Each Grand Tour is a unique story, one in three weeks of continuous, connected races across different terrains.
The Tour of Italy Beloved for its quintessential beauty and unpredictability. There is never a quiet day in the Giro d’Italia, even when the road is flat and the riders prefer work Protest.
These years Pink sweat It was more dramatic than usual, with the date of the October race, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and a mountainous but balanced road with the experiences of time.
The race has inspired hundreds of attacks and stories of personal success and defeat. The next generation of veteran riders drove once more to the rear of the stage and stole the spotlight with youthful enthusiasm.
Jay Hindley And the Tao Jiujiang Hart She eventually showed up to fight for the final Pink jacket In Milan Final time trial Divide them by just 39 seconds.
These are the six moments of this year’s race, where destiny has entered, where individual and team performances made huge differences, where the race was won and where it lost.
Geraint Thomas crashes in Stage 3
The butterfly effect began to work in the early 2020 Giro d’Italia. If not for the lost bidun in the neutral zone in Enna Stage 3Tao Jiujijan Hart definitely never had the freedom to carry on and win a race Pink jacket, And he would surely be too far in time to take on the challenge if Thomas later gave up.
Of all riders, of all races, all over the world, the wayward Bidoon had to roll down the path of Geriant Thomas. The Welshman came back bravely but his injuries – including A. Broken basin He ends the challenge and forces him to give up the next day.
In addition to removing Nabil from the favorites, the accident also changed the dynamics of the race significantly. Ineos arrived in Sicily with one of the strongest teams, but leaving Thomas means their focus will shift to chasing stage victories, as confirmed by sports director Matteo Tosato Cycling news Before Stage 4.
At that point, Tao Jiujiang Hart was in 24th overall, more than three minutes late, after making a light substitution at opening time and losing ground to Etna. Nobody – especially Geogejan Hart himself – saw him as a potential race winner at that point, but with no one else working for him, the Londoner began to climb through the rankings. The random chance presented an opportunity, but there was nothing random in the way Geoghegan Hart took advantage of it. (BR)
Mitchellton Scott and Jumbo-Vesma leave the race amid coronavirus fears
Sports can be a form of escape at times, but in this most bizarre year, real-world fears cannot be left at the starting line. The coronavirus pandemic forced the Giro race to be postponed to October, and contributed to an atmosphere of anxiety once the race took off.
From the start, it wasn’t entirely certain that Collection He will arrive in Milan, and the odds seem to diminish further at Lanciano ahead of the tenth stage.
Simon Yates had already given up smoking after testing positive for COVID-19 the previous week and when four Mitchellton-Scott employees also tested positive in the mandatory round of the Rest Day Test, the team made a reasonable decision. Leave the race en masse. Stephen Crewswick also proved positive on Rest Day, and although his Jumbo-Visma team had arrived to start Stage 10 in Lanciano, they never got off the bus, choosing instead to follow Michelton Scott Out of the race.
While RCS Sport expressed its dismay at the sudden nature of Jumbo-Visma’s withdrawal, the Dutch team may argue that the Giro protocol for COVID-19 Permissible Teams to stay after positive cases instead of forcing them to. Sunweb, AG2R La Mondiale and Ineos all remained in the race after positive cases, albeit due to choice rather than commitment.
Two days later, the Giro appeared to be in greater danger after managing the EF Pro cycling He called for a halt to the race After Stage 14, citing concerns about the event’s coronavirus ‘bubble’, the UCI quickly rejected that request.
Additional rounds of COVID-19 rapid tests were ordered at the end of the second week. On the second rest day, only two of the 492 PCR tests came back positive.
Although the number of cases rose dramatically throughout Italy, Giro continued, deprived of two more candidates, and two more of the strongest teams. The unpredictable race is more than ever unreadable yet unbeaten by the virus. (BR)
The third weekend introduces the blurry GC photo and confirms the quality of Almeida
For two weeks, Giro’s overall rating picture was blurry and controlled Joao Almeida And his fast step took Deceunick to the front as the race took off north on the Adriatic coast
The all-out battle suddenly became the focus of the third weekend, which saw the time-rolling valopiadine experiment followed by a quick relay with the conclusion of the summit at Piankavalo. The second day in particular set the course for what was to follow in the last third of the gyros.
Sunweb had been targeting the stage for more than a week, avoiding his supporting team as best they could on the big day, and after Chris Hamilton downgraded the lead set, Jay Hindley took charge with supersonic tempo only two men – captain Wilko Kilderman and Geojgan Hart – could follow.
By the end of the day, the contenders love it Vincenzo Nepalese Jacob Vogelsang went back over three minutes, and Kilderman moved in within 15 seconds of Pink jacket, Describing himself as the preferred logical candidate for an all-out victory.
In hindsight, it was already evident in Piancavallo that Hindley was stronger than Sunweb’s husband in the mountains, and it should also have been clear that Geoghegan Hart would be difficult to shake off. But at that point, Kilderman’s eyes were on Almeida: the man directly ahead of him in the overall ranking.
The new pro led the race since Mount Etna and went ahead with a strong showing in the Prosecco time trial. His advance on Piancavallo was cut short, but in defeat, his reputation was only enhanced, as he pursued Racy the last six kilometers to save Pink jacket.
With Giro’s passage over Stelvio still uncertain due to weather conditions, Almeida remained a very realistic candidate for all-out victory. In the end It proves that the mountain is too far away, But the youngster never laid down his weapon, making strong performances in the last ascent at the Laghi di Cancano, at Sestriere and again in Milan to finish fourth in the overall standings.
If Piancavallo indicated that Kelderman, Geoghegan Hart, or Hindley would win Jiro, he also suggested that Almeida could win one for himself in the not-too-distant future. (BR)
Stelvio reveals team Sunweb’s short-sighted tactics
With Colle dell’Agnello and Col d’Izoard removed from Stage 20, the ascent of the mighty Passo dello Stelvio Stage 18 The most difficult stage racing and decisive course. Everything else on the road to Milan was a result of the hairpins climbing 24.7 km to the 2,758m summit.
The high speed on the lower slopes quickly dispersed Nepal and Vogelsang with the wind as Almeida lost contact and Pink jacket Rohan Dennis also pulled Geoghegan Hart and Hindley away from Wilco Kelderman. Single-handedly Australian Turn the race upside down At the highest point.
Sunweb tried to play at two tables instead of playing all in one, maybe he wasn’t sure they had enough cards to win Pink jacket. They hoped Kilderman would be able to limit his losses and then top the race, although he was left to ride another 45 kilometers alone. Hindley was Plan B and could possibly win the stage and get pink if Kelderman stumbles.
The team achieved both goals that day and their tactical call made sense but was perhaps short-sighted. Hindley needed to buy time with Geogejan Hart if he were to continue winning the Giro d’Italia race in Milan. However, even if he was able to, he wouldn’t be able to attack or work with Geoghegan Hart because Kelderman was chasing a dream of going pink.
Hindley won the stage but Geogejan Hart was just 15 seconds behind Kilderman and just three seconds behind the Australian. Suddenly, Eneos and Jojean Hart – the ultimate in experience – realized that they had the upper hand and victory was at hand. (SF)
Dennis walks the road to Sestriere for Joejean Hart
Rohan Dennis made the difference again in ascending to Sestriere just as he did on Stelvio, using his time experimenting with newly discovered strength and happiness to beat the ascension, blasting the front group and distance to Kelderman once and for all.
His speed and presence on the ascent to Sestriere limited Hindley’s opportunity to attack, causing Geoghegan Hart to stand trial one last time.
Denise deservedly won the The crowd voted the best player for Ineos From Giro. He channeled Geoghegan Hart like an older brother and enjoyed every minute of him because he also proved his critics wrong.
Dave Brailsford announced that Ineos has abandoned the defensive approach of team train races in the mountains. However, it can be argued that Dennis was the singles train that pulled Geogejan Hart away from his rivals in general and shaped his head to take on the challenge with Jay Hindley at the Milan trial. (SF)
Truth race to the center of Milan
No grand tour has ever started Two passengers at the same time And the 15.7 km time trial It was a powerful race from truth to the finish line in the shadow of the Gothic Duomo in the center of Milan.
As previous shows indicated, Geoghegan Hart was the best beta list of the time, but there was always a chance something could go wrong and give Hindley a chance.
Other young riders who have had a chance to snatch victory at Giro d’Italia may have collapsed under a mountain of nerves, realizing that a hole or a loss of focus in a corner or even a collision could end every chance for success. Not Geoghegan Hart. Sage away from his years and always calm and collected, he seemed like a leader by nature. However, he again charted his fate.
He also had his cycling physiology alongside him. His building skills and time experimenting allowed him to push 58 more chains and gear overall. Hindley is more of a climber and has chosen a rhythm of 56 or higher.
Its low wattles weren’t enough to defend Pink jacket He lost 39 seconds and an all-out victory to Jojean Hart. (SF)
