2017 Giro d'Italia Stage 14 Results & Recap
Stage 14 of the 2017 Giro d'Italia is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
Dumoulin takes the stage and increases his Giro lead
The stage took awhile for the first sacrificial break to get away, never getting much more than a two minute lead. As the riders approached the category 1 ranked Oropa the break was caught and the real racing began. Tom Dumoulin showed he is the best rider so far by staying with his rivals on the climb and then out sprinting them for the stage win.
\nWith stage 14 short at 131 kilometers, attacks from the drop of the flag was expected. There were several surging attacks, but nothing sticking.
It wasn’t until there was 97 kilometers remaining that a break to got away. The first move of the day was Natnael Berhane (Dimension Data), Sergey Lagutin (Gazprom-Rusvelo), and Daniel MartĂnez (Wilier-Selle Italia) with a gap of over a minute and growing.
The peloton was happy to let the trio escape and keep them in striking distance. They weren’t a threat to the general classification, so the main group’s speed remained around 40 kilometers per hour. The real action of the day wasn’t going to start until the 11 kilometer climb to the finish.
This final climb’s gradient is low in the first part, up to Favaro. However, the climb reaches its steepest gradient (around 13%) across the cobbled center of Favaro, and then continues with several bends and a gradient around 9%, up to the 130-meters long home stretch, on 6.5-meters wide road.
At the first intermediate sprint Sergey Lagutin rolled through to take maximum points with his break away partners not bothering to contest it. Their goal was to just stay off the front for as long as possible.
Through the second intermediate sprint with 47 miles to go it was again Lagutin crossing the line first, uncontested by his partners. Behind the peloton kept them in check, but not doing enough to bring them back. It was obvious that any action that was going to happen would occur on the 11 kilometer climb to the finish.
Race leader Tom Dumoulin told the press that the climb is no different than the 20 minute efforts he does during team training camp. The general opinion was that it would have to be a disastrous day for Dumoulin to lose the maglia rosa jersey.
With 30 kilometers remaining in the stage the gap between the break and the peloton was shrinking and was well under a minute.
At the 17 kilometer to go marker, the break was caught. The peloton sped up as they only had about six kilometers to the start of the climb. The teams were lined up like it was a field sprint on the line.
Teams jostled for position as they hit the opening slopes of the Oropa climb like it was the end of the stage.
With 10 kilometers to the summit the race favorites started to show themselves at the front. As they hit the steeper slopes the cream started to rise.
There were numerous surges, but not enough to get a gap. The main protagonists kept any attack in check. With just three kilometers to the top, Nairo Quintana attacked and got a small gap. Joining him was Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha – Alpecin). But Dumoulin kept the Colombian rider in view, not allowing him more than nine seconds.
The advantage never got dangerous and with 1.6 k to go a group of four was formed: Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb), Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha – Alpecin), and Mikel Landa (Team Sky). Last year’s Giro winner Nibali was dropped.
As they raced under the one kilometer to go it was obvious that someone from this group was going to take the stage victory. Zakarin was the first to attack and that shredded the lead group. Dumoulin latched onto the Russian’s wheel, drafted for a few meters and then surged past him in the final meters taking the stage win. Surprisingly, Quintana was ever so slightly dropped on the final run to the line and lost 14 seconds.
In the post- stage interview Dumoulin had a smile on his face as he described the last kilometers of the day.
“I was always focused and relaxed. I couldn’t follow the first attack but had to take my own pace. I came closer and closer and I had something left at the end.”
Asked about his chances, the race leader continued, “It’s a big advantage to go into the next week, but we will see if it is enough. We are far from Milan”
With a week remaining, Dumoulin still has many mountains to climb, but he is looking like a strong contender for the final maglia rosa in Milan.
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