For a week, Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha) had been hiding in plain sight at this Giro d'Italia, but on the hills of Chianti on stage 9, the Russian was finally showing his hand in earnest. Through the first two time checks of the rolling time trial, Zakarin was on course to take possession of the maglia rosa. The dark horse was announcing himself as a favourite.
That dream would unravel on the roads near Panzano, however, as Zakarin's wheels slid from under him on a rain-soaked corner. He remounted quickly and looked to re-find his rhythm on the final run-in to Greve in Chianti, only to misjudge the final bend and fall for a second time.
A chaperone still waited for Zakarin to the finish line, though not to shepherd him towards the warm embrace of the pink jersey and the podium celebrations, but to usher him towards doping control.
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His skinsuit torn and his hip bloodied, Zakarin had initially misunderstood the instructions amid the maelstrom of the finish area and begun to pedal away towards his team bus, only for his press officer to point him in the right direction. As Zakarin freewheeled glumly to the doping truck, he blanked the entreaties of a pursuing television crew.
Four days later, on the eve of the Giro's entry into the high mountains, Zakarin's outlook is rather brighter, particularly as the injuries sustained in the time trial crash proved to be superficial. After matching the best at Sestola and Asolo, he now lies in 7th place overall, 2:25 off maglia rosa Bob Jungels (Etixx-QuickStep).
"I think I'm recovered well and for the next climbing stages, I should be ok," Zakarin told Cyclingnews in Noale on Thursday morning.
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