MIDWAY through the Giro, the big mountains are about to come into play, writes cycling guru JOHN TREVORROW:
THE 2021 Giro d’Italia is shaping up to be the toughest in recent history.
After a rest day, the first half of this year’s race has produced a fantastic battle and they haven’t even hit the real mountains.
The upcoming 212 km stage 12 from Siena to Bagno di Romagna has four categorised climbs but it’s Saturday’s 205km challenge to the top of the dreaded Monte Zoncolan, reaching into the rare mountain air at 1700 metres, that will serve up the first real mountain challenge. The final week sees the race going above 2000 metres on two stages in the Dolomites and this is where the race will be decided.
Peter Sagan finally got his stage win on Monday’s stage 10 taking advantage of his Bora Hansgrohe team’s hard work to shed many of the fast finishers on the final climb. He was just too fast for Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) with David Cimolai (Israel Start-Up Nation) third.
Stage loomed as the one that all riders were very nervous about. Four gravel sections, some as long as 13 km with serious climbing and descending, will reek havoc in the peloton. Most of the GC contenders will be dreading this but some, realising this will be their big chance, will be super excited. As a fan I love the drama that a stage like this adds to the race – everyone is talking about it. But I don’t agree that stages such as this, and similarly when they put a cobbled stage like Paris Roubaix into the Tour de France, have a place in a grand tour. I am sure at least one of the overall contenders will have lost their chance at glory because of bad luck.
At the half-way point it is time to evaluate the main contenders.
I give Egan Bernal a 9 out of 10. The 2019 Tour de France champion came into the race as equal favourite. A cloud over his back injury that derailed season 2020 seems to be his main challenge.
Bernal has not put a foot wrong and his Ineos Grenadiers team have proved to be the strongest. If his back holds out he will be very hard to beat. My main query is that Bernal and the team have spent a lot of energy and only lead by a handful of seconds.
Young Belgian superstar Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck QuickStep) is also a 9. But he it’s very hard to predict what will happen with the 21 year old in the final week. This is his first Grand Tour so he has to be nervous about the third week when he has never competed in a race of more than 10 days. That combined with the fact that this is his first race in 10 months from a fractured hip! But Evenepoel is a freak and to watch him competing for the small time bonuses on offer in the intermediate sprints shows he believes he can do it.
Russian Aleksandr Vlasov gets an 8. He has recovered from what looked like a few weather-induced challenges in the first week and has impressed on the last two climbing stages. I don’t reckon he will win but could be on the final podium.
Italian Giulio Ciccone has been super impressive and gets an 8.5. He has been the only rider capable of going with Bernal when he attacks and has replaced Vincenzo Nibali as the Trek-Segafredo leader. He is definitely a chance for overall victory if Bernal cracks. Irishman Dan Martin has also impressed and gets an 8. He has been improving as the Giro has gone on and I believe he can make the final podium. Englishman Hugh Carthy has been Mr consistency and gets a 7.5. He will be strong in the final week and is a definite threat.
Another Englishman Simon Yates has not performed to anyone’s expectations. The Team BikeExchange leader started the race as equal favourite but has not lived up to that. Saturday’s first major mountain finish will tell us if he has the form to win this bike race or if his form had peaked with his dominant Tour of the Alps victory last month. Only a 6 for Simon on the race so far but I do believe his best is yet to come.
Young Hungarian Attila Valter has been the revelation of the race. The 22 year old unknown Hungarian gets an 8.5 for his amazing first week but I don’t expect him to be in contention when we reach the monster mountains of the Dolomites.
Of the Aussies only Jai Hindley was expected to challenge for overall but he has not shown anywhere near the form that saw him take second overall in last year’s race.
Queenslander Nick Schultz on the other hand has been very solid. The 26 year old seems to have come of age and has been the most valuable teammate to Yates on the biggest climbs. If Yates is to win this Giro he will need Schultz to keep up his fine work in the final week.
JOHN TREVORROW is a multiple Australian champion road racer and Olympian who has been doing media commentary at the Tour de France for more than 20 years.
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