What a difference a day makes. For two weeks, Alejandro Valverde was quietly living up to his pre-race billing as Vincenzo Nibali’s antagonist-in-chief at the Giro d’Italia, but after shipping three minutes in the Dolomites on stage 14, the Spaniard faces into Sunday’s mountain time trial to Alpe di Siusi desperately looking to resuscitate a flagging overall challenge.
Both Valverde and overnight leader Andrey Amador were unable to follow when Nibali attacked midway up the Passo Valparola on Saturday, and struggled to limit their losses thereafter.
By the top of the climb, Valverde was making only cursory turns on the front, and he crossed the finish exactly three minutes down on stage winner Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) and he now lies fourth overall, 3:06 behind new leader Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo). Amador finished in the same group and lies fifth overall, a further nine seconds back.
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“It wasn’t the day we wanted,” Movistar manager Eusebio Unzue said afterwards, with considerable understatement. “Andrey has had a cold for the last two days. He was going well, but he felt a bit blocked all day.
“Alejandro was very good all day, but then on the last climb, the change of pace – unexpectedly and strangely – didn’t suit him. Nothing before that last climb indicated that was going to happen.”
Valverde and Amador declined to talk to reporters gathered on the finish line in Corvara, though the Spaniard later spoke to the Onda Cero radio station from his hotel room and complained that he had struggled due to the effects of altitude. “Alejandro told me that he was uncomfortable with the altitude, racing at 1,800 metres above sea level,” Unzue said.
More on this story:
- Giro d'Italia stage 14 race report
- Giro d'Italia stage 14 highlights - Video
- Giro d'Italia: A three-way tussle between Kruijswijk, Nibali and Chaves?
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