Stage 13: Fossano > Rivarolo Canavese – 157 km
The Stage 12 ITT was a decisive one for the GC men. It rained heavily early on the day, but things dried out considerably for the later starters, throwing yet another variable into an already wide open stage. Climbing star Diego Ulissi even had the lead for a while (out of nowhere, I think it’s safe to say), until Rigoberto Uran put in a stellar performance to take the victory. Now, the GC riders get to enjoy a day that isn’t likely to have any GC implications. There are some minor bumps along the 157 kilometer journey from Fossano to Rivarolo Canavese, but with a flat finish and some very tough mountain days ahead, Stage 13 will be an enticing prize for the sprinters’ teams.
The small rollers shouldn’t trouble the fast men much, but as usual, the organizers have designed another difficult run-in, with some late twists and turns. Things actually go uphill a bit from about the 1-km-to-go mark to the 500-m-to-go mark before leveling out towards the line. A sharp right-hander awaits with 250 meters to go, and then the finishing straight is a little over 200 meters long.
Nacer Bouhanni delivered a third stage win in the last Giro bunch sprint, and until his rivals show that they can position themselves and time their jumps more successfully on these very technical run-ins to the line, Bouhanni remains the favorite. In every sprint preview I feel the need to point out that I don’t think Bouhanni is necessarily faster than his opponents; he’s a wily bike rider who gets into perfect position and uses his elite acceleration to carry him past the other sprinters on the road. I continue to believe that the gap between Bouhanni and the rest of the field is smaller than it looks, but no one else seems capable of closing it at the moment, making him the favorite.
Giacomo Nizzolo appears to have the best chance for taking the win from the points leader. He’s been 2nd on all three stages that Bouhanni has taken. Each time, he’s put in a great turn of speed, but he tends to mistime his move. In Stage 10, he hit the wind way too early and Bouhanni simply jumped on his wheel and then swung out in the closing meters for the victory. Perhaps Nizzolo will get it right some time during this race, though he hasn’t seemed to figure it out just yet.
A crash ruined Elia Viviani‘s chances on Stage 10, and he’s significantly further down in the red jersey competition than he thought he’d be at this point. He’s motivated to put in a better performance this time around, but these technical finishes do not treat Viviani or his leadout kindly. He also seems to be just a bit slower than he was earlier in the season. Still, rain, crashes, and some very physical jostling for position have kept him from getting to top speed in the last few sprint stages, so I am not counting him out.
Giant-Shimano has been providing Luka Mezgec with strong leadout support in the absence of Marcel Kittel. Mezgec doesn’t have the top-end speed to match the very best, but with this sort of help from his team, he can win anyway. Bouhanni’s domination may make these flat stages look predictable, but I don’t think GSH has been very far off the mark getting Mezgec perfectly placed to take the win, and Stage 13 could be their moment.
Barring a crash, Lampre’s Roberto Ferrari will almost certainly be in the Top 10. He’s been amazingly consistent in this Giro. Actually winning the stage will be a big ask, but he’s an aggressive rider who fights very hard (sometimes a little too hard) for positioning and that makes him a contender.
Sky’s Ben Swift has been hampered by injury in the past few sprints but he should be coming back into shape now. Edvald Boasson Hagen will play his standard role of star lieutenant. Garmin’s Tyler Farrar will hope to prove that he can stay upright through the twists and turns. With Nicola Ruffoni out of the race for Bardiani, Enrico Battaglin and Sonny Colbrelli will hope to pick up the slack. Androni Giocatolli’s Manuel Belletti and Omega Pharma’s Alessandro Petacchi could also feature.
VeloHuman Stage Favorites
1. Nacer Bouhanni | 2. Giacomo Nizzolo | 3. Luka Mezgec
Keep an eye out for the Stage 14 preview after the Stage 13 comes to a close. In case you missed it, the overall Giro d’Italia preview can be found here. Also, be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for more analysis during the race.
-Dane Cash
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