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Simon Yates wins second stage of 2022 Giro, Carapaz into pink after frenetic day

Big GC shake up on wild day in Northern Italy

Photo by: Sirotti
May 21, 2022
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After 10 days in pink, Jaunpe Lopez (Spain/Trek-Segafredo) lost the pink jersey on Saturday’s electric 14th stage of the Giro d’Italia. Simon Yates took his second stage win of the 105th edition and Richard Carapaz nabbed the race lead. Saturday’s hilly course elicited fast and energetic action that saw some GC riders in the top-10 drop out of contention.

The Course

Saturday had some hilly fare over 147 km from Santena to Torino. At the 74-km mark the riders would enter a 37-km circuit for two laps. Each lap contained the Cat. 2 Superga climb (5.1 km of 8.2 percent) and the Cat. 2 Colle della Maddalena (3.6 km of 7.3 percent). The final crest of Colle della Maddalena was 13 km from the finish line in Turin, with an uncategorized ascent in between. It was a hot day in the Giro.

Before the circuit there was one categorized climb but there was no established breakaway when the riders reached it. Finally, an escaped formed on the way to the circuits, but it didn’t have a large gap. Bora-Hansgrohe worked to split the peloton before Lap 1. The pace was very high.

Circuit 1

Again, right at the start of the first circuit with the breakaway within arm’s length, the peloton split again under Bora-Hansgrohe’s impetus. Alejandro Valverde, João Almeida and Wout Poels were on the wrong side of the split just after the peloton was caught and the race headed up Superga for the first time.

Bora-Hansgrohe had the bit between its teeth on Saturday.

Almeida was able to latch back on to the 12-strong leading group. The dozen–containing three Bora-Hansgrohe, two Bahrain-Victorious and two Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert riders–tipped over Superga with 2:00 on Valverde’s group and Guillaume Martin 30 seconds in arrears. Pink jersey Lopez wigged out and threw a full musutte down on the road, endangering his breakmates.

Colle della Maddalena put Valverde and Martin further back.

Circuit 2

Jai Hindley attacked immediately on Superga and Richard Carapaz, Lopez and Vincenzo Nibali were able to go with him. Nibali kept up the pace. Mikel Landa toiled and made it over. Almeida also returned.

The group swelled again. The pink jersey struggled to keep up. When Carapaz attacked towards the top, no one could go with him. Lopez couldn’t hang on to the chase group. Carapaz had a 25-second lead over the chase by the foot of Colle della Maddalena.

Nibali made a thrust right at the foot of Colle della Maddalena and Hindley tagged along. Hindley made his own move and found the Ecuadorian. Nibali made it a trio. Yates came up to comprise a quartet. At first Almeida and Domenico Pozzovivo were the closest chasers before the diminutive Italian lit out on his own.

Nibali attacked on the uncategorized climb with 5.2 km to ride but the others were equal to him. Yates had more luck when he dashed away.

Yates stayed clear and took the maximum bonus seconds. Hindley, the 2020 runner-up, was second and Carapaz third.

Sunday’s 177 km features two Cat. 1 ascents and a Cat. 2 summit finish.

2022 Giro d’Italia Stage 14
1) Simon Yates (Great Britain/BikeExchange-Jayco) 3:43:44
2) Jai Hindley (Australia/Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:15
3) Richard Carapaz (Ecuador/Ineos Grenadiers) s.t.

2022 Giro d’Italia GC
1) Richard Carapaz (Ecuador/Ineos Grenadiers) 58:21:28
2) Jai Hindley (Australia/Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:07
3) João Almeida (Portugal/UAE-Emirates) +0:30