Foldable Bikes Party: Giro d'Italia: Analysing the GC contenders ahead of the final week

Tuesday, 23 May 2017

Giro d'Italia: Analysing the GC contenders ahead of the final week

http://ift.tt/2qK0v64

As the Giro d'Italia enjoys its third and final rest-day, Cyclingnews takes a look at how the general classification contenders fared in a second week that included the Montefalco time trial and Oropa summit finish, and how it leaves them heading into the final week.

Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb)
GC position: Leader
Second week performance: Imperious.

The Montefalco time trial that kicked off the week was Dumoulin’s chance to shine, and he didn’t let it slip. Question marks had lingered from the Tirreno time trial as to whether this winter’s climbing focus had hampered his rouleur qualities, but those doubts were blown away with a storming display that yielded greater gains than he’d have hoped for. If that wasn’t enough, he took victory again at Oropa, beating Quintana on a summit finish with a display where the 24 seconds he gained paled into insignificance compared to the psychological damage inflicted. Dumoulin has stamped his authority on the race in the past week with a show of all-round strength that suggest a Grand Tour title is a matter of when, rather than if - and this Giro title a probability, rather than a possibility.

Bidon half full or half empty? Leading the race by nearly three minutes, having won a time trial and a summit finish stage, Dumoulin’s bidon is overflowing. There is cause for caution, though, as he heads into the high mountains. Until now, as he has admitted, the decisive climbs have suited him – relatively short efforts at the end of otherwise innocuous stages. The high-altitude, multi-mountain stages of the final week are a different proposition entirely, so he is heading into the unknown, if you like, and memories of the penultimate day of the 2015 Vuelta won’t be far from the back of his mind. The optimism shines through again, though, when you factor in the final-day time trial – Quintana et al would need at least a minute and a half going into that. If Dumoulin can avoid cracking completely on one of the next five days, the Giro is his.