The morning's newspapers gave no hint that Mikel Landa's Giro d'Italia was about to come to a very abrupt end on the road to Sestola on stage 10. "My Giro starts from today with the climb to Sestola," Landa had told Corriere della Sera during Monday's rest day. Gazzetta dello Sport had quoted him as saying: "I'm not surprised to be the favourite for the Giro."
Speaking with reporters beneath the signing-on podium in Campi Bisenzio on Tuesday morning, Landa had shown no signs of illness as he reported for duty, even telling a Danish television crew that he planned to attack on the way to Sestola.
Barely 30 kilometres into the day's stage, however, shortly after the peloton had left Pistoia and begun climbing the category 3 Passo della Collina, race radio crackled into action to announce that Landa had been dropped.
ADVERTISEMENT
Shortly afterwards, Landa's deficit was announced as standing at three minutes, and after Astana began forcing at the front, each bulletin brought more doleful news for the Basque. Four minutes soon stretched to six. His fellow countryman Mikel Nieve and David Lopez waited with him, out of duty rather than in hope. Sixty-six kilometres into the stage, just before the start of the climb of Pietracolora, Landa climbed off his bike and abandoned the Giro.
Coming just 48 hours after a startlingly strong time trial showing had left him within touching distance of Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Landa's withdrawal was a surprise to all observers – and, it seems, to his teammates.
More on this story:
Giro d’Italia stage 10 – Finish line quotes
Giro d’Italia stage 10 highlights – Video
Landa abandons Giro d’Italia
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/1TXT1TB
No comments:
Post a Comment