Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

Giro d'Italia Stage 18: Tejay van Garderen breaks Grand Tour duck, Tom Dumoulin keeps pink, Adam Yates in white

Team Sky's Mikel Landa finishes second and consolidates mountains lead, race leader sees off attacks from Nairo Quintana and Vincenzo Nibali...

BMC Racing’s Tejay van Garderen, a rider who typically starts Grand Tours with a huge weight of expectation on his shoulders, has taken his first stage victory in a three-week race following a pulsating day’s racing in the Dolomites at the 100th Giro d’Italia. Sunweb’s Tom Dumoulin retains the overall lead after seeing off challenges from his closest rivals.

The 28-year-old van Garderen came around fellow breakaway member Mikel Landa to take the Stage 18 win in Ortisei/St Ulrich – the second time in three days the Team Sky rider has been beaten to the line after his defeat to Vincenzo Nibali on Tuesday’s Queen Stage.

Following his stage win, the American said: "It's been a couple of years and Grand Tours I've done for the General Classification but my body wasn't responding earlier in the Giro.

"I did my best to keep the morale. This is my first Grand Tour victory. It's an incredible feeling, especially in an area like this I'm so familiar with, having done many training camps here. I knew all the roads.

"I was not confident at all to beat Mikel Landa," he added. "He's a very good sprinter.”

Landa did extend his lead in the mountains classification, the prize Team Sky are now aiming for after the Basque rider and Geraint Thomas, who subsequently abandoned the race, saw their overall hopes end on the Blockhaus after a crash caused by a parked police motorbike.

Today’s stage had five big climbs resulting in a jagged, saw-toothed profile. Dumoulin’s unscheduled comfort break on Tuesday had seen him lose most of his lead.

But the onus was on Movistar’s Nairo Quintana – 31 seconds behind today – and defending champion Vincenzo Nibali of Bahrain-Merida – to attack, mindful that Sunday’s closing time trial from Monza to Milan will favour the Dutchman wearing the maglia rosa.

Quintana, who had team mates up the road, started his attacks early, with more than 50 kilometres remaining, his initial move followed by Nibali, but Dumoulin once again remained composed and bridged back across to him.

Subsequent attacks by the Colombian failed to break the race leader, who even went on the attack himself as the gradient eased in the final 5 kilometres.

Indeed, it was Dumoulin who led Quintana and Nibali across the line at the end of the 137 kilometre stage from Moena as he seeks to become the first rider from the Netherlands to win the Giro d’Italia.

By that time, other riders in the top 10 of the overall standings including fourth-placed Thibaut Pinot of FDJ had already crossed the line to close the gap on the riders currently occupying the podium positions.

Afterwards, the race leader said: “Nibali and Quintana were only focusing on me and trying to make me lose instead of trying to win. In the end, they lost some significant time to the other competitors.

"Riding like this, I hope they'll lose their podium spot. If this happens in Milan it would be very nice and I would be very happy.

"It would have been a dream scenario if Thibaut Pinot didn't take a minute on me. In the last climb I was feeling strong. So I decided to show them that I'm also awake.”

One jersey did change hands today, however – with British rider Adam Yates of Orica-Scott overhauling Quick Step floors rider Bob Jungels to take the leadership of the best young rider’s classification.

Today’s victory by the American BMC Racing rider means that stages have so far been won by cyclists of 12 different nationalities – unprecedented in the previous 99 editions of the race.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

Add new comment

19 comments

Avatar
BikingBud | 6 years ago
1 like

Found this interesting:

 

The final classification is a "fair play" ranking for each team. Teams are given penalty points for infringing various rules. These range from half-point penalties, for offences that merit warnings from race officials, to a 2000-point penalty, for a positive doping test. The team that has the lowest points total at the end of the Giro wins the classification.

 

Guess which are the highest scoring  2 teams?

 

21 - Movistar -300 pts

22 - Bahrain Merida - 1080 pts

 

Well that wasn't too surprising was itsad

Avatar
DaSy | 6 years ago
1 like

Perhaps Nibbles can get one of his 'not too cocky' 50mph sticky bottles to assist him to his much deserved podium?

Avatar
Grahamd replied to DaSy | 6 years ago
0 likes

DaSy wrote:

Perhaps Nibbles can get one of his 'not too cocky' 50mph sticky bottles to assist him to his much deserved podium?

Unless he starts winning there is a risk that that will be what he is most remembered for.

Avatar
Jackson replied to Grahamd | 6 years ago
0 likes
Grahamd wrote:

DaSy wrote:

Perhaps Nibbles can get one of his 'not too cocky' 50mph sticky bottles to assist him to his much deserved podium?

Unless he starts winning there is a risk that that will be what he is most remembered for.

Perhaps among UK cycling experts. He was winning Grand Tours while Froome was still rolling in with the Grupetto, hes won more Grand Tours than Froome, he's won a Monument, and they've been kicked off the same number of Grand Tours for a sticky bottle (one each).

Avatar
Posh74 | 6 years ago
1 like

Just read that Nibali said yesterday that Dumoulin is 'a little too cocky' - anyone know the Italian for 'pot calling the kettle'...

Avatar
1961BikiE | 6 years ago
0 likes

Off to watch highlights now. Great news for Tejay, Tommy D and Adam Yates yesterday and hopefully Panda's close to seeing up the KoM prize.

Avatar
Jackson | 6 years ago
0 likes

I like Tom and would like to see him win but I liked him more before he felt the need to have a go at the others. Nibali is a pretty humble guy and he's talking a lot of sense, they're not in Milan yet. Imagine how stupid Kruijswijk would feel now if he had gone around slagging Nibali off last year.

I've always liked Nibali because along with Contador he's actually a proper racer, and not afraid to have a dig even when he's not the strongest guy in the race, in case it pays off. It takes balls to do what Nibali does and he's got the full set of GTs and a Monument to show anyone who thinks he needs to prove anything.

Avatar
peted76 | 6 years ago
1 like

What a stage, truly amazing, Tom D has won me over I'm now a fan, despite his totally expressionless eyes. He sure talked the talk yesterday after the stage, makes for entertainment, he's just got to keep on going and not have a bad day.. he knows that he can take a minute on Nairo in the pan flat TT...

Nibbles I think is having a good race so far, to me he's always over hyped he only won the previous Giro's becuase no one else turned up... I like him though he tends to try and animate a race although I suspect we won't see a better Nibali that we did on stage 16.

Unlikle Nario, who just annoys me with his ugly expressionless face and robotic race tactics, why shouldn't he have taken a turn yesterday when asked to..  how many times across the years have we 'waited' for a response from the condor and got nothing. 

For me I'd like to see TomD win it by a margin, Nibbles second after a blistering decent from the Monte Grappa and a reasonable TT and Nario third becuase the 'amazing' Winner Anacona got lost on the way to the team bus on stage 20.

 

Avatar
DaSy | 6 years ago
4 likes

@AST1986

I couldn't agree more!

Nibali is the prizest of all prize bell-ends; he is undoubtedly a skilled rider, but that is all undone by his incredibly tedious personality.

His comments that Brad wasn't all that just before he lost to him in the 2012 TdF, chucking his water bottle at Froomey only for Froomey to run in the bus and offer him out, the endless ridiculously bad timed attacks off the front when he hasn't got the legs, only to be reeled back in and then spout to the press how everyone else rode without courage and are scared of him. They are usually scared they will runover him as he blows and flies through the pack and out the back.

My missus loves him, which I think is purely to wind me up, as her previous favourite was Vinokourov for God's sake!

 

Come on Tom!

My dream scenario is TD 1st with Pinot ousting Quintana for 2nd and finally Jungels putting in the TT of his life to take 7mins or so out of rest to take 3rd...it could happen!

Avatar
CXR94Di2 | 6 years ago
2 likes

The contenders for the TDF have changed. Quintana doesn't look as explosive has he was a few years ago. Nibali again looks less able to sustain a break. If Domoulin can recover he could be a real handful for Froome.

Avatar
Alessandro | 6 years ago
3 likes

Nibali is showing himself to be a grade A bellend with comments like these: 

“I don’t care what Tom said, I think he is being cocky, he’s talking too much, I’d never talk like that,” Nibali said at his team bus.

“He’s shown he’s very strong in the race but he’s talking too much. He could also lose the podium because nothing is sure in this Giro d’Italia. Except, for sure, we won’t accompany him all the way to Milan.

“He’s got to keep his feet on the ground, does he know what karma is?”

Vincenzo, do you know what karma is? I only hope you get it in buckets over the next couple of days. Nairo or Tom for me to win and hopefully Vincenzo's bike falls to pieces and his team mates dessert him. 

Avatar
700c | 6 years ago
4 likes

Hold fast TD you can do it!

Loving this Giro.

Avatar
Posh74 | 6 years ago
2 likes

Today's stage could be a cracker - Quintana and Nibali need to attack Dumoulin and try to break him early if they can. Going off TD performance yesterday that looks unlikely and I wouldn't be surprised to see TD attack on the final climb if he feels strong and senses weakness in the others. Really hope Pinot can overhaul Nibali, will be cheering him on for certain, Allez Thibaut!!

Avatar
beezus fufoon | 6 years ago
4 likes

love the quote I got on my feed - "Dumoulin has now lost ten Dam, who has completely popped. He's got drool coming out of his mouth as he pedals squares on this third climb..."

that was me today also - albeit after only 40k of three small hills and a pub in my case!

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds | 6 years ago
1 like

come on Tommy D, shove up their arris's, piancavallo is where NQ is going to go all out tomorrow, hope TD can hold on and not lose too much if any.

Avatar
Jackson | 6 years ago
2 likes

Not sure what Tommy D's on about, Nibali won't be arsed about losing 30s to the guy in 8th. He must be feeling confident to be having a crack at two guys who've won 3 more Giros than him.
Nice to see another Sky tactical sprinting masterclass...

Avatar
pwake replied to Jackson | 6 years ago
4 likes

Jackson wrote:

Not sure what Tommy D's on about, Nibali won't be arsed about losing 30s to the guy in 8th. He must be feeling confident to be having a crack at two guys who've won 3 more Giros than him. Nice to see another Sky tactical sprinting masterclass...

Nibali lost 58 seconds to Pinot today and is now only 24 seconds ahead of him for a podium. That's what Dumoulin was referring to?

Avatar
Jackson replied to pwake | 6 years ago
0 likes
pwake wrote:

Jackson wrote:

Not sure what Tommy D's on about, Nibali won't be arsed about losing 30s to the guy in 8th. He must be feeling confident to be having a crack at two guys who've won 3 more Giros than him. Nice to see another Sky tactical sprinting masterclass...

Nibali lost 58 seconds to Pinot today and is now only 24 seconds ahead of him for a podium. That's what Dumoulin was referring to?

Yeah but if Nibali set off after Pinot then Dumoulin follows and nothing changes. Nibali had to wait with Dumoulin to see if he could put in a sneaky attack and drop him. I saw him as being happy to risk his podium spot to win the whole thing.

Avatar
kil0ran | 6 years ago
2 likes

Woah, gauntlet thrown well and truly with those comments. Bit of a change from Tuesday.

Latest Comments