Finally, after so many near misses, and so many setbacks, Pierre Rolland delivered in Cannondale-Drapac colours to win stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia in nail-biting fashion. The 30-year-old was certainly forced to do it the hard way – attacking as part of a three-man move at the start of the 219-kilometre stage before jumping clear once more from a group of around 25 with 7.6 kilometres to go.
The Frenchman, who signed to Cannondale at the start of 2016, ended his team's two-year wait for a Grand Tour stage win, as well as his own five-year drought – to solo across the line for a memorable win as Rui Costa (UAE Emirates) and Gorka Izagirre (Movistar) rounded out the top three on the day.
For race leader Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb), it was a relatively calm day in the saddle with the majority of his rivals deciding to rest their legs after stage 16 and an epic encounter on the Stelvio. There were some changes inside the top 10 as Jan Polanc (UAE Emirates) used his chance in the break to ruffle some feathers but the day was eventually decided by the near 40-strong break that formed in the first half of the day.
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Yet the stage belonged to Rolland, and Cannondale – a team that simply don't know how to win easy. For a squad that have certainly had their struggles, this ride was built on tactical nous and excellent teamwork and was finished off by the pure determination of their talismanic Frenchman.
Rolland, who has been a presence in several breaks during the race, attacked from the gun alongside Matej Mohoric (UAE Team Emirates) and Pavel Brutt (Gazprom), with the trio establishing a over a large chase group that contained almost 40 riders. Rolland picked up points on the two classified climbs before sitting up and waiting for the safety of the chase as Brutt and Mohoric continued ahead.
Given the distance and the lack of firepower, it was the smart move, and when a general regrouping took place it was Rolland and teammate Michael Woods, who carefully marked a number of key attacks inside the final 25 kilometres. When Rolland's decisive move came with 7.6 kilometres to go it was quickly apparent that the Frenchman had the legs to go the distance. A late chase from Dimension Data and Quick-Step Floors threatened to spoil Rolland's party, but Woods, who made a nuisance of himself whenever the speed in the second group threatened to reel in Rolland, hounded down any counter-attacks before the Frenchman was able to celebrate with the line in sight.
How it unfolded
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