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Giro stage 15: Visconti in first as peloton stays in neutral

Stage 15: Cesana Torinese to Les Granges du Galibier (Monumento Pantani), 145km

On a snowy and curiously subdued afternoon, Movistar’s Giovanni Visconti took maximum advantage, securing a place in the day’s decisive breakaway and then picking the perfect moment to solo away to victory on the slopes of the Col du Galibier. Continue reading

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Giro stage 15 preview

Stage 15: Cesana Torinese to Col du Galibier (Valloire), 149km, high mountains

At the time of writing, due to weather conditions this stage is due to finish 4.25km below the summit of the Galibier at the site of the Pantani Memorial, although it is entirely possible this plan will continue to be revised even once the race is under way.

Before the Galibier is even reached the peloton must get over the Col du Mont Cenis and Telegraphe, so this could be a ripper of a stage regardless of where it finishes. Of course, it was on the Galibier that Andy Schleck showed that he could look into his suitcase full of courage and come up with the goods, when he took the stage in an audacious breakaway in the 2011 Tour de France. Continue reading

Stage 14 modified profile

Giro stage 14: Santambrogio wins as Nibali tightens grip on Giro

Stage 14: Cervere to Bardonecchia, 180km

With TV images restricted to the final 400 metres of the concluding Jafferau climb, it was perhaps appropriate that the first figure to emerge from the mist was the flourescent hi-vis glow of the Vini Fantini-Selle Italia strip of Mauro Santambrogio, who led the equally bright maglia rosa of Vincenzo Nibali to the finish. Nibali did not challenge for the stage victory, settling instead for second place, but he was the day’s big winner as he put time into all his key rivals. Ag2r La Mondiale’s Carlos Betancur was nine seconds behind in third, his third top-three finish in the last six stages.

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