same year since Eddy Merckx in 1975. However, it was a sad conclusion to the season for world champion Alaphilippe, who also held the yellow jersey for 14 stages at the 2019 Tour de France. The French rider, who had illuminated the race with several attacks, split the peloton on the punchy Koppenberg climb but flew over his handlebars after his right elbow clipped the back of a race motorbike. Van der Poel, who was just in front of the Deceuninck-Quick-Step rider, narrowly avoided the bike on the right-hand side of the road. Alaphilippe was in considerable pain as he lay on the road before eventually sitting up to be treated by race paramedics. Deceuninck-Quick-Step later confirmed Alaphilippe had broken two bones in his right hand and will have an operation on Monday. |
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UAE Team Emirates rider Fernando Gaviria has tested positive for coronavirus for a second time this year and is out of the Giro d'Italia.
The Colombian tested positive in the Giro's latest round of testing, as did a Team AG2R La Mondiale staff member. Gaviria also tested positive for Covid-19 at the UAE Tour in February. He is the fourth rider to test positive at the Giro and will not start Tuesday's 16th stage - therefore ruling him out of the remainder of the race. His team said he was "immediately isolated" following the test result and is "completely asymptomatic". "All other riders and staff returned a negative test, and will undergo further testing today," a UAE Team Emirates statement added. "The team's medical staff are monitoring the situation closely and doing all they can to ensure the we can proceed safely." |
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As the 103rd edition of the Giro d'Italia ventured into the north-eastern region of Italy closest to the Slovenian border, Jan Tratnik added his not insignificant entry into Slovenia's extraordinary cycling story for 2020 by winning Stage 16 after starring in a large 28-man break.
With Tadej Pogacar and Primoz Roglic finishing first and second in the Tour de France, and Roglic taking a first Monument win for Slovenia in Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Tratnik joined the party with his first ever Grand Tour stage win – an hour before the rampant Roglic won the opening stage of the Vuelta. Two seconds today could be two minutes tomorrow as things get serious for the general classification contenders in Wednesday's Stage 15 – a 203km mountainous slog that takes in the infamous Monte Bondone and two other climbs ahead of a summit showdown at Madonna di Campiglio, where the late Marco Pantani took the last of his Giro stage wins on the eve of his disqualification while in pink two days from the finish of the 1999 race. |