Latest news with #PrimožRoglič
ABC News
27-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Giro d'Italia favourite Primož Roglič out and Isaac del Toro's lead slashed in chaotic 16th stage
A gripping 16th stage of the Giro d'Italia has ended with the pre-race favourite out, the leader just hanging on to the maglia rosa and Italy celebrating a 1-2-3. Amid the chaos, Australia's Michael Storer moved up five places to be one of around eight riders still in contention to be in pink on the podium in Rome on Sunday. Pre-race favourite Primož Roglič, the 2023 champion, abandoned after suffering his fourth crash in barely a week in a stage initially made treacherous by torrential rain. Isaac del Toro, the 21-year-old Mexican riding his second grand tour, held on to the maglia rosa, but only just, as he was broken by Simon Yates on the final climb of four, totalling 4,900m of elevation. The demanding ride through the Dolomites began in rain but ended in sun, and it shone on the host nation. Christian Scaroni led home an all-Italian trio for the first home stage win of this year's race, hand-in-hand with the mountains leader and XDS Astana teammate Lorenzo Fortunato. Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe) was third. However, another Italian, Alessio Martinelli, was hospitalised after sliding into a ravine. The VG Group Bardiani-CSF Faizane team said Martinelli was "conscious and in stable condition". He was carried up from the ravine on a stretcher by an Alpine rescue team. As the gradients rose on the 203km leg from Piazzola Sul Brenta to San Valentino, so did the drama. Roglič (Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe) was 10th at the start of the day, but a fall that also involved Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) forced him to finally quit with a series of injuries. Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), the 2021 champion, fell in a separate incident but continued. The absence of reigning champion Tadej Pogačar and Dane Jonas Vingegaard had meant Roglič was favourite when the Giro began. As crashes derailed the Slovenian's chances, Del Toro had begun to look as if he could hold on to his lead after a week in pink. But the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider's lead was reduced from 1 minute, 20 seconds to 26 seconds ahead of Briton Yates (Visma–Lease a Bike) and, 11 seconds further back, Carapaz. The Ecuadorian, who won in 2019, had been 2:07 back at the start of the stage but produced a powerful ride to finish fourth in the stage. "In end, I didn't have the best legs. They weren't bad but they weren't sufficient. I was happy to make it to the finish," Del Toro said. Del Toro's teammate Juan Ayuso, who was third at the start, 1.26 behind, cracked and came in 35th, 14:47 adrift and out of GC contention. Storer (Tudor) acquitted himself well, finishing seventh, 1.52 behind the leaders, and is up from 12th to seventh overall, 3.31 behind Del Toro. Wednesday's Stage 17 is a 155 km leg from San Michele All'Adige to Bormio featuring three climbs — including the Mortirolo, one of the Giro's toughest and most fabled. AAP
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Giro d'Italia week one: How the white roads of Tuscany exploded the race for the pink jersey
And they said this year's Giro d'Italia's route was backloaded. There has been action enough in the Grand Tour's first week to fill three, with general classification (GC) expectations shattered, enduring class on display, and even a surprise new wearer of the pink jersey. The climb into Siena on stage nine might have been steep, but this route is about to go even more uphill. What has the race taught us so far? Jacob Whitehead analyses a breathtaking week of action. You lived under a grotto for the past weeks ? Fear not, we've got you covered! 🔻 Here's the @continentaltire Ultimo Kilometro of stages 1-9 #GirodItalia — Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 19, 2025 Time gaps! Time gaps galore! The favorite tag has been passed around like a communal bidon during the race's opening week. Pre-race beau Primož Roglič looked strong on the stage two time-trial, missing out on victory by less than a second, and wearing the maglia rosa (pink jersey) on two separate occasions. Advertisement But the Slovenian's positioning had appeared suspect on a couple of stages — and when he was beaten up to Tagliacozzo by UAE Team-Emirates' Juan Ayuso on stage seven, the Spaniard took over as favourite. Roglič then deliberately ceded his pink jersey after stage eight, not wanting his team to do the excess work required to defend it so early in the Giro. But will the former winner ever wear it again? Stage nine of the Giro was always going to come with risk. Following much of the popular Strade Bianche race — a sojourn through the gravelly, white roads of the Tuscan countryside — there were chances of punctures, crashes, and simply being distanced on climbs. It turned into so much more. First, Roglič and stage contender Tom Pidcock crashed and suffered punctures with 50km remaining, leaving the pair out of contention for the win — and facing a desperate battle to even regain contact with the peloton. 💥 ROGLIC AND PIDCOCK GO DOWN! 🇦🇺 Lucas Hamilton slides from the lead of the peloton, and brings down with him the two riders, who both make it back on the road, but they trail behind @INEOSGrenadiers and @TeamEmiratesUAE #GirodItalia — Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 18, 2025 Then an attack from Isaac del Toro, a 21-year-old Mexican climber initially brought to the Giro as a super-domestique (a luxury helper), but whose Grand Tour-winning talent was well-known. After his performances, that potential looks like it is being paid forward. Though Del Toro was beaten in the sprint by Wout van Aert, he took just over a minute on the rest of the peloton — and now wears the pink jersey by one minute and 13 seconds. Del Toro is the first Mexican to lead a Grand Tour. This development raises intriguing questions about UAE's plans. Del Toro has been strong across the board, and is a good time trialist — he has a chance of holding this lead throughout the race. But Ayuso entered the race as his team's leader and has the larger track record — but, potentially hinting at drama to come, Ayuso's teamwork has been previously questioned. It adds another subplot to an already-fascinating race. American Brandon McNulty (eighth) and Englishman Adam Yates (ninth) round out four UAE riders in the top 10. It's undoubted strength-in-depth, but in cycling — where teams generally support one key leader — that isn't necessarily a good thing. Elsewhere, Italian Antonio Tiberi has ridden tactically to sit third, and could bring the home nation their first Giro podium since 2021. Advertisement Another former winner, Egan Bernal, looks in his best form since a life-threatening crash in 2022. He initially went with Del Toro in the stage nine break, before UAE rode hard to bring him back — the first strategic decision from Ayuso that will be questioned, given that chase diminished Del Toro's overall lead. Bernal has historically been at his best in the high mountains — his true form will be seen in the final week. Roglič lost over two minutes on stage nine, but he is not out of this race, though the lack of time-trialling kilometres does not work in his favour. He will claw some time back during Tuesday's 28km circuit, but will likely remain in arrears when the race enters the Alps and Dolomites. Roglič has a history of riding conservatively — will he have to break a career habit and launch early on one stage in his bid for pink? The plateau finish of stage 15 may be a good opportunity. 💥 La Fuga is Fuga-ing. #Giroditalia — Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 18, 2025 No team has won more UCI points than Lidl-Trek this season — the United States-registered team had a consistent and competitive spring, with 11 podiums, punctuated by Mattias Skjelmose's win at Amstel Gold last month. A pantheon of riders would have noted the opportunities provided by an open first six stages — but one man, Danish sprinter Mads Pedersen, took three of them, spending five days in the maglia rosa. For much of the spring, Pedersen toiled to match the sport's two freakish talents — Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel — but showed signs of some career-best form. Freed of that competition, the former world champion has taken his chances. Outstanding at long, gritty, uphill efforts, Pedersen has the ability to survive climbs that his rivals cannot. His team has controlled the stages he won — riding hard enough to make them reduced bunch sprints, where Pedersen has been comfortably the fastest man remaining. Advertisement His best performance arguably came in a stage he didn't win, the second stage time-trial, when he finished just 11 seconds behind winner Josh Tarling, to almost save pink. He would win it back a day later. But what has stood out is the support around Pedersen. The engine of Czech youngster Mathias Vacek has been exceptional — almost single-handedly gifting Pedersen the win on stage five by bridging several gaps before performing a perfect leadout. The 22-year-old was also fifth on the stage two time-trial in Tirana, did well to stay with the GC contenders up to Tagliacozzo, and contended for the win on stage nine. Giulio Ciccone, second in Liege-Bastogne-Liege, is going for GC in his home race — but has still devoted himself to Pedersen's cause in the early stages, before finishing among the leaders in Tagliacozzo. He sits fifth in GC after another good performance on stage nine. A quick recap for those who have not been keeping tabs. The relegation system devised by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI, the world governing body) runs over a three year period — we are two and a half years through the latest cycle, meaning struggling teams' priorities are already shifting towards points accumulation. All UCI races have a points value, and are handed out according to stage results, the general classification and a few other factors. After three years, the top 18 teams receive a WorldTour licence for the next season, guaranteeing them places in the season's biggest races. Squads who finish outside are relegated to ProTeam status. Two current ProTeams — Lotto-Dstny (11th) and Israel-Premier Tech (14th) look likely to be promoted, meaning two WorldTour teams will drop out. The battle for 17th and 18th is being fought between four teams, with Cofidis and Astana currently on the right side of the drop zone, and Picnic PostNL and Uno-X Mobility (ProTour) in 19th and 20th. Advertisement At the start of this season, Astana looked doomed, but the Kazakh team's impressively strong form through the spring knocked Dutch squad Picnic PostNL into the relegation zone. Picnic PostNL is enduring a terrible season — but then came stage four. It was the first pure sprint stage of the tour and Picnic PostNL's fast man, Casper van Uden, had featured in no pundits' breakdown of the favourites. The 23-year-old was an afterthought compared to Olav Kooij, Kaden Groves, and Pedersen — but in a chaotic finale in Lecce, the Dutch rider found himself perfectly positioned by his lead-out train. 🔻 A very fast final kilometer in Lecce, and a battle between the fastest legs of the Netherlands 🔻Un chilometro finale tiratissimo a Lecce, e poi la battaglia tra le gambe più veloci d'Olanda! ⏪ The @continentaltire Ultimo Kilometro ⤵️#GirodItalia — Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 13, 2025 Wearing an unfashionable but marginally faster time-trial helmet, Van Uden held off Kooij with a long-range sprint to take a surprise win — and secure a hugely important point tally for Picnic PostNL. The gap between it and Astana is now paper-thin. 'What does that win mean to you?' Van Uden was asked after his first win at WorldTour level. '180 points!' the sprinter replied. Still, Astana has displayed the ability to be a force in this race. They will earn points for Diego Ulissi's performance in taking pink on stage eight — the first Italian to wear the maglia rosa in four years. What is a foreign start to a Grand Tour supposed to display? Competitive stages? Easy transfer to the race proper? The growth of the sport? Glorious countryside? The Giro's trip to Albania achieved all of these. After recent excursions that have felt lacking for various reasons — sub-optimal stage design (Hungary, 2022), distance from Italy (Jerusalem, 2018), and a needless trip to one of cycling's existing heartlands (Netherlands, 2016) — Albania was a vast improvement. Advertisement All three stages were competitive, with Albania's rolling terrain leaving it uncertain whether stages would be won in bunch sprints, reduced sprints, or even by puncheurs in breakaways. The design of stage three in particular — a loop around the coast south of Valona — was a beauty. Tirana's stage two time-trial was slightly lacking in pure aesthetics, but delivered a close finale — Welsh rider Tarling winning by less than a second from Roglič — and delivering gaps between GC contenders. And though there had been fears about road conditions before the race, the first issues only arose with the race back in Italy — an awkward bottleneck on stage four in Lecce. Albania more than justified its inclusion — and made a case for the Tour of Albania being upgraded from UCI Europe Tour level over the coming seasons. The opening stages of the Grand Tours invariably bring the depressing reality of crashes. This year, two figures set to play key roles in the GC suffered scary injuries. Spanish climber Mikel Landa, targeting overall victory for Soudal Quick-Step, ran wide on a fast descent into Tirana on the first stage, falling over a retaining wall and landing heavily on his back. Unable to rise to his feet himself, he was later diagnosed with a stable fracture of his T11 vertebra. Quickstep says this will 'require Mikel to remain in a stable lying position for an extended period.' A two-time former podium finisher at the Giro, Landa is a cult figure in his native Basque Country, as much for the battling nature of his failures as his occasional successes. This crash is just the latest piece of bad luck — at 35 years old, this could have been his final big chance at a Grand Tour GC. Elsewhere, Roglič's key mountain lieutenant was set to be Australia's Jai Hindley, a Giro winner in 2022 now turned super-domestique. But Hindley's legs were never tested — during slippery roads on a rainy stage six, a mass pileup left the Australian worst off. The 29-year-old suffered a concussion and his own fractured vertebra, though less serious than Landa's injury. Three other riders were also forced to abandon. 💥 Massive crash in the peloton, with many riders involved, including @RichardCarapazM, Jai Hindley, @PaulMagnier1 and others. The race is neutralized for the moment, we'll provide updates as soon as we can. #GirodItalia — Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 15, 2025 The race was neutralised, with no time gaps awarded to allow all GC riders to finish safely. For Red Bull BORA Hansgrohe, however, the damage was already done. With fellow climbing domestique Dani Martínez seemingly struggling for form, Hindley's absence is a major blow to Roglič, particularly if he wants to control mountain stages in the final weeks, setting up for his own attacks. Other riders to have picked up injuries include FDJ's GC hopeful David Gaudu — the Frenchman gashed his hand so badly on stage seven that the tendon was visible, though is remaining in the race — and Ayuso, who required stitches on his knee after crashing on the gravel of stage nine. Talking of crashes, Luke Plapp is no stranger to them. The Australian champion suffered his own terrifying fall at the Paris Olympic time-trial last summer — in medal contention at the intermediate timecheck, he slid out and collided heavily with a barrier. Plapp's discomfort was visible — lying prone in a puddle, before being rushed into emergency abdominal surgery. Advertisement Back to full fitness by the Giro, Plapp then suffered another crash on a stage two time-trial he was targeting, falling mid-corner after a misjudgement. But the beauty of a Grand Tour is that it presents 21 opportunities for riders to steal the show, change their careers, and even achieve redemption. Stage eight was an opportunity for the breakaway, sandwiched between two days set to preoccupy the GC contenders, and Plapp read the race conditions perfectly. The 24-year-old came close to his first Grand Tour stage win at the Giro last year, and once again vaulted himself into contention after soloing away from the breakaway with 40km to go. Though pursued by superior climbers, Plapp used time-trialling ability to maintain his gap in the valleys, eventually winning by a minute to realise his talent on the big stage. Van Aert, meanwhile, is a rider in a very different position, an all-rounder whose palmares is amongst the most impressive in the peloton. But after an injury affected 2024, the Belgian icon had not yet reached top form again in 2025 — despite competing at the sharp end of several classics, he could not convert any of them into his customary win. The first stages of the Giro looked custom-designed for Van Aert to take pink — an uphill sprint followed by a time-trial — but he was outsprinted by Pedersen on stage one before being well off the pace against the clock 24 hours later. In fairness, Van Aert had said he was suffering from illness entering the race — but there were tactical missteps as well. The most dramatic of these came on stage six when he burst out alone — either in a far too early leadout for Kooij, or a misguided attack himself — handing the win to Kaden Groves. Tappa 9: Gubbio – Siena — Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 19, 2025 But Van Aert's win at Strade Bianche showed the 30-year-old at his brilliant best. He read the race perfectly to go with the decisive attack, sticking with superior climbers for far longer than he should, before having the raw speed to overhaul them in the sprint. This was his 50th professional win. And, as the Giro d'Italia's X account posted before the rest day, 'I think this is ciclismo.' It certainly has been.
ABC News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Juan Ayuso pounces to win Giro d'Italia stage seven, Primož Roglič takes pink jersey
Spain's Juan Ayuso has won stage seven of the Giro d'Italia, with Slovenian Primož Roglič moving into the overall lead. The first mountain stage of the race — a 168-kilometre ride from Castel di Sangro to Tagliacozzo — came down to Ayuso having the legs to get away from his rivals in the final 400 metres. Ayuso's UAE Team-Emirates colleague Isaac del Toro was second, with Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) third, denying Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) a place on the podium. But Roglič did enough to take the leader's pink jersey from Mads Pedersen, with the Dane losing touch on the final climb. Ayuso's efforts put him second overall, 4 seconds behind Roglič, with Del Toro 5 seconds further back in third. Australia's Michael Storer (Tudor Pro) finished the stage in 10th position, 8 seconds adrift of Ayuso, to move up three places into sixth spot in the general classification. "It's my fourth Grand Tour … but I never managed to pull it (victory) off," Ayuso said. "So to finally do it today in my first Giro d'Italia is something super special that I will always remember." The stage was seen as the first real test for the general classification. Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) had been expected to relinquish his hold on the pink jersey, with the race having favoured the sprinters in the earlier stages. There was no easing into the stage, with the riders climbing from the start, and tackling another two classified climbs before the steep ascent to the finish. "I knew that I could do only one attack and not mess around with two or three on this final which was very explosive," Ayuso said. "When I saw my distance, I went full gas. It was important today to not only get the win but also try and recover the time I lost in the time trial." Reuters
Associated Press
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Ayuso bursts to stage win as Roglič takes overall lead at Giro d'Italia
TAGLIACOZZO, Italy (AP) — Primož Roglič took the overall lead of the Giro d'Italia and Juan Ayuso impressed with his victory in the first summit finish on Friday. The Spaniard earned his first ever Grand Tour stage victory with a burst of energy 400 meters before the end of the seventh stage, ahead of his UAE Team Emirates teammate Isaac Del Toro and Egan Bernal. Roglič, the pre-race favorite and 2023 champion, crossed next — the peloton all four seconds back. It was good enough for Roglič to take the pink jersey. Ayuso improved to second overall, trailing Roglič by four seconds. Del Toro was third, nine seconds off the lead. Friday's stage was the hardest so far with four classified climbs on the 168-kilometer (104 mile) route from Castel di Sangro, including the top category ascent to the finish in Tagliacozzo. 'This win is a big step in my career,' Ayuso said. 'This is my fourth Grand Tour, I've been close to winning at the Vuelta. To do it today at my first Giro d'Italia is special.' Ayuso calculated his late push. 'I knew that I could do only one attack and not mess around with two or three on this final which was very explosive,' he said. 'Others started attacking before. When I saw my distance I went full gas. It was important to not only get the win but also try and recover the time I lost in the time trial.' Femur broken The big crash in Thursday's stage took its toll on teams. Jai Hindley, the 2022 champion, was concussed. Before Friday's stage, the Israel-Premier Tech team reported that Czech cyclist Jan Hirt broke his right femur in the crash. Incredibly, Hirt finished the stage and then went to the hospital. Juri Hollmann of Alpecin Deceuninck sustained a 'double fracture of the right forearm and a complicated fracture of the right hip,' his team said. The German was being flown to Belgium for surgery. Michel Ries of the Arkea-B&B Hotels team also didn't start Friday's stage. Saturday's stage is a 197-kilometer (122-mile) route from Giulianova, a coastal town on the Adriatic Sea, to Castelraimondo. The Giro ends in Rome on June 1. ___ AP sports:
ABC News
11-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Mads Pedersen wins third Giro d'Italia stage after goat and dog interruptions
Even goats and dogs could not distract Mads Pedersen from reclaiming the leader's jersey on the third stage of the Giro d'Italia. It all went to plan for Pedersen, who won a bunch sprint to snatch back the pink jersey with his second victory in this year's race. Pedersen, who rides for Lidl-Trek, edged Corbin Strong by half a wheel at the end of the hilly 160-kilometre leg that started and finished in the Albanian coastal city of Vlorë. Pedersen also won the opening stage but pre-race favourite Primož Roglič took the pink jersey from him after the time trial. Pedersen has moved back into pink, ahead of two more sprint stages back in Italy. The Danish cyclist has a nine-second lead over Roglič and is 14 seconds ahead of Czech rider Mathias Vacek. "Wow, to have two stage victories already and now back in the pink, that's exactly what we wanted today. This was the plan," Pedersen said. Pedersen's plan almost did not come off, though, as a dog raced across the road in the finale, narrowly avoiding the surging peloton with just over 2 kilometres remaining. Earlier, several goats scampered across the road, with riders having to swerve to avoid them and New Zealand cyclist Dion Smith almost ending up in a ditch as one jumped at him. "First time for a goat for me," Smith said with a laugh. "I didn't have too much time to think but I could see it 10 seconds before, the policeman trying to keep them all in and then one or two started coming across and I don't know which way I was going to go, but luckily I stayed up." Smith said the peloton's sojourn to Albania had been "great", with one exception. "They've done really well, I've definitely enjoyed it and it was a different experience, but … just watch out for the goats," he said. After Jay Vine had crashed on stage one and Luke Plapp in the time trial, there were no further calamities for the 14-strong Australian contingent, but Plapp looked to be still feeling the effects of his spill as he trekked home nearly six-and-a-half minutes off the pace. But Michael Storer, the Tudor Pro team leader who is the best hope for Australian success, was in sprightly mood in the mountains and finished among the main bunch to still lie ninth overall, 36 seconds behind as the race prepares to move to the Italian mainland after its Albanian adventure. Among the Australians, Chris Hamilton (Team Picnic PostNL) climbed strongly in an early breakaway and came home safely in the main bunch, as did 2022 winner Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), who leaves Albania only 48 seconds down in 15th overall. Vine, third in the time trial, again looked to be well recovered from opening day crash as he finished among the main peloton. It was the last of three stages in Albania before the peloton makes the short transfer across the Adriatic to the Italian region of Puglia, where the race will resume after a rest day. The fourth stage travels through much of the heel of Italy along a mostly flat, 189km route from the UNESCO World Heritage site of Alberobello to Lecce. The race ends in Rome on June 1. AP/AAP
