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2015 Giro d’Italia Stage 13: Sacha Modolo wins bunch sprint, Contador loses pink jersey to Aru

There is no “normal”, by-the-numbers stage in the 2015 Giro d’Italia. On a day that looked like it was going to be an straight forward escape-catch-and-sprint in Jesolo after 147-km of wet, pancake-flat road, there was high drama after a crash just outside the 3-km mark. Lampre’s Sacha Modolo (Italy) took his first Giro and first GrandTour victory in the reduced bunch sprint, but the big news was Fabio Aru (Italy/Astana) seizing the pink jersey from a delayed Alberto Contador (Spain/Tinkoff-Saxo). It’s the first time Contador has every lost a Grand Tour lead.

A trio of riders decided to be the day’s rabbits with little chance of survival. Rick Zabel (Germany/BMC), Jérome Pineau (France/IAM) and Marco Frapporti (Italy/Androni Giocatolli) bounced away in the rain but were kept close, with Lotto-Soudal, Lampre and Giant-Alpecin guiding the soggy peloton.

At the two intermediate sprints, Trek’s Giacomo Nizzolo (Italy) and red-jersey keeper Nicola Boem (Italy/Bardiani) were the fast men who flashed out from the peloton to be fourth over the line.

The gap stayed around one minute for a long time, with the sprinters’ teams not wanting to absorb the trio too early. Even with the rain tipping down on them, the riders began to remove their rain jackets with 40-km to go. The escapees shook hands at the 18-km to go mark and were absorbed.

Tinkoff-Saxo led the bunch towards Jesolo. Trek Factory took over as the peloton negotiated corners and traffic furniture on the outskirts of town. Just outside 3-km remaining there was a crash near the front of the pack. Contador went down and looked for a bike. Richie Porte was also delayed, but Fabio Aru got through safely. Lampre led under the red kite.

Max Richeze (Brazil/Lampre) led Modolo out and the fuschia-clad Italian held off Nizzolo who tried to come around him. Contador came in over 40-seconds later with Ryder Hesjedal but Porte crossed over 2:00 down and is now 5:05 in arrears of Aru.

Modolo was the sixth Italian to win a stage in this year’s Giro, and Stage 2 winner Elia Viviani (Italy/Sky) took back the red jersey from Boem by coming third on the day. Lampre have now won three stages via Jan Polanc, Diego Ulissi and Modolo.

Though Hesjedal went down in the crash and hurt his right knee and ankle, he enters the top-20 on GC for the first time, rising one spot from 21st.

Saturday is a big day for the 2015 Giro d’Italia, with the 59.2-km time trial from Treviso to Valdobbiadene. The deck will be reshuffled once again. Rigoberto Uran (Colombia/Etixx-QuickStep) is poised to jump up to a podium position.

2015 Giro d’Italia Stage 13
1) Sacha Modolo (Italy/Lampre) 3:03:08
2) Giacomo Nizzolo (Italy/Trek) s.t.
3) Elia Viviani (Italy/Sky) s.t.
50) Ryder Hesjedal (Canada/Cannondale-Garmin) +0:40
171) Hugo Houle (Canada/Ag2r) +4:11


2015 Giro d’Italia GC

1) Fabio Aru (Italy/Astana)
2) Alberto Contador (Spain/Tinkoff-Saxo) +0:19
3) Mikel Landa (Spain/Astana) +1:14
20) Ryder Hesjedal (Canada/Cannondale-Garmin) +6:40
125) Hugo Houle (Canada/Ag2r) 2:11:21