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Giro d'Italia: Who is able to challenge Quintana's supremacy after Blockhaus showdown?
The Blockhaus stage may have given more clues about the final contenders than we expected. On a climb of 13km at 8%, it is difficult to hide, but we did not envisage Nairo Quintana (Movistar) taking so much time on his direct opponents such as Bob Jungels (Quick-Step Floors), who couldn’t find his rhythm, or Geraint Thomas (Sky), Adam Yates (Orica-Scott) and Mikel Landa (Sky), victims of a crash before attacking the final climb.
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The only riders limiting the damages during Sunday’s stage are Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida), Thibaut Pinot (FDJ), and Dutchmen Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) and Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb). These four riders were the only ones to be a minute or less far from Quintana when crossing the finish the line on the top of the Abruzzian climb.
Nibali was fifth in the stage, one minute behind the Colombian climber in the ninth stage, he proved in last year’s Giro that he can finish really strong in the third week of racing. For instance, the last week of racing will be the hardest and the steepest, and we know that the Sicilian will be there to attack the favourites uphill or downhill and that he is better time-trialist than Quintana.
Pinot has been impressive the last week of racing by riding in front, jumping in the wheels, sprinting for time bonuses. However, it was only the first week and the Giro is a long and tough race, where it will be vital to perform in the last week. Pinot showed in the past that he was not always able to confirm his good form in the last week of a Grand Tour, as it happened in the Tour de France the last years. After a good debut of the Grande Boucle in 2016, he completely collapsed in the end of the race, abandoning the race (as in 2013).
His moment of glory came in 2014, where he finished third of the GC of the Tour de France, behind Nibali and Jean-Christophe Péraud (although Froome and Contador crashed and did not finish the race, and Quintana did not participate), he accomplished a prodigious race, by finishing third and winning the young classification. In this year’s Giro, riding away from home, with less pressure can definitely benefit him. We can add to that his great climber abilities, his progress in downhills (his Achilles heel) and his superiority over Quintana in the time trials, he will be a serious contender for the final victory.
Mollema and Dumoulin, both battling to limit the gap with Quintana last Sunday, were the positive surprises of the day. Mollema tried to stay with Dumoulin and Pinot as long as he could, but his form may not be as good as Quintana’s one so far. However, his great potential and astounding combativeness could make the difference in the last week and reach is first podium in a three weeks race. The native from Groningen was the good surprise of the 2016 Tour de France. He was second in the GC before crashing in the 19th stage and losing all hopes of a podium in Paris.
The other Dutchman Dumoulin was also unlucky last year in the Giro and the Tour de France where he crashed and abandoned in both races. Excellent in the Time Trials (second in the Rio 2016), he will have the occasion to take some time on Quintana before Milan, as nearly 70km of TT are on the route of the 100th Giro d’Italia. If the member of the Team Sunweb confirms his improvement in the hardest climbs of the Giro, he could be on the podium in Milan.
The Team Sky, who lost nearly all pink jersey’s hopes after the Sunday’s stage crash, will dynamite the race and engage an ascent, starting today on the TT. Geraint Thomas, who does not suffer from any major injury will try to gain as much time as possible today, and during the next two weeks. He may count on the help of other riders who lost a lot of time in the Blockhaus, such as Steven Kruiijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo), Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R La Mondiale) or Bob Jungels. These riders are already relegated at more than 2’30 after nine stages, and they will need to be inventive to go back to the top of the GC and eventually thwart the plans of Quintana, who is the man to beat in this Giro d’Italia.
