Giro d’Italia – Roman Kreuziger Wins In Alpe Di Pampeago, Rodriguez Holds Onto Race Lead

  The Czech Republic?s Roman Kreuziger (Astana Pro Team) won the mountain stage of the [W:Giro d?Italia] from Treviso to Alpe di Pampeago with a daring solo attack. Kreuziger finished 17 seconds ahead of Canada?s [W:Ryder Hesjedal] (Garmin-Barracuda), with Spain?s Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha Team) third at 32 seconds. Rodriguez kept the race leader?s pink jersey but Hesjedal is now just 17 seconds behind with just two stages remaining. Italy?s [W:Michele Scarponi] (Lampre-ISD) is third overall at 1:39. [W:Roman Kreuziger] said: ?Losing time on the stage to Cortina is still painful for me to accept and even this stage win can?t heal that scar. I?d worked hard to try and win the Giro d?Italia and being dropped on the Passo Giau by the other favourites was difficult to take.? ?Things went a lot better today. We started the stage with the idea of helping Paolo Tiralongo secure a top ten finish. When he was dropped the team told to not worry about him and ride my own race.? ?I was going to wait before attacking but then Cataldo attacked and so I went with him. While I was with him I managed to share the work but then when I was on my own and then in the last two kilometres, it was really hard. I only started to think I had a chance of victory in the last two hundred metres and that?s when I gave it absolutely everything.? [W:Joaquin Rodriguez] said: ?Today was a day to gain time on Hesjedal but the opposite happened and I lost time. He looked at us, put his team on the front to work and then dropped us. I can only congratulate him. He was really strong.? ?When Scarponi started attacking it hurt but that?s part of racing. When Hesjedal attacked he was really strong and it was too much for me. I decided to climb at my own pace, following Pozzovivo, otherwise I?d have cracked.? ?Tomorrow is a very important stage. I suffered today but as I?ve always said, the Giro d?Italia is fought day after day, all the way to Milan. Ryder is good at time trials and so he?s not a surprise for me.? ?We climb the Mortirolo tomorrow. It?s a climb I like a lot. A lot of riders have won the Giro d?Italia on these steep slopes but others have lost it. I just hope to have a great day.?

Again today, Team Saxo Bank were represented in the break which satisfied sports director, Philippe Mauduit: ?Our plan was to bring Vladi (Gustov) in today’s breakaway but a lot of riders wanted to go before the first climb so they went clear on fourth attempt on the flat part in high pace before the first climb and Vladi had a tough time following. However, Sebastian made it as he’s very fast on the flat parts and he sure did what could to hang on. Tomorrow’s stage will be launched on a climb and we’ll have a better chance of putting Vladi in the break so that’s the objective tomorrow,? said Team Saxo Bank’s Phillipe Mauduit after a long stage. Rigoberto Ur?n battled hard to maintain his fifth place overall at the Giro d’Italia as stage 19 again came down to a battle between the overall contenders. The Colombian continued what has been a sensational ride up to this point with seventh on the stage, keeping his major rivals in sight to not only firm up his GC standing but spend another day in the white young rider’s jersey. Ur?n and team-mate Sergio Henao rode an accomplished stage to sit firmly in the mix as an elite group formed on the final climb. Despite being distanced due to an acceleration ahead Henao also moved up the overall standings on the day, jumping up a place into ninth overall. Team Sky again retain two classification jerseys heading into the penultimate stage with [W:Mark Cavendish] finishing the day in the second gruppetto, now holding a 13-point advantage in the standings to race-leader Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha). [W:Juan Antonio Flecha] soaked up maximum points at the day’s intermediate sprint after a gutsy day in the breakaway.

Dario Cataldo saw his chance to cut into his GC gap, and also potentially contend a stage, when he attacked the peloton with slightly more than 25km to go, and the remainder of an original 17 rider break that included his teammate Serge Pauwels, up the road. Two riders: Stefano Pirazzi (Colnago CSF Bardiani), and Sandy Casar (FDJ-Big Mat), had left all their former breakmates behind, and soon Pirazzi had also dropped Casar. Cataldo bridged to teammate Pauwels, and they worked along with Roman Kreuziger (Astana) to chase down the break. Kreuziger, however, was too strong for both riders, as he eventually passed all riders in front of him with 3.4km to go and soloed to victory. Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda), who dropped fellow chaser Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) with less than 1.5km to go after initially escaping with Scarponi and Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha Team) at the 2.7km point, took 2nd. Rodriguez was third after he eventually caught and outsprinted Scarponi. Cataldo finished 15th, 1’52” back. “Today I tried to do something special,” Cataldo said. “I was scared about this stage. I’m the type of rider who suffers on the climbs with high inclination. I decided to attack, to try to anticipate the best riders of the peloton before the last climb.?Tactically we played very well. Along the way I I found Pauwels, who was a great help for me before the final ascent. When I remained alone with Kreuziger to try to win the stage, I had no power left in my legs. I would have preferred a more regular ascent ? it would be better for me. Beyond all, though, today it was also important to give a signal, showing that we are a team of fighters.?Tomorrow is another day, the last on the mountains. If we will find the right condition, we will try again with an eye also on the GC. I really would like to conquer a place in the top 10, for me and for the team. The Stelvio is a monument of cycling, and tomorrow might holds some surprises for the top of the charts.” “Today we decided to try to stick with the two men who ride well on the mountains,” Sports Director Davide Bramati said. “The objective was to recuperate some time in the standings and maybe try to win the stage if there were the right conditions. The tactic was good. Cataldo did a great job but unfortunately, wasn’t able to follow the rhythm of Kreuziger in the final. Dario missed some legs today, but certainly not the courage. The goal for tomorrow is to keep Dario among the top 10 in the overall standings, waiting for the last time trial in Milan on Sunday. ” 2012 Giro d’Italia Stage 19 Results & General Classification