Finally a conventional day at the Giro as the big guys take an easy day
Damien Monier (Cofidis) won the 17th stage of the Giro d’Italia between Brunico and Peio Terme after escaping his breakaway companions inside the final 3km. Danilo Hondo (Lampre-Farnese Vini) followed him in to take second place 36 seconds later, while Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) was third a futher 3 seconds back.
A group of 12 riders, including Chris Froome (Sky) and Milkhail Ignatiev (Katusha), tried to get away in the early kilometres but they were never allowed to get more than 30 seconds and were pulled back by the 37km mark. Just after the peloton passed the 50km mark a new break of 19 riders escaped and quickly managed to build a lead, which stood at just over 12 minutes as they arrived at the base of the Passo delle Palade.
The group of 19 riders were: Ignatiev again, Kruijswijk, Marcel Wyss and Ignatas Konovalovas (both Cervélo TestTeam), Alexander Efimkin (AG2R-La Mondiale), Carlos Ochoa (Androni Giocattoli), Roman Kireyev (Astana), Yukiya Arashiro (Bbox Bouyges Telecom), Andrei Amador (Caisse d’Epargne), Leonardo Duque and Monier (both Cofidis), Simone Stortoni (Colnago-CSF Inox), Hondo and Marco Marzano (both Lampre-Farnese Vini), Daniel Moreno (OmegaPharma-Lotto), Steve Cummings (Sky), Vicente Reynes (HTC-Columbia), Markus Fothen (Milram) and Nicki Sorensen (Saxo Bank).
Most riders were a long way down on the overall classification with the exception of Efimkin who started the day in 16th place, just 18’57” behind race leader David Arroyo (Caisse d’Epargne).
As the group hit the steep lower slopes of the climb the gap began to fall steadily, with Arroyo’s Caisse d’Epargne team doing the work on the front of the peloton. With Efimkin needing almost 10 minutes to even break into the top ten, Caisse d’Epargne decided to merely control the lead of the 19 riders and that anything more was the other teams’ concern. As they crossed the top of the climb with 67km to go the lead still stood at 8‘12”.
On the descent though the gap rose once more, growing to almost 9’30” by the 40km to go banner, and continuing to rise as Caisse d’Epargne showed no interest in working too hard.
Just after the 30km to go banner Ignatiev attacked alone; as he passed through the Traguardo Volante sprint with just over 25km to he had a lead of 20 seconds, but he was pulled back by the others a few kilometres later. There followed a flurry of attacks within the breakaway group before Monier, Kruijswijk and Hondo escaped with just under 15km left. Recognising that this may be the winning break Moreno and Cummings, first separately and then together, tried to bridge across but the front three were working too well together.
The trio’s cooperation lasted up until the 3km to go point where they hit the 12% section of the climb. Monier, who’d been in the breakaway on stage 14 over Monte Grappa, then accelerated and the other two could only watch him go. By the time Kruijswijk managed to muster a chase it was too late and the Frenchman was on his way to take his first ever professional victory. Hondo managed to hold his own pace and overtook the fading Dutchman in the final few hundred metres to take second place.
As the peloton made its way up the climb the Liquigas-Doimo team took over and started to lift the pace. Suddenly the main group was reduced to just a handful of riders, Arroyo was still there but with none of his teammates. Finally it was just left to Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Doimo) with his team leader Ivan Basso on his wheel, but Arroyo managed to follow the pace quite comfortably along with the rest of the overall contenders.
Michele Scarponi made an attack in the last few hundred metres and managed to finish a few metres ahead of the rest, 9’52” behind Monier. With all the overall contenders finishing together though, there are no changes to the top of the standings, although Efimkin has moved up to 12th.
Result stage 17
1. Damien Monier (Fra) Cofidis
2. Danilo Hondo (Ger) Lampre-Farnese Vini @ 36s
3. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Rabobank @ 39s
4. Moreno (Spa) OmegaPharma-Lotto @ 1’05”
5. Steve Cummings (GBr) Team Sky @ 1’18”
6. Simone Stortoni (Ita) Colnago-CSF Inox @ 1’48”
7. Alexander Efimkin (Rus) AG2R-La Mondiale @ 1’55”
8. Marco Marzano (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini @ 1’57”
9. Ignatas Konovalovas (Ltu) Cervélo TestTeam @ 2’02”
10. Carlos Ochoa (Ven) Androni Giocattoli @ 2’07”
Standings after stage 17
1. David Arroyo (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne
2. Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo @ 2’27”
3. Richie Porte (Aus) Team Saxo Bank @ 2’36”
4. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team @ 3’09”
5. Carlos Sastre (Spa) Cervélo TestTeam @ 4’36”