Most of the big sprinters come down in the final 350m after an action-packed end to a quiet stage
Francisco Ventoso (Movistar) sprinted to victory in the ninth stage of the Giro d’Italia, between San Giorgio del Sannio and Frosinone, after a crash on the final corner took out many of the big name sprinters. As a coming together between Filippo Pozzato (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia) and Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEdge) brought down or stopped most of the front of the peloton, Giacomo Nizzolo (RadioShack-Nissan) made a long dash for the line. He was chased down by Maglia Bianca Damiano Caruso (Liquigas-Cannondale) before the finish however, with Ventoso coming around to take the stage.
Fabio Felline (Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela) was gaining on the Spanish sprinter, but ran out of road and punched his bars in frustration as he was forced to settle for second, with Nizzolo just hanging on to third.
“I knew the small climbs in the finale since I rode the Giro in 2005 and I knew that it was going to be a hard finish,” said Ventoso. “We all suffered a lot with the attacks by Purito [Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha)], and I had to recover a lot of positions in the descent before that final turn.
“I knew I was too far from the top places, but when I saw there were some riders not taking it properly, I saw a chance coming for me,” he explained. “I came into good position through the turn and knew that had to go on full steam until the finish. Nizzolo was really far, but I started recovering bit by bit and I was only thinking of not being overcome like him and keeping the lead until the line.
“To tell the truth, I haven't had many chances in the sprints until today,” Ventoso added. “I saved every bit of energy I could for this second week because I knew sprints like this would be happening, and we could snatch the win at the first attempt. We were really close to winning in the last few stages, and today's victory was the reward for that consistency and that superb level by all the team.”
The 166km stage featured a long breakaway from Brian Bulgaç (Lotto-Belisol), Pierre Cazaux (Euskaltel-Euskadd) and Martijn Keizer (Vacansoleil-DCM), who escaped in the opening kilometres and built up a lead that reached a maximum of four minutes. With 35km to go, and with their advantage down to less than a minute, Keizer jumped away from the other two, but he himself was caught by the peloton with 17km to go.
Despite being nominated a sprinters’ stage, the three small hills in the final ten kilometres gave rise to a number of attacks, with the most dangerous coming from second place overall Rodríguez. The Catalan was caught with five kilometres to go however, as the sprinters’ teams reorganised themselves, and it looked as though the stage would be heading for the expected fast finish.
The final sharp corner with just 350 metres to go though, saw Pozzato ride into the side of Goss as he braked hard; the two of them came down, bringing down many of those behind them, including Nikolas Maes (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Juan Jose Haedo (Saxo Bank) and World champion Mark Cavendish (Team Sky)
Nizzolo was the first to get around the incident, but was caught and passed on his way to the line.
Maglia Rosa Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) was close to the front, but far enough away to be able to avoid the incident, and crossed the line in seventh place. After a brief scare with the attack from Rodríguez, the Canadian’s race lead survived another day and the top of the overall classification remains unchanged.
The sprinters should have their day again but they won’t have it easy
After three tough days in the ‘medium mountains’, the sprinters of the Giro peloton were treated to a stage of their own, with the flattest course since the race left Denmark. Aside from the two time trials, this was also to be the shortest stage to date at just 166km. Having reached its southernmost point the day before, the Giro was now heading north again, with the mountainous final week almost visible on the horizon.
Although there were no classified climbs on the route, the road was to undulate for its entire length; a series of small bumps in the final ten kilometres threatened to make things difficult for some of the sprinters. The sharp left hander with just 350 metres to go would force them to almost a standstill however, as they turned almost 300 degrees towards the finishing straight.
With the change of terrain came a change of weather for the peloton, with the hot weather of the previous few days giving way to cloud, and a few light showers.
Bulgaç, Cazaux and Keizer attacked almost immediately and, within 12km had opened up a lead of 3’30”. The three riders managed to cover 47.8km in the first hour and, after 50km were four minutes clear. All three riders were more than an hour down on Hesjedal at the start of the day and, with no threat whatsoever to the Canadian’s Maglia Rosa, his Garmin-Barracuda team was happy to leave the policing of the break to the sprinters’ teams.
Team Sky, FDJ-BigMat and Orica-GreenEdge assumed responsibility and decided that the three fugitives had got far enough ahead. Gradually the gap closed and, with 100km to go, it was down to 3’16”. Having reduced it a little however, the three teams elected to let it slip out again to more than four minutes with 80km to go, before gradually chipping away at it again.
Through the feedzone at San Cataldo with 69.5km to go, the trio’s lead was still 3’33”. There was a brief drama as Hesjedal passed his pink jacket to Garmin-Barracuda teammate Jack Bauer and its sleeve caught in the New Zealander’s rear brake. Both were close to the back of the peloton however, and managed to slow down and pull it out without further problem.
The gap continued to fall slowly and, as the leaders passed through Cassino with 56km to go - beneath the iconic hilltop monastery of Monte Cassino, which saw so much bloodshed towards the end of World War II - it had dropped to 2’30”; there it was to stay for some time.
Keizer goes alone but his move is doomed
Into the final 40km Orica-GreenEdge came forward and lifted the pace considerably, and with 35km to go, the Australian team had cut the leaders’ advantage to 55 seconds. This was Keizer’s cue to leave his companions behind and the Dutchman attacked and set off alone.
Under the 30km banner Keizer was 14 seconds clear of Cazaux and Bulgaç, and still had 52 seconds on the peloton. A number of teams began to mass at the front however, meaning that the peloton’s speed had dropped again, and the gap had stopped coming down.
No longer in the lead, Bulgaç quickly surrendered, and was immediately swallowed up by the peloton; Cazaux soon followed.
At the Traguardo Volante sprint, in Ceprano with 23.9km to go, Keizer still had 40 seconds, as Cavendish outsprinted Keizer’s Vacansoleil-DCM teammate Thomas De Gendt to take more points towards the red jersey classification.
As Keizer arrived at the 20km to go banner the neutral service car was pulled from the gap. It was still too early for the Dutchman to be captured however, and the sprinters’ teams eased up; Garmin-Barracuda came through to the front though, stringing the peloton out, and the final seconds of the gap disappeared in a matter of less than a kilometre.
With just under 17km to go Keizer’s adventure was over, but the race was about to enter the complicated closing kilometres. Garmin-Barracuda was keeping the speed high, but Farnese Vini-Selle Italia and Orica-GreenEdge were both moving forward. Lampre-ISD also brought Michele Scarponi forward to keep him out of trouble, as did Liquigas-Cannondale for Ivan Basso.
The hills arrive and the attacks begin
Shortly before the 10km to go banner though, Dennis Vanendert (Lotto-Belisol) escaped on the first of the three small hills; the young Belgian was only able to stay clear for just over a kilometre however, as Garmin-Barracuda hunted him down on the short descent.
On the next short climb it was Matteo Rabottini (Farnese Vini-Selle Italia) that was the next to try, but his attack was countered by Gaëten Bille (Lotto-Belisol), with Sonny Colbrelli (Colnago-Selle Italia), which proved far more
Katusha duo Angel Vicioso and Joaquim Rodríguez bridged across to the two leaders and, on the final hill with 6km to go the Catalan set out alone. With many of the sprinters having difficultly coping with the pace set on the climb, it was Colnago-CSF Inox leading the chase and Rodríguez was caught with five kilometres to go, just before he reached the top.
Suddenly, with just a few kilometres to go in a sprinters’ stage, the leading riders of the general classification were shoulder to shoulder at the front.
Into the last four kilometres Fabio Felline (Androni-Giocattoli) jumped away but he wasn’t able to get far on the descent; Pozzato joined him briefly but the former Italian champion had the peloton on his heels. As they was caught however, Adam Hansen (Lotto-Belisol) got away in one of his trademark late attacks but, with just under two kilometres to go he too was swept up by the Orica-GreenEdge train.
As it had done in the third stage in Horsens, Denmark, the Australian team led into the final kilometre but, with not enough riders, found itself overcome by Farnese Vini-Selle Italia as they approached the final bend. Daryl Impey was around first with Goss on his wheel but, as the Australian was turning around the 300 degree corner, he was hit by Pozzato, who had come in to it too fast.
Both riders came down, with most of the sprinters lined up behind them coming down on top of them. Maes and Heado were among the first to hit the ground, while a late arriving Cavendish was not quite able to stop himself in time and slowly went over his bars.
Nizzolo had avoided the incident and, as Impey slowed to see where Goss had gone, the Italian opened up his sprint. Despite having a gap as he entered the final 200 metres, Nizzolo was hunted down by Caruso, but he had the faster Ventoso on his wheel.
As the line approached, Ventoso came around Caruso and the Spanish sprinter took the second Giro stage of his career. Felline had followed the Movistar rider around Caruso, but could not come around him in time and had to settle for second.