2016 Giro d’Italia Stage 14: Chaves takes exhilarating Dolomites stage, Hesjedal abandons

Kruijswijk second Dutchman to wear pink

Rob Sturney May 21, 2016

Esteban Chaves’s first Giro win was only one of many stories in Saturday’s wild, thrilling stage of the Giro d’Italia. Ryder Hesjedal climbed off the bike because of a stomach ailment. Two riders who were considered to be pre-race contenders but not favourites rose in the GC, distancing Vincenzo Nibali. One of them, Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo), grabbed the pink jersey, and the other, Chaves (Colombia/Orica-GreenEdge), took the flowers.

The course was a daunting one, with six categorized climbs, including a quartet jammed into 40-km in the middle of the 210-km, a nasty duo near the end, and even an uncategorized steep grade leading to a long rise to the finish.

#Giro A very tough 14th stage is now underway. 6 classified climbs over the 210k parcours – going to be a long day! pic.twitter.com/IgJp2MqEgL

— Tinkoff (@tinkoff_team) May 21, 2016

The day began with a sapping 71-km of uphill to the peak of the first categorized climb of the day, the Cat. 1 Passo Porodi, the most-visited mountain of the Giro d’Italia. After breaks were unable to get away in the first fast 30-km from Alpago, an enormous 37-rider armada steamed up the road. In the gang were Canadian Hugo Houle, KOM leader Damiano Cunego (Italy/Nippo-Vini Fantini), Cunego’s closest rival Stefan Denifl, and three riders from positions 15 to 20 in the GC.

Cunego topped the Porodi first, and on the next of the mid-race mountain quartet, the Cat. 2 Passo Sella, David Lopez (Spain/Sky) rode away. He crested with a minute on the chasers and 7:00 on the Movistar-controlled peloton. Australian Rory Sutherland was prominent on the front for Movistar all through the quartet.

The stage was set in a stunning natural arena.

Toughest race in the world's most beautiful place. #Giro pic.twitter.com/eQzcwk68Po

— Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 21, 2016

Twelve other riders including Irish teammate Nicolas Roche pulled back Lopez on the Cat. 3 Passo Gardena. Veteran campaigner Ruben Plaza (Orica-GreenEdge) was the next Spaniard to bolt. Before the final ascent of the quartet, the Cat. 2 Passo Campolongo, the race headed through the finishing town of Corvara with 85-km remaining.

As Plaza increased his gap on a trio of Spanish-speaking Davids, word came from Trek that Ryder Hesjedal, 14th overnight, had abandoned.
https://twitter.com/TrekSegafredo/status/73400298607519334
By the top of the Campolongo, Plaza had 49-seconds over the Davids and 9:00 on the peloton. The chase group grew, as did Plaza’s gap to it.

The mighty Passo Giau is one of the legendary climbs of the Giro. This 10-km, 9.4% brute started at 51-km to go. Surely, the GC attacks would come on its unrelenting pitches. With Plaza leading his pursuers by 2:00 and the peloton by 8:50, Orica-GreenEdge was encouraged.

#Giro ?? Rubén Plaza with 1:57" on chasers 8:30" on peloton, Passo Giau up next #OGErocks pic.twitter.com/ySz0Tbf7ET

— Mitchelton-SCOTT (@MitcheltonSCOTT) May 21, 2016

However, Plaza was fading fast, and when Dimension Data’s Kanstantsin Siutsou (Belarus) and BMC’s Colombian Darwin Atapuma grabbed him midway up the climb, he dropped away. Astana took over the front of the peloton from Movistar when it hit the foot of the Giau, with Michele Scarponi shredding the group. Andrey Amador (Costa Rica/Movistar), the man in the pink jersey, cracked.

Three-time stage winner Siutsou crested the Giau first, 4:00 ahead of the favourites group. The duo dropped down the other side, ready to tackle Cat. 2 Passo Valparola, the last, mostly mild classified climb of the day.

Amador plummeted to keep his race lead. On the Valparola, Austrian Georg Preidler (Giant-Alpecin) caught the break. Back in the peloton, a dig from Nibali popped off Valverde and Amador for good. Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) stayed with Nibali.

Up ahead another Colombian, Atapuma, pulled away from his breakmates. The Nibali group grew as Uran, Zakarin and Majka made the junction. However, first Kruijswijk and then Chaves attacked, leaving the others behind.

Chaves and @s_kruijswijk! pic.twitter.com/Td7J5d8GNd

— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) May 21, 2016

Valverde was losing any chance of winning the race. The Dutch-Colombian alliance closed in on Atapuma as it distanced Nibali.

Nibali couldn’t close the gap on the descent, nor could the chase pull in Atapuma.

The final 5-km would be the last challenge of the day. Riders faced the Muro del Gatto, a brief 19% pitch with 4.9-km to go, and then a 3% rise to the finish. Atapuma survived the wall and then had to dig deep to keep his 27-second lead on the Kruijswijk/Chaves chase. He could not, with the trio gobbling him up at 2-km to go. At the red kite the new quartet had 15-seconds over Nibali.

Preidler made the powerful move about 400-metres from the line and looked to have the gap he needed, but Chaves charged around him to take the victory. Nibali came in 37-seconds later.

Sunday is the final of three time trials, this one a mountain affair. Riders will assail a 9-km, 8.4% climb with double-digit sections after a flat 1.8-km run-up.

2016 Giro d’Italia Stage 14
1) Esteban Chaves (Colombia/Orica-GreenEdge) 6:06:16
2) Steven Kruijswijk (The Netherlands/LottoNL-Jumbo) s.t.
3) Georg Preidler (Austria/Giant-Alpecin) s.t.
91) Hugo Houle (Canada/AG2R) +31:20
159) Svein Tuft (Canada/Orica-GreenEdge) +43:47

2016 Giro d’Italia GC
1) Steven Kruijswijk (The Netherlands/LottoNL-Jumbo) 60:12:43
2) Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Astana) +0:41
3) Esteban Chaves (Colombia/Orica-GreenEdge) +1:32
80) Hugo Houle (Canada/AG2R) +2:02:19
152) Svein Tuft (Canada/Orica-GreenEdge) +2:27:01