Anton not only won this stage—a feat which will increase his profile among riders and fans—he beat riders as notable as the ascent.
Anton outclimbed race leader Alberto Contador of Saxo Bank, Liquigas rider Vincenzo Nibali, and Movistar’s David Arroyo. Between them Arroyo and Nibali held the leader’s jersey through eight stages of the 2010 Giro. These were serious climbers which Anton left behind.
The Euskatel rider advanced to third overall, and with so many mountain stages left on the schedule, he is a definite podium contender.
Climbs Added and Subtracted
Stage 14 brought some of the anticipated shake-up in the General Classification, but, possibly because of the shortened route, didn’t cause the serious gaps that were anticipated.
The original route of 210 km, was shortened to 190 km when race organizers rerouted around Monte Crostis, deeming the descent too dangerous. The road was too narrow for support vehicles, the drops off the sides too far—organizers feared that in case of an accident, there would be no chance of providing aid.
Directeurs Sportif—essentially team mangers—protested the portion of the stage, but fans protested the change. Organizers added another section, the Cat 2 climb up Tualis. Organizers then cut this section and added a very short, steep section, making the race even shorter.
Most of these changes were made while the race was underway, making a hash of strategies. A breakaway of three riders— Bram Tankink (Rabobank,) Gianluca Brambilla (Colnago,) Matteo Rabottini (Farnese Vini)—formed 25 km in, and because of the constant changes in length, the peloton had to continually adjust its plans for catching the break.
The shortened route, lacking the difficult Monte Crostis climb, didn’t challenge the riders as much as the original, much shorter route would have. At the same time, this could improve the competition in Sunday’s brutal Stage 15.
The shorter route might have been a blessing for some riders who might have been tired from their struggles up the climbs of Stage 13—including race leader Alberto Contador, who didn’t show his usual easy attacking pace in Stage 14.
Changing route nonwithstanding, the break didn’t stay away. Seven kilometers from the top, the attacks from the peloton started.
Next: Attacks on Zoncaolan
Atacks on Zoncolan
Vincenzo Nibali and Michele Scarponi, both of whom have GC aspirations, tried to follow Contador. Scarponi caught Contador, and the pair of them caught Igor Anton, but with 5.4 km to go Anton attacked again. Neither Contador nor Scarponi responded.
Nibali caught Contador and Scarponi with 4.1 to go, and immediately attacked. Contador followed, but Scarponi could not. The chasing pair came within eight seconds of the leading Euskatel rider, but 2 km from the peak, the grade abated slightly and Anton accelerated, ensuring his stage victory.
Mechanical trouble struck Michele Scarponi 1200 meters from the finish; apparently he lost his chain, and lost several seconds repairing it. He could not have caught the leaders anyway, but he needed every second in GC.
Up ahead, Alberto Contador decided it was time to go; he stood up and easily rode away from Vincenzo Nibali. The Saxo Bank rider left it too late to catch Igor Anton, but he stretched his lead over his GC rivals.
Vincenzo Nibali showed great determination, pulling himself back up to Contador’s wheel a few hundred meters from the line. The Spaniard casually put on another burst of speed and left the Liquigas rider once again.
GC Changes
Euskatel Euskadi’s Igor Anton took the win and advanced in GC from 7th to 3rd, dropping Michele Scarponi to fourth. This is a very prestigious win for the rider from the Basque team which considers itself a mountain specialist.
Alberto Contador finished second, followed by Vincenzo Nibali who lost 11 seconds to the race leader. Michele Scarponi held on for fourth, losing 41 seconds.
Geox rider Denis Menchov showed great form to finish fifth, advancing to seventh in GC. This Russian rider had been quiet throughout the Giro until this stage. He is usually strong late in the race; he could be a podium contender.
AG2R’s John Gadret finished sixth, advancing from eighth to sixth in GC.
Astana’s Roman Kreuziger had a disappointing day, finishing 16th and dropping from fifth to ninth overall. Movistar’s David Arroyo dropped from fourth to tenth in GC.
The movements in General Classification was wholly expected. The expected opening of gaps did not occur; the top four riders are within four minutes. Alberto Contador still has a comfortable lead, but the rest of the podium is entirely up for grabs.
Next: Stage 15: More Mountain Punishment
Stage 15: More Mountain Punishment
Sunday’s Stage 15 will wring out whatever energy is left in the legs of the peloton.
Stage 15, 229 km from Conegliano to Gardeccia Val di Fassa, is a killer, with a Cat One, a Cat Two, and an HC climb, followed by another Cat One, and then a Cat One mountaintop finish.
The stage is long, the climbs are long, and the final climbs are steep.
This stage precedes a rest day, so riders will give their all. This is a great chance for the top GC contenders to challenge Alberto Contador, and to take time out of one another.
Riders like Denis Menchov could put in another strong ride and move into podium contention. José Rujano, who had looked so strong in previous stages but suffered in Stage 14, could find his legs again and continue to climb in GC.
Giro d'Italia Stage 14 Results | |||
| Rider | Team | Time |
1 | Igor Antón (ESP) | Euskaltel | 5:04:26 |
2 | Alberto Contador (ESP) | Saxo Bank | +33.000 |
3 | Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) | Liquigas | +40.000 |
4 | Michele Scarponi (ITA) | Lampre | +01:11.000 |
5 | Denis Menchov (RUS) | Geox | +01:21.000 |
6 | John Gadret (FRA) | AG2R | +01:38.000 |
7 | Mikel Nieve (ESP) | Euskaltel | +01:52.000 |
8 | Hubert Dupont (FRA) | AG2R | +01:55.000 |
9 | Kanstantsin Sivtsov (BLR) | HTC-Highroad | +02:05.000 |
10 | José Rujano (VEN) | Androni Giocattoli | +02:11.000 |
11 | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) | Katusha | +02:24.000 |
12 | Steven Kruijswijk (NED) | Rabobank | +02:40.000 |
13 | Przemyslaw Niemiec (POL) | Lampre | +02:57.000 |
14 | Paolo Tiralongo (ITA) | Astana | +03:29.000 |
15 | Peter Stetina (USA) | Garmin | +03:29.000 |
16 | Roman Kreuziger (CZE) | Astana | +03:32.000 |
General Classification after Stage 14 | |||
| Rider | Team | Time |
1 | Alberto Contador (ESP) | Saxo Bank | 54:45:45 |
2 | Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) | Liquigas | +3:20 |
3 | Igor Antón (ESP) | Euskaltel | +3:21 |
4 | Michele Scarponi (ITA) | Lampre | +4:06 |
5 | John Gadret (FRA) | AG2R | +5:23 |
6 | Kanstantsin Sivtsov (BLR) | HTC-Highroad | +5:37 |
7 | Denis Menchov (RUS) | Geox | +6:06 |
8 | Hubert Dupont (FRA) | AG2R | +6:12 |
9 | Roman Kreuziger (CZE) | Astana | +6:40 |
10 | David Arroyo (ESP) | Movistar | +6:43 |
11 | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) | Katusha | +7:29 |
12 | José Rujano (VEN) | Androni Giocattoli | +7:47 |
13 | Matteo Carrara (ITA) | Vacansoleil | +8:09 |
14 | Steven Kruijswijk (NED) | Rabobank | +8:44 |
15 | Dario Cataldo (ITA) | Quick Step | +8:57 |
16 | Christophe Le Mével (FRA) | Garmin | +9:08 |
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