Primoz Roglic showed he can be one of the best time triallists in the world after he took a big win in the Giro’s 40km rolling time trial through the Chianti region. The big action came behind, as Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha) looked poised to take pink from Etixx-QuickStep’s Gianluca Brambilla. The Russian had a mechanical and two crashes and fell away from the hunt for pink today. In the end Brambilla had to fend off his teammate Bob Jungels, which he did by one second to keep Pink.

 

We have gathered serveral reactions.

 

Primoz Roglic after breakthrough win: After the first half, I had lost all the motivation

Primoz Roglic, riding in his first grand tour, gave LottoNL-Jumbo a stage win today in the Giro d’Italia’s Chianti time trial. The Slovenian went 10 seconds faster than Matthias Brändle (IAM Cycling) over 40.5 kilometres. Team leader Steven Kruijswijk, went just as well, holding his ground to the other overall favourites. He finished 21st and is placed fourth overall, with Gianluca Brambilla (Etixx - Quick Step) in the pink jersey.

 

Roglic, who finished just 1/100 of a second behind the winner in the opening time trial in Apeldoorn, could not be stopped today.

 

“Awesome,” the Slovenian said. “This victory still comes as a surprise for me, but I was more self-confident after that first stage. I felt strong and knew that I would have a chance if I was able to give everything.

 

“The Bianchi Aquila time trial bike is obviously very fast and I enjoy riding on it. Besides that, a time trial is a fight against yourself, you have to control yourself. That comes quite close to ski jumping. That didn’t mean that I immediately knew that time trials suited me, but it seems to be so.

 

"After approximately ten kilometres, I lost my computer and my bottle. I indicated to my sport director to pick my computer but I'm not sure if he understood what I was telling him. I also lost motivation and I decided to take it easy. But I was feeling fantastic uphill so I just pushed and pushed for the fun of it. I was really slow and unlucky at the beginning but very fast and lucky at the end because I only felt a drop or two while the riders after me got the pouring rain. This is strange, very strange.

 

”It's a long story. When I was 15 I was ski jumper, and I have done cycling for 4 years. It's crazy, I dreamed at the Giro and win so it's a dream come true.

 

"It confirms that we have done a great job and now we are very well. I did not think I could win today, but along the way I realized that there was this possibility. As I always say, it is the same for everybody. Sometimes you are more fortunate, sometimes not.

 

"It is really great. Ever since I started I wanted to get here, and now the dream has come true. I'm still trying to figure out where I can express myself. We'll see soon.

 

 “I’m really happy with my performance. I should be jumping and smiling but it’s crazy, it’s hard to realize. I was unlucky to miss out on the victory in Apeldoorn [on stage 1]. I only lost to Tom Dumoulin by a few centimetres. But today, it’s the opposite. The change of weather has made me a lucky man. I had some problems with my bike at the start but luckily I had a spare bike and I changed it.

 

“I didn’t expect it, I was just trying to do my best. In the end, I had some luck with the weather and that was it. It was the first time that I had done a time trial of more than 10km and it was fun. It was all the time up and down, left and right. I had luck with the weather and I could just do my best.

 

”When I quit ski jumping and started cycling, I was dreaming of becoming the best but I didn’t expect to succeed so quickly. The longest individual time trial I did before today was 10km long. Now I’ll do my best to help Steven [Kruijswijk] for GC.

 

“Roglic has a lot of power,” Sports Director Jan Boven added. “We did some tests with him, as well. Besides that, the Bianchi Aquila is a very quick bike. Mathieu Heijboer is paying a lot of attention to the riders’ warm-up, Primoz profited well from that. He made the difference in the second part of today’s time trial. He delivered some steady and quick descents and was very strong on the final climb. During the last descent, he won another eight seconds on his main competitors.”

 

Behind Roglic, Jos van Emden, Maarten Tjallingii, Martijn Keizer and Steven Kruijswijk finished eighth, ninth, 16th and 21st, respectively.

 

“This is great,” Boven continued. “These are the most beautiful days for a sports director. Steven’s 21st place is very good. He’s still in a very good position and won seconds on the most of his competitors. This day went perfect for us. We’re only the fifth team to win a stage in this Giro and we still finished every day in the top 10.”

 

On Monday, the riders have a day of rest, but the Giro d’Italia will continue with a tough stage on Tuesday.

 

“We’re going to enjoy a small drink for this victory tonight, but we’re not going to party,” Boven said. “We have a rest day tomorrow, but it’s going to be tough on Tuesday. The favourites don’t have much difference between them so we have to stay focussed.”

 

Matthias Brändle after second place: It’s easy to find those 10 seconds

Matthias Brändle and Vegard Stake Laengen from IAM found the strength to post two great times on the serpentine and treacherous roads of Chianti. This is the first time since joining the professional peloton in 2013 that the Swiss team has managed to place two riders on the podium in a World Tour race.

 

“I am very happy for myself and for the team,” Matthias Brändle said with a grin after finishing his ride.  “I didn’t do as well in my prologue as I wanted (9th). So today, I was powered by a sense of revenge. After previewing the course, I did a perfect warm-up, and immediately found a good rhythm.”

 

“The ten seconds that cost me the victory are easy to find,” explained Matthias Brändle. "Roglic is a few kilos lighter than me, and on that last climb, I was just not able to compete with him. But I have no regrets because I was still able to race over perfectly dry roads.”

 

Surprise podium finisher Vegard Stake Laengen: I’ve always been good inlong time trials

This is Vegard Stake Laengen first podium position at the World Tour level. At the time of being interviewed, the tall (195 cm) 27 year old Norwegian was a very happy man.

 

“I did a good recon of the course, and managed to memorize all the potential traps that the curves of the route could have. In addition to that, I have often been a strong time triallists over longer distances. So I am not going to deny myself taking pleasure in this result.”

 

“I must congratulate the riders by reacting so well to the challenges faced since the start of the race in the Netherlands," said Kjell Carlström, one of the directeurs sportifs along with Mario Chiesa for IAM Cycling at the Giro. “Matthias Brändle came close to taking the stage since he was feeling great. And then Vegard Stake Laengen proved that he should be reckoned with in this discipline in the coming years.” 


 

Though the sun was happily shinning until early afternoon, the favorites in the general classification set off on their rides under rainy skies causing slippery conditions which prevented them from coming close to the times set by the early starters.

 

12 is the number of points that Matthias Brändle (8) and Vegard Stake Laengen (4) scored in the team classification for the World Tour points through their wonderful performances today.

 

The team collected 8261 euros on account of the two podium positions in the Giro stage, where 2nd place earned € 5508 while 3rd place came away with € 2753.

 

Fabian Cancellara abandons the Giro d’Italia after fourth place in the time trial

As an early starter, Fabian Cancellara benefited from a dry course but lacked his normal time trial prowess in the stage nine race against the clock to finish in fourth place in a time of 52:13.

 

Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo) also profited from dry conditions to win the time trial in a time of 51:45 as the top finishers all began before the rain pummelled on the technical 40.5-kilometer course.

 

"I did a good time trial performance-wise, I had good sensations, I calculated good, but I didn't have enough power," Cancellara said. "Maybe it was my condition, maybe the sickness…I don't know it could be a lot of things. I just did my best, what I could, and the rest is just racing. You win you lose that is just how it is.

 

"It was a tough one, a hard one, and not maybe the nicest one for my style of racing. In the end, I paid a bit for trying to gain on the rider I saw in front of me. I went a bit over the edge and then I paid the price, but in the end, I could manage in the downhill to recover a bit. That's how it is. I knew it was my last [stage], so I did it all-in."

 

Cancellara is heading home from the Giro d'Italia without the results he had aimed for after falling sick ahead of the start, but with his focus now on the second half of the season, rest is crucial.

 

"Fabian did not fully recover from his fever in the first days because normally on a parcours like this he would be near the level of the top three riders, or podium, and it's clear it is not the case," pointed out general manager Luca Guercilena.  "He needs to recover now, or he will compromise the rest of the season. He had been really going à bloc since February so it's time that he takes a breath."

 

"I leave the Giro now," continued Cancellara. "I have to look forward. I think it was quite hard to manage the sickness during the first days and we have to look what comes after and calculate. This is the best situation and best moment to leave and continue for what's next."

 

Ryder Hesjedal: If it continues to go this eay, it is looking promising

Starting in the last wave of riders, Ryder Hesjedal raced under pounding rain with wet, slick roads hindering his performance to finish in 54:43 for 33rd place. The general classification contenders all rode under identical treacherous conditions, eliminating any chance at a stage win, but the race for the overall classification was a heated battle. Hesjedal's time pulled him into 16th place overall as he inched closer to many of his rivals.

 

"A time trial is always important – complicated – even more so today as the conditions were very dangerous you could say if you got it wrong," Hesjedal explained. "The first goal is to be safe and get through in a good way, and at the same time you have to perform and do a good ride and I feel like I accomplished that. It's still only stage 9 and there's a long way to go but I had some good signs today and that's what you want as the race progresses.”

 

"I was a little bit worried about this time trial and where it was situated in the race, but it looks like things are going in a good way and if it continues to go that way, then for sure it is looking promising."

 

With nine stages completed the Giro heads into its second rest day tomorrow. General Manager Luca Guercilena summed up the first part of the race for Trek-Segafredo:

 

"It is clear that up to now we don't have the results we expected to have. Fabian being sick had him at half his game for the time trials, we had missed a couple opportunities in the sprints for various reasons, and we are further back in the GC then we like, although Ryder did a good time trial today to move into 16th from 22nd.

 

"Obviously, the next 10 days will be important for us. We really need to keep ourselves motivated and focused on the goals, but we have time. We are confident because we know we have worked hard for this Giro."

 

Ilnur Zakarin: Two crashes and a bike change in one day is too much

Team Katusha’s Ilnur Zakarin, second overall, 23 seconds behind race leader Gianluca Brambilla (Etixx - Quick Step), had a disastrous bad luck day during the Giro d’Italia’s Stage 9, an 40,5 km individual time trial around Chianti. Zakarin crashed twice and had bike change during the important time trial.

 

Ilnur Zakarin lost 3 minutes and 51 seconds and is now 11th in GC, 2.09 behind Gianluca Brambilla.

 

“Not much to say. I am deeply disappointed. I did not expect to have such a bad luck today. The feelings were really good and I hoped to do a strong race. Two crashes and a bike change in a day - it's too much. But the weather did this route quite dangerous. I have some injures, mostly on the left leg - on my hip and near knee. But I really hope to recover in next days. I am motivated to keep on fighting in this Giro. The team supports me and I know, I can do well,” said Ilnur Zakarin.

 

Team Katusha’s Anton Vorobyev finished 5th.

 

Gianluca Brambilla: This proves that yesterday’s win didn’t come by chance

Gianluca Brambilla retained the maglia rosa following Sunday's time trial, while Bob Jungels climbed to second in the overall classification. Stage 9 of the Giro d'Italia was viewed by many as the first real test for the GC contenders, the 40.5-km long individual time trial being expected to shake up the rankings and show who can fight for a good result in the next two weeks. Taking the riders from Radda in Chianti to Greve in Chianti, the course was an undulating one, with short and difficult climbs and some technical sections, and as if all these weren't enough, rain began halfway through the stage, and the wet roads meant that the late starters had to pay attention when negotiating the tricky corners.

 

Last rider to roll down the ramp, Gianluca Brambilla had a good start and pushed a steady pace despite the miserable conditions, being clocked in 16 minutes at the first intermediate. In the middle section of the time trial, he conceded time, but made up for this in the final kilometers, just as the road was rising again, and by the third check he took back most of the time he lost up until that point. Step by step, Brambilla scratched off the deficit on the other GC riders and concluded this challenging test in 53:50, around two minutes behind the winner, Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo), which was enough for 17th place and for keeping the pink jersey.

 

One of the pre-race favourites, Bob Jungels was another Etixx – Quick-Step rider to stand out on Sunday, after coming home in 6th position, a result which led to a significant leap in the general classification, from 14th to 2nd, just one second behind his teammate. Having done that, Jungels  also increased his lead in the white jersey standings and will go into the second week of the race with a comfortable cushion over the second placed rider, none other than his teammate, Carlos Verona, also a debutant in the Giro d'Italia.

 

"It was a demanding, technical and demanding ITT, and all that I can say now is that I'm very happy. I came to the start very relaxed and confident, as I was thinking of giving my all, while also staying safe. I am happy for having the opportunity of spending at least one more day in the maglia rosa, but I'm also sad for Bob, because I know how he's feeling. Probably, in normal conditions, he would have won the stage. At the end of the day, the most important thing is that the jersey remained within the team", said Gianluca Brambilla, who'll now have the chance to wear the maglia rosa in a road stage on Tuesday. "I can't wait for that! Today was a time trial, and I couldn't fully enjoy it with my great teammates, but things will be completely different on stage 10.

 

"Yesterday I expended a lot of of energy in the breakaway. I attacked and I went full gas all day. It was the same today: alone again, full gas again and nothing to lose. Everything went well. I kept the Maglia Rosa. Until now everything has gone well in the Giro. It's an amazing feeling.

 

“It was a difficult and technical course and the rain made it even harder for me. I’ve seen so many crashes but we rode strongly. I say “we” because if it wasn’t me, it would be my team-mate Bob Jungels here with the Maglia Rosa.

 

“It happens in cycling that gregarii take this jersey. Now I’m curious about the feeling of wearing it the middle of the bunch, it must be a great feeling. We have two hard weeks of racing to come. I’d like to win another stage.

 

“I’m really happy actually. Today was different of course, it was difficult to defend the pink jersey. I rested well last night, I woke up well. When I started my time trial I had nothing to lose. I had my pink jersey on and I had my stage and I’ll do my best to defend it.

 

“I also tried today to go maybe not as fast as I could but my descent was ok. The last turn was very difficult because I saw riders crashing earlier in the day. It was wet and slippery but by a second I managed to keep it.

 

"I'm happy for myself, because this tells me that yesterday the maglia rosa didn't come by chance. It was a big effort today. I went out pretty gently at the start and then I went harder at end, but I wanted to stay safe.

 

"The time trial was very difficult and technical, and then the rain made it even harder and I'm really not a specialist in the rain. Before I started I saw that a lot of riders were falling out there, but thanks to our technical material, we did fine."

 

"This morning I was very calm and I went to the time trial feeling relaxed. It wasn't that I wanted to lose it, but the onus was on the others to go after it and take it away from me."

 

At the Giro d'Italia, Brambilla is leading a stage race for the first time in his career, and he credited for his success the team behind the team, from the sponsors who always provide the best equipment to Etixx – Quick-Step's staff:

 

“All these couldn't have been possible without all the people who stand by our side.Take, for example, today: it was a tough stage, and many riders crashed or punctured, but we didn't have these kind of problems, as Specialized delivered us great bikes and excellent tires, perfect for this kind of conditions, which made our life easier. Also, it was very important to have Davide Bramati in the car, as he knew every single detail of the parcours. That's why I want to thank to the entire team for their help and input.

 

"I have to compliment Bramati, who knew this course by memory. I'd only seen a film of it so I placed my trust in him completely. I even took a few risks and it all went well. He wasn't giving me the times and I didn't know much about the intermediate checks either, but he guided me through the course.

 

"After the rest day, the next two weeks will be the ‘real' Giro and anything can happen. As I said in Holland, I was always chasing a stage win, and now I've got that and the overall lead. We'll just see how long I can go along like this. I'm calm."

 

Bob Jungels not disappointed after near-miss in Giro d’Italia time trial

Etixx – Quick-Step concluded the first nine stages of the Corsa Rosa with three wins in the bag, two jerseys and at the top of the team standings, and Bob Jungels is one of the riders who played a big role in the success of the opening week:

 

"After Tirreno-Adriatico, I came here with Davide Bramati and Koen Pelgrim, our trainer, and did a recon of the time trial course. Of course, it was different today, because of the weather conditions, but making an idea on the key points of the stage earlier this year really helped me a lot. I'm very happy considering how today was. I managed to extend my lead in the best young rider standings and to return to the top three of the general classification. It's great to be up there with Gianluca, the team spirit is incredible and we hope to continue like this.

 

“I’m definitely happy with today’s result. I have no regret that I miss out on the Maglia Rosa because a team-mate of mine has it. It’s rare in a Grand Tour that two riders from the same team occupy the first two spots after so much racing.

 

”I’m especially happy regarding the weather conditions. I was riding under a pouring rain. I had to be careful in the curves but without losing too much time. I made a pretty good impression. I gave it all. I knew from the start it was a good time trial for me because I saw the course after the Strade Bianche in March.

 

“I did the recon of this time trial after Strade Bianche and we had the video so I knew it pretty well. With the conditions that changed a lot for the stage victory. I knew that it would suit me. It was quite a hard time trial. The climbs weren’t too steep but long where you need a lot of power and then I think I took some risks in the downhill. I’m super happy with my re-entry into the top 3.”

 

”Our team spirit is great. Maybe the coming climbs will be harder for us but as a team we’ve achieved so much already… We’ll try to continue”

 

Wasted opportunity for Stefan Küng in wet Giro d’Italia time trial

Stefan Küng was hoping to make amends for the opening time trial where a crash ruined his chance of victory, but the slippery conditions saw him cross the line with the seventh-fastest time.

 

 “There was so much water on the road when I was on the course,” he said. “I think it was five centimeters deep in some sections and then it started hailing at one point. When we did the recon of the course we had identified different sections and corners where I could go full gas but in the end you couldn’t at all, because you had to constantly sit up and stay safe. When you’re going 45 kilometers an hour on a dry road you don’t even think about it and just tuck into a good position, but when it’s wet you feel your wheels slipping and you can’t go as hard as you would like.

 

“I ride time trials with no socks and my shoes were just full of water. There’s nothing you can do when you have conditions like this. I think there were times when I had to slow down to 20 kilometers an hour just to get around a corner safely, so you lose so much time. You lose focus when you know that you are losing time, so it really wasn’t ideal for anyone.”

 

Max Sciandri, Sports Director, added:

 

“More than anything it is a real shame that the conditions became so bad, not just for us, but for all of the teams with riders hoping to do well. We did a recon of the course early in the morning when the road was dry and it was a completely different race. When you do a time trial and can’t go in a straight line for more than 200 meters that tells you what it was like.

 

“Stefan still did a great job to safely maneuver his way around the course and come home in seventh place, but we know he could have produced a better time had the conditions been different. It was the same for everyone though. It’s a wasted opportunity when the weather plays such a role in determining the outcome of a race, but that’s cycling!”

Alejandro Valverde satisfied with TT performance: I hope to keep this feeling

Neither rain nor pressure against some of the World Tour's best specialists ended Andrey Amador's (Movistar Team) will to shine on the trascendental stage nine of the 2016 Giro d'Italia, 40.5km between and Radda and Greve in Chianti. Just with the same self-assurance and elegance he showed in Apeldoorn's opening time trial, the man from Costa Rica gained ten places overall to make his country and squad proud and get back to third overall in the ‘Corsa Rosa’.

 

It wasn't an easy day for the squad directed by Garcia Acosta and Jaimerena, which had all 'six' senses on over the slippery course, which caused lots of crashes - including three different problems for Russia's Ilnur Zakarin (KAT), down to 11th today. The circumstance makes the Blues feel more than satisfied, as their block got through such a scenario all safe and sound.

 

In turn, Alejando Valverde, now 6th in the GC, remains fully in contenton for the ‘maglia rosa’ as he sits only 2” behind Nibali (AST, 5th) and 23" ahead of Mikel Landa (SKY, 8th). The standings stay tight and keep the telephone squad's leader happy before the second rest day in Campi Bisenzio, Monday, prelude to another rmountainous day to Sestola.

 

"I did the time trial in pretty much the same time as rivals like Nibali and Landa, and I've managed to put distance some distance between myself and some very important contenders, like Urán, Zakarin and Estaban Chaves,” Valverde told Cyclingnews.

 

"It was a very difficult route, with two or three really tricky, dangerous corners, but I came through it OK. I'm also very pleased for Andrey, it gives Movistar two riders to use in the overall. My legs feel very good, and hopefully I'll go on feeling the same after the rest day, too."

 

Rafal Majka: I didn’t lose too much time

After cementing his position as a challenger for the podium on yesterday's testing climb, Rafal Majka aimed to hold onto his top ten place in the GC in today’s ‘Chianti Classico’ time trial. After 40.5km on undulating roads in tough weather conditions, that soaked riders to the bone and made for slippery racing, Manuele Boaro finished just outside the top ten, in eleventh position, with Tinkoff’s leader finishing the day in 31st position, keeping hold of his top ten place in the GC.

 

On a day where the parcours meant the time trial specialists wouldn’t necessarily have an advantage, the wet conditions were an additional equaliser for the riders on the road. With the crowds spurring them on though, fast times continued to be set throughout the day, with Manuele Boaro setting a time of 53’16”, which for a while propelled him into the top ten.

 

After his ride, Boaro was pleased with his performance.

 

"It was a tricky time trial with a rainy first part. I was careful and tried not to take too many risks because I wanted to go strong in the finale. The last climb was tough, and a 40km time-trial after the effort of the first eight stages isn't easy"

 

As the GC top ten made their way onto the course, conditions were still challenging, with wet roads still to contend with. Rafal Majka started his ride with the aim of getting home safely. After a ride that saw him working hard throughout, and finishing with a time of 54’41”, the Tinkoff leader finished the day in 31st position. With all riders home, Boaro finished just outside the top ten, in 11th position, after his strong ride over the difficult stage in tough conditions.

 

Having finished strongly, Boaro was looking forward to supporting his leader in later stages.

 

"As I said, today wasn't a day to take unnecessary risks for me. I'm not winning the Giro, I'm here to support our leader, Rafal Majka. We still have a long way to the finish in Turin. I gave my best and if that brings a good result in this stage, I'm happy."

 

Rafal Majka was pleased with his ride, retaining his top ten position in the GC.

 

"I think I did my best today. It was a hard time trial and the rain made it even tougher. I was going pretty well in the climbs but lost some time on the descents as I wasn’t risking it on the slippery roads. I didn't lose too much overall and I’m still in the top ten so it was quite a good day.”

 

The Polish team leader continued.

 

“We still have a long way to go and I hope my shape will keep improving. It is important to put on a strong performance in the last week. Tomorrow will not be a complete rest day as I will turn the legs over so that I feel better in the coming days.”

 

Sport Director, Tristan Hoffman, had a great deal of praise for his team after a hard day on the roads.

 

“I think Rafal did a fantastic job today as it was very tricky in the rain with the difficult descents but he competed at a high level and held his own in the GC. Manuele did a strong ride to finish 11th - we saw yesterday that he was up there with the pink jersey group on the climb and riding strong and he showed it again today. It's a good sign for the two weeks to come, as he will be a strong help for Rafal.”

 

Domenico Pozzovivo: I limited the losses well

"It was a time time trial which was not too bad for me in dry conditions but wet roads led me to take no risks,” Domenico Pozzovivo said. “I lost time in the descending part that was technical. I think I have limited the losses overall. The last two days were hard, but they are now over."

 

Tom Dumoulin: I’ve put the GC out of my mind

A downpour prior to Tom Dumoulin’s start time meant he was forced to clock a time on largely wet roads on a difficult and technical course in Chianti.

 

Dumoulin fought hard to put in a good performance during the stage, putting in a time of 53’43 that was still good enough for a 15th place despite the rain-sodden conditions. Primož Roglic (Team LottoNL – Jumbo) took advantage of a gap in the weather to take victory on the day with a time of 51:45.

 

Chad Haga and Tobias Ludvigsson were the next Team Giant-Alpecin men home on the stage, the duo taking 18th and 23rd places respectively. Dumoulin is now seventh in the general classification of the Giro, 58″ behind the overall leader Gianluca Brambilla (Etixx – Quick Step).

 

“I didn’t want to take any risks in the downhill parts and then you’ve got no chance of having a good result,” explained Tom Dumoulin. “My legs were a little bit better than yesterday, but there was no point in taking any risks in these weather conditions because the win was already gone. Then you don’t win, of course.

 

“I had a lot of luck on the first day but today I didn’t.

 

“My legs were a little bit better than yesterday but I didn’t want to take any risk with this weather and I didn’t win.”

 

"Even with the rain, you hope the pink jersey is still a possibility because all the GC riders had to ride in the same conditions, but it was hard mentally to give everything and dare to take full risks, especially after having already had six days in pink. The time trial win here had been my goal.

 

"I've put the GC out of my mind. It would have been nice to win back the pink jersey today, but I knew I would lose it again on one of the mountain stages."

 

Coach Marc Reef said:

 

“We went for it today but Tom didn’t have his best day. It was raining pretty hard during his whole time trial, so in the descents, it was pretty tricky. During the uphill sections, he was still strong but he couldn’t make the difference which he usually does.”

 

 

Vincenzo Nibali: Mikel Landa will be a contender in the final week

"My sensations were good, I was pedalling well on the climbs but I was very careful not to take risks on the descents because I could feel my rear wheel slipping in the wet and I didn't want to end up on the ground," Vincenzo Nibali told Spaziociclismo and Cyclingnews

 

"I went flat out on the first climb and I was a few seconds up but I didn't want to take any risks in the final part. It was very nervous on the descent but I think I did a good time trial. I had to take the last corner very gently, too.

 

"It was not an easy time trial. I chose a bike that was more rideable without thinking about aerodynamics and speed. I did not take many risks downhill since I had heard of many crashes. I pushed a lot uphill. The leg felt good and in the last part of the climb I gained something. It was not easy, it was a very fast time trial.

 

"Landa went strongly. Certainly compared to last year he's going a lot stronger in the time trial. He's clearly growing in form and in the final week he's going to be a contender for the win overall. Today showed that he's already going very well.

 

"In the first week I suffered a bit from allergy, being forced to take antihistamines. In these days of rain, the pollens are gone. I stopped with antihistamines and start to feel better and better physically.”

 

 

"We always thought about coming to the Giro to win,” sports director Giuseppe Martinelli said. “We do know that the opponents are hard to beat. The day in Roccaraso has passed and we now have a good Nibali. He has a good team and has a lot of confidence.

 

“I think everyone decided not to take risks. Now the rest day is good. We face the last two weeks with great confidence."

 

"It was a very technical time trial, conditioned also by the heavy rain. It was important to have strenght, but also to have knowledge about how to ride the bike,” said Andrey Zeits.

 

"I'm fine and today I did not go to the full gas because I preferred to save precious energy for the next two weeks of racing".

 

"Andrey is a real team man,” commented sport director Alexandr Shefer. “He is an athlete who always works for his teammates and that has now acquired great international experience."

 

"I am satisfied with the performance today,” continued Shefer. “Not only did we not loset seconds to our rivals, but actually we have gained some time.”

 

After the 40.5 km time trial of the Chianti Classico, Nibali is fifth overall at 53" while Jakob Fuglsang has recovered two positions in the standings and is now tenth with a gap of 1 minute and 51".

 

Mikel Landa after surprisingly good TT: I am very optimistic for the days to come

Mikel Landa pulled out one of the best rides of his career as he moved up to eighth overall at the Giro d'Italia following the stage nine time trial.

 

The Spaniard pushed hard in foul conditions on the roads around Chianti, setting a highly competitive time of 54 minutes and five seconds. Good enough for 20th position on the stage, that effort started to look better and better as Landa began to put time into a number of his key rivals.

 

Over 40.5 kilometres, and in his least-favoured discipline, the Team Sky leader was able to put four seconds into Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and 36 seconds into Rafal Majka (Tinkoff), as well as taking huge chunks out of the likes of Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha), Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) and Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale).

 

Finishing just two places and seven seconds back on Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Landa elevated himself two spots overall into eighth heading into the second rest day.

 

Now just 1:18 off the maglia rosa, the mammoth time trial saw the general classification battle remain extremely tight. The race for pink came down to a dramatic conclusion, with Gianluca Brambilla digging deep to hold off Etixx - Quick-Step team-mate Bob Jungels by a single second overall.

 

After he'd dried off following the stage, Landa talked TeamSky.com through his effort, paying tribute to his brand new Pinarello Bolide TT:

 

"It's been a really nice day for us," he confirmed. "I feel lucky to have a beautiful new bike which gave me extra motivation. I concentrated well during the stage and I think that led to a really good performance.

 

”The bike, the tyres - everything came together and it gave me a lot of confidence to be safe out there in difficult conditions. As the stage went on my condition got better and better.

 

"It went really well, losing so little time to a specialist like Dumoulin is really important, and I'm very optimistic for the days to come. I've come out of this time trial with my overall position a lot stronger.

 

"I haven't been feeling so great in the last few days with the heat, but yesterday I took a little step forwards and today things have gone even better."

 

"I didn't want to be optimistic or pessimistic until this stage was over, but it's gone well and there's a lot of the Giro to come. There had been a lot of talk about how much time I would lose on this stage, and very little about how much I could take, but in fact it's been a very good stage.

 

"Now I have to rest tomorrow, take it easy and then we can look towards the next week. For us it's a really important part of the race. The first week has not been easy for anyone, but the team have always supported me and now is the moment to try to repay their confidence in me.

 

Landa kept a cool head to pull off a superb result, giving a magnificent debut to the new Pinarello Bolide TT time trial bike in the process. Christian Knees was the next Team Sky rider home, setting a solid time (41st, +3:19), followed by Sebastian Henao (58th, +4:00).

 

Esteban Chaves: I was afraid in the rainy conditions

Esteban Chaves produced a strong performance for Orica-GreenEDGE on a rain sodden stage nine of the Giro d’Italia today to stay firmly in contact on the provisional general classification with 13th place going into the second week of racing in Italy.

 

After today’s slippery and wet individual time trial Chaves is now two minutes 31seconds down on the pink jersey of Gianluca Brambilla (Etixx-Quickstep) as the race enjoys a rest day tomorrow before the serious mountain stages begin next week.

 

The extreme weather conditions affected the course completely when it started to rain heavily an hour and a half into the stage.

 

A strong ride from Damien Howson saw him finish in 24th place on stage nine of the Giro d’Italia meaning that the 2013 under-23 Australian time trial champion was the best placed rider for Orica-GreenEDGE on the day.

 

Sport director Matt White was very pleased with how the day went for the team.

 

“Very pleasing performance today from Esteban (Chaves),” said White. “With the rain and the heightened risk out there on the road we are very happy that we came through unscathed and without losing too much time to the other favourites for the race.

 

“We are exactly where we wanted to be going into the second week when the serious racing really begins. The course certainly didn’t suit Esteban today and he produced a fantastic ride to stay in contention and it shows you how focused he is on performing well here.

 

“Grand tours can be lost in the first week but they are won in the last week,” continued White.

 

“We certainly haven’t lost anything and we are really happy with our position and looking forward to the mountain stages.”

 

"Today I had a hard time, especially downhill,” Chaves told RAI. "At the first intermediate time check, I was not far away and then I lost a lot of time on the descent. I was afraid in the rain. Maybe I had too much pressure in the tires and slipped a lot.

 

"I want to be competitive over three weeks. If I can try something in the next few days it will be wonderful. What matters to me though is being in front during the three weeks."

 

André Greipel: Luckily I didn’t have to take any risks

Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) defended the points jersey.

 

“I was happy that I warmed up a little bit,” he said. “The beginning on the uphill would not have been nice if you didn’t warm up but I did so I am happy. Some corners were quite technical and I was also in the rain so I didn’t take any risks. The last riders had some very bad conditions but if you want to fight for the pink jersey then you have to take some risks. Unfortunately, some riders crashed but that is cycling.”

 

Diego Ulissi: There was no reason to take any risks in a stage that didn’t suit me

Diego Ulissi failed to repeat his second place in the time trial at the 2014 edition of the race.

 

"Diego has shown a good condition in the portions of the course where the legs made the difference. However, he had to slow significantly down along the difficult sections, those with wet roads that were very slippery,” said sports director Orlando Maini

 

"I didn't want to take any risks on a stage in which I knew that specialists and GC riders could beat me. However, I am happy with the feelings that I had because I feel that the legs continue to be good and I am confident for the next stages of the Giro. Tomorrow there will be a day of rest which will help us to get rid of a little bit of water absorbed today and it will allow us to recharge the batteries.”

 

Valerio Conti crashed in the last corner of the race , without major consequences for the Roman rider.

 

Kanstantsin Siutsou loses time in wet Giro d’Italia time trial

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka went into today’s stage with the primary objective being for Kanstantsin Siutsou to keep his general classification hopes alive. For the rest of the African Team, the time trial discipline is not particularly their forte and so the team aimed to get around the technical 40.5km course in Chianti without expending too much energy.

 

The early starters all enjoyed some good weather conditions and Jay Thomson, the South African strongman, was even able to hit 90km/h on some of the descents after being one of the first riders off. Just as Thomson reached the finish though, the rain started to fall out on course and this would make things particularly difficult for the main contenders who started later in the day.

 

Siutsou was one of the riders who had to bear the brunt of the worst weather and reaching speeds of 90km/h was no longer an option for the GC contenders on the wet roads. Roglic was one of the fortunate riders to do most of his time trial on dry roads and so his mark of 51’45” would not be beaten. Siutsou, like many others, had a tough time on the wet roads and finished 4’35” down on Roglic. Igor Anton was the African Team’s best placed rider on the day, as he finished 4’07” down.

 

After today’s time trial, Siutsou retained his 17th position on the overall classification as we head into the 2nd rest day of this year’s Giro d’Italia.

 

Thomson said:

 

“Today’s individual time trial was actually a really nice course but when the GC boys had to do their stuff it was kind of monsoon type weather. For myself it was just a day to get through but for Kanstantsin and Igor the weather didn’t play so nice for them. At least they stayed upright and everybody made it through to the rest day.

 

”So now we can rest and recharge the batteries for what is to come because the next 12 stages are pretty tough on the GC side of things. We need to recover and reset, and look forward to going with Kristian [Sbaragli] for the next 3 days, aiming for a stage victory and then all attention on the mountains for

 

Costly crash for Rigoberto Uran in wet Giro d’Italia time trial

"I crashed on the descent,” Rigoberto Uran told Velopro.net. “I tried. It was a difficult day for me. The crash affected me a lot, especially since I also had to change bikes. "

 

”The road is still long for me, there is much mountain and we'll see how things evolve. "