Giro 2013 Stage 7: Hansen reigns in the rain

Friday, Australian Adam Hansen (Lotto-Belisol) won a lumpy stage from San Salvo to Pescara on which rain played havoc. Hansen was the lone survivor of the day’s breakaway, one that contained Canadian Dominique Rollin (FDJ). Race favourite Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain/Sky) looked miserable in the rain, and felt even worse after he crashed on the final descent of the day and then made his way gingerly down the wet slope, losing a chunk of time to his rivals.

Spaniard Benat Intxausti (pronounced “Int-CHOW-sti”) of Movistar moved from third into pink, plucking the jersey off Katusha’s Luca Paolini’s shoulders after four days. Ryder Hesjedal now sits third, eight seconds out of pink and three seconds behind Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Astana).

Hansen, Rollin and four others escaped at Kilometre 29 and still enjoyed a seven minute gap with 90 km to go. The course rippled all day long with two Cat. 3 and two Cat. 4 climbs in the final 53 km. Emanuele Sella (Italy/Androni-Giacattoli) took maximum mountain points on the first two climbs, and then Hansen and Sella unhitched their break-mates on the Cat. 3 Santa Maria de Criptis.

However, Sella couldn’t hold Hansen’s wheel and the Australian lit out on his own. Meanwhile, back in the bunch the Vini Fantini team tried a couple of attacks on the slippery roads but couldn’t get clear, although Danilo Di Luca and Mauro Santambrogio (both of Italy) finished third and fourth on the day.

It was apparent to all the GC men that Wiggins was suffering in the wet. Nibali tried to attack him and the other favourites on the final descent from Cat. 4 San Silvestro but he crashed. Sella wouldn’t give up in chasing Hansen, but he wrecked too. Wiggins wiped out on the same corner as Sella and then pussyfooted the rest of the way down.

Wiggins dropped out of the top 20, 1:32 down on Intxausti, 1:27 behind Nibali and 1:24 in arrears of Hesjedal. The Sky rider will have a fine opportunity to claw those gaps back tomorrow in the 55.4-km time trial.

Hansen gives himself a fantastic birthday present a day early.

Giro 2013 Stage 7 summary
1) Adam Hansen (Australia/Lotto-Belisol) 4:35:39
2) Enrico Battaglin (Italy/Bardiani Valvole) +1:07
3) Danilo Di Luca (Italy/Vini Fantini) s.t.
10) Ryder Hesjedal (Canada/Garmin-Sharp) s.t.
65) Dominique Rollin (Canada/FDJ) +3:41
84) Christian Meier (Canada/Orica-GreenEdge) +6:54
178) Svein Tuft (Canada/Orica-GreenEdge) +18:45

GC summary after Stage 7
1) Benat Intxausti (Spain/Movistar)
2) Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Astana) +0:05
3) Ryder Hesjedal (Canada/Garmin-Sharp) +0:08
100) Dominique Rollin (Canada/FDJ) +34:33
114) Christian Meier (Canada/Orica-GreenEdge) +43:12
165) Svein Tuft (Canada/Orica-GreenEdge) +58:34