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2015 Giro d’Italia Stage 14: Kiryienka wins long time trial, Contador takes back pink

May 23, 2015
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The day after he lost the pink jersey to Fabio Aru (Italy/Astana), Alberto Contador (Spain/Tinkoff-Saxo) yanked it back and took control of the 2015 Giro d’Italia Saturday by whipping his rivals in the 59.4-km time trial between Treviso and Valdobbiadene while placing third. The day’s stage victor was Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus/Sky), his third Giro win and his first in a Grand Tour chrono.

Kiryienka, bronze time trial medalist at the 2012 world championships, negotiated the wet course and its two small climbs to sit in the hot seat for most of the stage, having usurped the throne from Patrick Gretsch (Germany/Ag2r) with a time of 1:17:52.

The wind changed on the course and the times of the top-20 riders reflected this. It was apparent at the 17.6-km time check that Richie Porte (Great Britain/Sky) was suffering another bad day. In the end he came in 4:20 in arrears of Kiryienka and stays 17th overall.

The focus switched to the top-five. Time checks revealed that Mikel Landa (Spain/Astana) was going to be bumped off the podium. Then Contador rolled through the first time check 48-seconds quicker than Aru, wresting back the pink jersey. Contador passed Landa, his three-minute man. HIt was apparent that fourth-place Roman Kreuziger (Czech Republic/Tinkoff-Saxo) was also having an off day; he is now 9th.

Contador was 3:15 faster than Aru at the second time check. Meanwhile, Jurgen van den Broeck (Belgium/Lotto-Soudal) posted a time of 1:19:17 that would jack him up the GC from 11th to 5th. Movistar’s Costa Rican Andrey Amador vaulted onto the podium from 8th. Rigoberto Uran (Colombia/Etixx-QuickStep) bounced up to 4th and is a threat to pull Amador off the third step before Milan.

Contador was only 14-seconds back of Kiryienka. Aru was 3:01 slower than Kiryienka and is now 2:28 behind Contador. Astana still have three riders in the top-10.

Ryder Hesjedal’s 16th place, with a time of 1:19:50, sees him rise to 15th on GC with 2004 Giro winner Damiano Cunego (Italy/Nippo-Vini Fantini) ahead of him by 18-seconds.

Stage 15 will be another hard one for the peloton before the final rest day: two Cat. 1 climbs loom in the final 40-km with a summit finish on Madonna di Campiglio. Aru’s clawback will have to start Sunday.

2015 Giro d’Italia Stage 14
1) Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus/Sky) 1:17:52
2) LL Sanchez (Spain/Astana) +0:12
3) Alberto Contador (Spain/Tinkoff-Saxo) +0:14
16) Ryder Hesjedal (Canada/Cannondale-Garmin) +1:58
41) Hugo Houle (Canada/Ag2r) +3:45

2015 Giro d’Italia GC
1) Alberto Contador (Spain/Tinkoff-Saxo)
2) Fabio Aru (Italy/Astana) +2:28
3) Andrey Amador (Costa Rica/Movistar) +3:36
15) Ryder Hesjedal (Canada/Cannondale-Garmin) +8:05
122) Hugo Houle (Canada/Ag2r) +2:14:33