2018 Giro d'Italia Stage 14 Results & Recap
Stage 14 of the 2018 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
Despite big shake-ups, the overall classification is far from settled after Monte Zoncolan\nBy Stas Uittenbogaard
Despite a big shake up in the overall classification, the battle between Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) and Simon Yates (Mitchelton Scott) for Pink in Rome rages on. On gradients of up to 18%, the final four kilometre of Europe’s toughest mountain provided a fight between team leaders. The win of the day belongs to a resurgent Chris Froome, who jumps up to fifth in the overall classification. Maglia Rosa Simon Yates finished second, proving he is not past his peak form yet. Meanwhile, Tom Dumoulin manages to limit his losses to 37 seconds. Less lucky were Fabio Aru and Richard Carapaz, who incurred big losses on their direct competitors.
The final three kilometres of the stage turned into a one on one match between two Brits, with the competition grinding away behind. This is stage winner Chris Froome´s comment at the line: “It's a really special feeling to win at the top of this climb, especially after the hard start I've had. It's such a monumental climb in this Giro d'Italia. I did the recon and I believed that with 4km to go was the right place to attack. Right to the line, Simon Yates was just behind me. I heard in my radio; 10 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, five… It's a relief to win here.”
The recon was a much discussed topic today, as both GC favourites opted not to visit the climb before today. Nevertheless, both riders will look back at today with satisfaction: Yates for taking time on Dumoulin, Dumoulin for limiting the losses. This is what the Maglia Rosa said after the finish: “I tried to go for the stage. I did my best to catch Chris. I just didn't have enough to get it. But as far as the Maglia Rosa is concerned, it's all good to be second here.”
Tomorrow is another explosive mountain stage: the last one before the rest day. On Tuesday, the riders are in for a crucial time trial, which is supposed to be both Froome’s and Dumoulin’s trump card to play. For now it seems, no-one’s position in the GC is safe.
PLAY BY PLAY
The stage started with a long flat run-in until the steep but short Monte di Ragogna. Starting just after the peloton traversed the hometown of birthday-boy Alessandro De Marchi (BMC), the climb proved to be the judge as to who would make the break of the day. In the end, seven made it: Mads Pedersen and Laurent Didier (Trek-Segafredo), Francesco Gavazzi (Androni Giocattoli–Sidermec), Valerio Conti (UAE Team Emirates), Matteo Montaguti (AG2R La Mondiale), Enrico Barbin (CSF Bardiani) and Jacopo Mosca (Wilier Triestina–Selle Italia) pulled in front with hopes of upsetting the GC battle. Montaguti and Conti, the most capable climbers out of the group, fought it out for the KOM points as Montaguti moves up the rankings, despite the Maglia Azzurra still being far out of reach. The seven would have needed a big gap at the foot of Zoncolan to stand a chance at winning the stage, but it was not to be: on the penultimate climb, the Sella Valcalda Ravascletto, a reduced peloton had neared the remnants of the break to a minute.
With only Barbin and Conti still on front, Igor Anton was first to attack on Monte Zoncolan. The Basque rider won here in 2011 and managed to make his way forward through cheering crowds for quite a distance before being the last to be caught by the peloton. GC contender Michael Woods (Education First – Drapac) attempted an attack from far out as well, which turned out fruitless as the Canadian was caught and then dropped later on.
In the run-in to the finale it had been Simon Yates’ Mitchelton Scott and Miguel Angel Lopez’ Astana who set a fast pace, but on the gradients of the Zoncolan it was Team Sky’s Wout Poels who grinded the way for the Maglia Rosa group. Those who could not keep up with the pace dropped at high speed: First the teams’ domestiques, then Fabio Aru (UAD), then Davide Formolo (BOH), Gulio Ciccone (BAR) and eventually white jersey wearer Richard Carapaz (MOV) proved the most critical victims of the climb. Tom Dumoulin hung at the back of the group most of the time, but continued unperturbed as riders dropped left and right of him.
In the end, a group of eight remained, including two domestiques. As the latter, Wout Poels and Groupama FDJ’s Reichenbach, swung aside almost simultaneously, Chris Froome accelerated. The chasers were ruptured in two immediately, as Pozzovivo, Lopez and Yates tried to match the accelerated pace while Dumoulin continued his own rhythm with Thibaut Pinot in his wheel. After leaving the chase on Pozzovivo’s shoulders for about a kilometre, Simon Yates decided he was unsatisfied with the gap to Dumoulin behind and pulled away from his temporary allies. The last three kilometres flattened out somewhat compared to the monstrous gradients just before, and Yates all but caught up with Froome. In the end, the two Brits finished 6 seconds apart. Dumoulin finished 37 seconds behind stage winner, dropping Pinot on the last stretch. Miguel Angel Lopez and Domenico Pozzovivo clocked in 25 and 23 seconds respectively, allowing the Colombian Lopez to take the white jersey from Equador´s Richard Carapaz. In the overall classification, the two young riders sit sixth and seventh. Chris Froome jumps up to fifth, Pozzovivo overtakes Pinot for the third spot and Yates and Dumoulin still occupying top spots on the podium.\n
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