Latest news with #GeneralClassification
Associated Press
5 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Giro d'Italia Results
Rome Sunday General Classification (After 21 of 21 stages) 1. Simon Yates, Britain, Visma-Lease a Bike, 82h 31m 1s 2. Isaac Del Toro, Mexico, UAE Team Emirates XRG, 3m 56s behind 3. Richard Carapaz, Ecuador, EF Education-Easypost, 4:43 4. Derek Gee, Canada, Israel-Premier Tech, 6:23 5. Damiano Caruso, Italy, Bahrain Victorious, 7:32 6. Giulio Pellizzari, Italy, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, 9:28 7. Egan Bernal, Colombia, Ineos Grenadiers, 12:42 8. Einer Rubio, Colombia, Movistar, 13:05 9. Brandon McNulty, United States, UAE Team Emirates XRG, 13:36 10. Michael Storer, Australia, Tudor Pro Cycling, 14:27
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Giro d'Italia Stage 16 preview: Three huge climbs provide backdrop to GC battleground
The 2025 Giro d'Italia resumes with what you might well call the queen stage of this edition. The riders had a well-deserved rest day yesterday but from here on in there's not much let-up: five serious days in the mountains to whittle down the general classification contenders and see who sinks and who swims. Today is a behemoth at 203km with 4,900m of altitude gain on the cards, riding from Piazzola sul Brenta to one of incredibly few summit finishes in this year's race, at San Valentino. The route is flat to start but after 50km to warm up the legs it's all up and down for the rest of the day. The first climb is a category two at Carbonare (12.9km, averaging 4.6%, hitting 10% max), before a fast descent to Trento breaks up the climbing. The next is the Monte Bondone, 10.1% maxing out at 13%, up to Candriai, with the pattern repeating of descent and then another climb, this one uncategorised to Cavedine, with the day's second intermediate sprint towards the top of that rise. A sharp descent and a short valley road takes them onto the category-one Santa Barbara climb, a 12.7km ascent averaging nearly 9%, with maximum gradients of 14%. Another descent takes the riders onto the final climb, the 18.2km San Valentino. The San Valentino climb is almost three climbs in one, with two short plateaux or descents interrupting the upper slopes. The first is at Brentonico, home of the Red Bull kilometre, and from there it gets tougher, hitting 14% shortly after and averaging 9.2% for around 4km. The second is at San Giacomo, from which the riders get the brief respite of a short descent until the 2km to go mark, before the final 8.9% rise to the finish. It's utterly relentless, all day. No time for the GC riders to switch off and plenty of places to make potentially race-winning moves. Route map and profile Start time Stage 15 is set to start a bit earlier than normal, with plenty of climbing on the menu: at 11.20am local time (10.20am BST). It will conclude at around 5.15pm local time (4.15pm BST). Prediction Stage 15 turned the race on its head as pre-race favourite Primoz Roglic was distanced on a medium-mountains stage and lost even more time, while maglia rosa Isaac del Toro looks as sharp as ever at the head of the pack. This final week could change everything, of course, but amid speculation that Roglic wouldn't even start today, it seems unlikely that the Slovenian will put in a race-winning move on the latter climbs. This in theory could be a day for either the breakaway or GC: veterans Romain Bardet and Nairo Quintana have climbed well and are both still searching for one final moment of glory, especially important for Bardet in his final grand tour, while Luke Plapp already has a stage win to his name and looked sharp in the breakaway on stage 11. Pello Bilbao and Wout Poels are other picks from a potential break, but if UAE sense any more weakness in Roglic, this could come down to a stage win for either Juan Ayuso and Isaac del Toro. However, Ineos Grenadiers have lit up the race with their attacking tactics and while they haven't really borne fruit so far, this could be an opportunity for Egan Bernal to capitalise on his momentum.
The South African
10-05-2025
- Automotive
- The South African
Another day of tight racing on Stage 2 of sani2c
Racing into the Kings Harvest Academy finish after three hours 20 minutes and 54 seconds, nearly five minutes faster than the first team across the line last year, Tristan Nortje and Marco Joubert (Imbuko ChamChamp) extended their overall lead by one minute and 10 seconds. Meanwhile, Sam Sanders and Sarah Hill of Efficient Infiniti Racing claimed the leaders' jerseys in the women's race (04:15:08), also taking the lead in the General Classification. The 'Queen Stage' was a challenging 96km with 1 896m of elevation, and includes a spectacular descent into the Umkomaas Valley, before cross-crossing the Umkomaas River multiple times over floating bridges, and climbing out the valley via the Unitrans 'Iconic Climb'. Since 2024 KAP sani2c 'OG' has been a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Category 2 marathon stage race. The men's race showed us what stage racing is all about: teamwork, well-matched riders and good communication. The Imbuko ChemChamp 'A' pair were able to extend their lead by working together, separating as little as possible, and staying focused on each other in the bunch (03:20:54). It was not easy for them to get away, with the top six teams surging and shifting between places multiple times, though Marc Pritzen broke away and rode much of his race solo upfront. This effort placed Team Honeycomb 226ers' in a strong position for Pritzen and Wessel Botha to secure second for the day (03:22:03), also claiming second on GC. PYGA Euro Steel, Insect Science Cycling and the young Imbuko ChemChamp 'B' team, were riding together towards the finish, but Philip Buys and Michael Foster managed a last effort to claim third place (03:24:03). Arno Du Toit, Keagan Bontekoning, Lood Goosen and Rudi Koen crossed together coming fourth and fifth respectively (03:24:16). Toyota Specialised (Travis Stedman and Johan van Zyl) maintained their fifth place on the GC with their sixth place (03:28:22). Joubert says: 'We crossed the line solo again and extended our lead. It was a well-executed day. We broke away, took our time, and made it count when it mattered. We had a comfortable gap after yesterday, so we sat with the others until Iconic and saw how it played out. Once we noticed they were starting to fade, we made our move. I think we're the only team riding fully together. In stage racing, you both need to get over the line fast, and that means working as a unit.' Nortje agrees: 'We've got a good partnership. We don't need to talk on the bike – we just know when it's time to go, when one of us is suffering, or when to turn it up. That sync is what makes us work. It was hard; they nearly caught us, but we had the legs to ride away again. I drilled it on one of the climbs, got a gap, and once that happens, you just put your head down and go.' Du Toit says: 'The guys were going pretty hard early on- it was punchy and explosive. I didn't feel great through the valley, and when we hit Iconic, I just didn't have the firepower to go with them. It's a long effort, so we kept it steady. On top of the District Road there was about a two-minute gap. I was feeling good, told Keagan to hang on, and I pushed as deep as I could on the fast, rolling sections. I managed the climb well and we got back to the group after about 15 km of chasing. 'Then the fireworks started, and we missed a turn on a high-speed section. We were just behind PYGA, and I was not paying attention. We heard the marshall shouting and realised we'd missed it. Lost about 40 seconds. Had to restart the chase, get the motivation up, and in the end, we nearly closed it back to PYGA. It was a big effort.' Pritzen says: 'Today was much better than yesterday. Wessel really rocked up with good legs. Unfortunately, the last time we hit the Imbuko boys, it was just a bit much for him, so I waited, hoping we could get them back on the flats. But the guys up front were strong. Kudos to them, and to my team-mate for making a big comeback.' Botha says it was a good day for him and Pritzen: 'The Umko drop is always special – super cool going down there today. Not too much dust, so we could really enjoy it. We tried to close the gap to the Imbuko boys, but they were strong at the end. We still had a good finish and sit second overall now. I am happy with that.' Foster says they put in a good effort: 'Marco and Tristan set a strong pace on the hills. I got to the front and tried to slow things down, but it's hard on a climb. Then I went back to Phil and we worked together really well to the finish, rolling with each other. The guys were just too fast today, but we gave it a solid go. You've got to work together and use your strengths.' Buys says: 'The pace was high, faster than last year. Everyone was fighting for position early on. I was in a good spot before Iconic, slowed down a bit leading into it, knowing the real effort was coming. But the split didn't happen there – it came on the rolling hills after Iconic, where the speed really picked up. If you lose 10 seconds there, it becomes exponential. I'm happy with my ride, but the result just wasn't what we hoped for. The attacks were one too many.' Sam Sanders and Sarah Hill now have a solid lead on GC, having taken the stage over seven minutes ahead of Bianca Haw and Danielle Du Toit. Image: Maryann Shaw Efficient Infiniti Racing's Sarah Hill and Samantha Sanders claimed the leaders' jerseys at Jolivet after taking the win at Stage 2 in the women's race in a time of 04:15:08. They take the lead in the General Classification as well, having capitalised on the misfortunes of Safari Essence Titan's Bianca Haw and Danielle Du Toit, who punctured after 38km and ultimately finished seven minutes 22 seconds behind Hill and Sanders (04:22:30). Just 29 seconds later, third placed Cherise Willeit and Ila Stow of Toyota Fortress (04:22:59) crossed the line after a powerful performance, despite having to deal with their own puncture. Although Haw and Du Toit had chased them down and passed them, Stow and Welleit hung on and made the pair work hard for their second place. Janice Fourie and Roxanne Kemp of EPT Racing placed fourth (04:44:45), riding most of the day on their own after a pile-up saw many riders in the women's leading group crash in the first 6km. This separated the leading three teams from the rest of the UCI women. Sadly, yesterday's fourth placed team Tshenolo Pro Cycling Team's Sonica Klopper was seriously injured and she and team-mate Tania Bugarin Ortez were forced to pull out of the race. Fourie says the crash happened at speed when riders in the front of the group had to brake hard: 'Everyone tried to avoid it, but with so many of us together, it just took us down. It was high speed. Once things settled, we got clear and rode into fourth. We had a team behind us early on, but after Water Point 1 (39km), we pulled away and ended up riding alone for most of the day. The climb was tough – especially not knowing how far behind us the others were.' Haw acknowledged that she had not stuck to their game plan of having a free ride down the Umko Drop: 'I think the pace was too hot early on – we should've backed off a bit. But no one was taking the front, so I did. 'After our puncture, we caught Cherise and Ila, and then they just sat behind us. They didn't make it easy – it was cool racing with such strong women's teams.' Du Toit says: 'It was a disappointing day with some bad luck. We tried to take control after that and play catch-up, but it was a hard effort. Toward the end, we just paced ourselves as best we could, and in the last few kilometers we managed to break away from third (Stow and Welleit). So we're grateful for that final push. A tough day, but still a fun one. The Umkomaas drop was spectacular.' Sanders noted that it's never nice when competitors have a mechanical: 'But that's racing. We worked to open a gap and had to fight to maintain it. Bianca and Danielle are so strong, so it wasn't handed to us. We had to go flat-out, but we got the job done. At the end of the day, it's about how badly you want it. You've got to dig deep, especially against athletes of this calibre.' Hill says she came to sani2c to win, after coming second many times: 'Racing against such a strong field makes it special. The difference between the top teams is small – anything can happen: a sprint, a cramp, a fall. I'm so grateful for Sam. She pulled us through. When I wanted to rest, she said no, and that made me stronger. I'm still learning what it means to be a professional racer, even now.' The partnership of Stow and Welleit combines technical mountain bike skills of Stow, with Welleit's strong racing experience, which Stow says she was grateful for today: 'Cherise is such a great racer – she knows when to go. At one point, we were losing the gap, she just said, 'One effort, Ila.' I thought I was going to die, but I put my head down. I'd go to war with her any day. It was a hard day trying to hold on, but we did.' Welleit says: 'It was unfortunate that Bianca and Danielle had a puncture. We dangled a bit behind Sarah and Sam, then we also had a sidewall cut (puncture). Luckily, Ila's technical skills are solid – we plugged it quickly and got going again. When Bianca and Danielle passed us, I knew we had to stay with them – there was still a lot of open road left. We tried to help with the pacing, but there wasn't much in the tank. The level of racing among the women has been incredible.' Imbuko ChemChamp have a three minute and 50 second advantage as they go into the third and final stage, racing to the coast on Saturday, while the Efficient Infiniti Racing team can afford to just hold onto their rivals and maintain their three minute and 13 second advantage to win overall. All KAP sani2c 'OG' riders leave Jolivet Farm on Saturday morning and travel 86km to Scottburgh Golf Club, with 1 042 metres of climbing. Imbuko ChemChamp A (Marco Joubert / Tristan Nortje) – 03:20:54 Team Honeycomb 226ers (Marc Pritzen / Wessel Botha) – 03:22:03 PYGA Euro Steel (Philip Buys / Michael Foster) – 03:24:03 Insect Science Cycling (Arno Du Toit / Keagan Bontekoning) – 03:24:16 Imbuko ChemChamp B (Lood Goosen / Rudi Koen) – 03:24:16 Efficient Infiniti Racing (Sarah Hill / Samantha Sanders) – 04:15:08 Safari Essence Titan Racing (Bianca Haw / Danielle Du Toit) – 04:22:30 Toyota Fortress (Cherise Willeit / Ila Stow) – 04:22:59 TEAM EPT RACING (Roxanne Kemp / Janice Fourie) – 04:44:45 Index Efficient Infinity (Steph Wohlters / Sanchia Malan) – 04:51:22 Imbuko ChemChamp A (Tristan Nortje / Marco Joubert) – 07:01:58 Team Honeycomb 226ers (Wessel Botha / Marc Pritzen) – 07:05:48 Insect Science Cycling (Keagan Bontekoning / Arno Du Toit) – 07:07:21 PYGA Euro Steel (Philip Buys / Michael Foster) – 07:08:05 Toyota Specialized (Travis Stedman / Johan Van Zyl) – 07:14:06 Efficient Infiniti Racing (Samantha Sanders / Sarah Hill) – 08:55:40 Safari Essence Titan Racing (Bianca Haw / Danielle Du Toit) – 08:58:53 Toyota Fortress (Ila Stow / Cherise Willeit) – 09:11:58 TEAM EPT RACING (Janice Fourie / Roxanne Kemp) – 09:48:20 Index Efficient Infinity (Steph Wohlters / Sanchia Malan) – 09:59:32 Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
