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Giro d'Italia 2018: The Essential Guide
Hello and welcome to live coverage of stage 9 of the Giro d'Italia. We're less than half an hour away from the roll out today in Pesco Sannita.
We have another summit finish for you today to round off the opening week of action. If yesterday's stage is anything to go for then we should be in for a very interesting finale, and with a much more challenging final climb, we should see some changes at the top of the overall standings.
Richard Carapaz made history with his victory yesterday and moved himself into the top 10. There were a few other movements near the top of the standings, though Simon Yates kept his lead in the maglia rosa. This is how things stand ahead of the racing this morning.
This is what the riders are duking it out for, the Trofeo Senza Fine (the endless trophy).
Chris Froome will be hoping that he can begin to turn the tide today. He's had a difficult opening week with a crash during the recon of the opening time trial, losing time in a split on stage 4 and a second crash on the final climb yesterday. He managed not to lose time, but he'll want a more positive end to the first week and maybe a bit of time gained. Read his reactions to yesterday's stage here.
Tom Dumoulin also finished yesterday feeling happy to have just got through the stage. He said that he was having a bit of a bad day. Read the full story, here.
Dutch journalist Pim Bijl reporting that Robert Gesink is looking to make today's breakaway. LottoNL-Jumbo infiltrated yesterday's move with Koen Bouwman, who was so close to taking the stage win before he was steamrollered by the charging Richard Carapaz. Getting Gesink in the move will take the pressure off the team behind but he will also be a good man in the finale for Bennett if the break if brought back.
With two first category climbs and a second category ascent, the mountains classification is up for grabs for anyone that gets into the breakaway. Esteban Chaves currently leads the way and here is how that standings looks at the start of the day.
The riders are currently making their way through the neutral zone. Here there were lining up just ahead of the flag drop with Simon Yates in pink and Esteban Chavez in blue. Elia Viviani remains in the points jersey for now while Richard Carapaz leads the young rider classification.
Carapaz is looking pretty comfortable in the young rider jersey at the moment after that spectacular win yesterday, but the top 5 is still relatively close together an a lot could change over the coming two weeks.
One of Carapaz's rivals for the white jersey, Ben O'Connor was the Dimension Data rider caught out when Froome hit the deck yesterday. The Australian lost 21 seconds due to the accident. Read his comments here.
It has been a very active start to the stage once again and a group of 14 riders has broken clear of the peloton. They have around a minute on the bunch behind as things stand.
The riders are: Mickael Cherel (AG2R La Mondiale), Davide Ballerini (Androni), Fausto Masnada (Androni), Manuele Boaro (Bahrain-Merida), Giovanni Visconti (Bahrain-Merida), Simone Andreetta (Bardiani CSF), Cesare Benedetti (Bora-Hansgrohe), Tim Wellens (Lotto FixAll), Natneal Berhane (Dimension Data), Hugh Carthy (EF Education First-Drapac), Maxim Belkov (Katusha-Alpecin), Gianluca Brambilla (Quick-Step Floors), Laurent Didier (Trek-Segafredo) and Alex Turrin (Wilier Triestina). They now have two minutes with Israel Cycling Academy rider Guillaume Boivin chasing behind.
Apologies, of course Brambilla now rides for Trek-Segafredo not Quick-Step Floors these days.
The leading group now has 2:15 on the bunch with Boivin at 1:37. Boivin has been the most active rider for the Israel Cycling Academy, who have been particularly quiet outside of the Canadian's efforts.
Lotto FixAll reporting that they also got Jens Debusschere into the breakaway, making it 15 riders in the breakaway with one chaser. This is a strong move and could really stand a chance of sticking today, if the peloton sees fit.
Gianluca Brambilla is the best placed of the escapees in the overall classification at just 6:40 behind Simon Yates. His presence in the break could scupper their chances of a stage win, but let's see what happens.
Gianluca Brambilla is the best placed of the escapees in the overall classification at just 6:40 behind Simon Yates. His presence in the break could scupper their chances of a stage win, but let's see what happens.
205km remaining from 225km
Some contradiction as to whether or not Debusschere is in the leading group or not. The GPS data has him in the lead group but race radio states otherwise. What we do know is that there are 14 riders in the lead group and there is just one Lotto FixAll rider up there. It is either Wellens or Debusschere. I'm inclined to believe it is the former but I will confirm that once I am certain.
The peloton has eased up quite a bit and the gap has ballooned out to almost five minutes. A very different start compared to yesterday's stage where the breakaway took some time to break clear. This is one of the longest days during this year's Giro d'Italia and it's a tough finale so the riders are saving their efforts for later.
Chris Froome waving to the crowd this morning. You can see the plaster on his elbow after his crash yesterday.
Looking at the breakaway, it is worth noting that Gesink is not in there, but a couple of the GC contenders have a man in the main move. Domenico Pozzovivo is one of those with Manuele Boaro and Giovanni Visconti up ahead while Michael Woods has Hugh Carthy.With two up there, it does look like Bahrain-Merida may be planning some sort of raid on the bunch today. I really do hope we see something a bit daring today.
And if that prospect doesn't get the juices flowing perhaps this picture from the finish will. The final ascent is a lengthy 26km and undulates along the way. The steepest gradients of 13 per cent are saved until close to the top.
182km remaining from 225km
Confirmation that Debusschere is not in the break as previously suspected. It is Tim Wellens, who took that brilliant victory on stage 4. Today is a very different prospect to that day, but I certainly wouldn't count out Wellens, who is in spectacular form at the moment.
There is not much flat road to speak of today but the opening 50 kilometres have been comparatively easy when you consider the latter part of the stage. It is a long day and the organisers have put most of the points of interest in the second half of the day. The first climb comes at the 100km mark and is followed by two intermediate sprints just six kilometres apart from each other. The main part of today's action will start inside the final 50 kilometres.
There is some serious firepower in this leading group of 14. Giovanni Visconti has won two stages of the Giro d'Italia back in 2013. One came in his more favoured terrain on the Galibier while the other saw him upset the sprinters with an attack over a fourth category climb to solo to victory. He had a serious crash earlier this week, but seems to be relatively ok, considering.
Gianluca Brambilla is also a stage winner at the Giro d'Italia. He took a victory during the 2016 race, which also delivered him the maglia rosa. He'll be hoping that he can do something similar today. With Laurent Didier in the group to help with the pace setting, that gives him a stronger chance of doing that.
Of the 14 riders in the breakaway, Maxim Belkov is another former Giro d'Italia stage winner. Like Visconti, he got his win in the 2013 race. He soloed to success in Florence on a course that gave the riders a preview of what to expect in that year's World Championships.
166km remaining from 225km
It's not just the Giro d'Italia going on at the moment with the Tour of California starting later today. The 4 Jours de Dunkerque is about to reach its conclusion. Andre Greipel won yesterday's stage, but it wasn't in the manner that you might expect. Find out how he did it with our report.
The average speed in the opening hour of racing was a zippy 45kph.
I mentioned three winners of stages at the Giro d'Italia and, of course, I can't miss out Wellens in that list. He has won a stage already this year, but he has a past victory at the corsa rosa. The 26-year-old claimed a win in his last appearance two years ago with a solo attack to beat Jakob Fuglsang by more than a minute.
On the other end of the scale, Alex Turrin is making his Giro d'Italia and Grand Tour debut. The 25-year-old turned professional with Wilier Triestina in 2016. His one professional victory was a stage win at the Tour du Maroc in his debut season.
Davide Ballerini is also making his Giro d'Italia debut after turning professional last season. The 23-year-old is currently second in the intermediate sprints classification, with his teammate Marco Frapporti leading the way. If he can win both sprints today then he will overtake Frapporti in those standings. There is no jersey with this competition, as organisers are only allowed four, but it is a trip to the podium and a spot of prize money to boot.
Here was the breakaway forming a little earlier.
140km remaining from 225km
If you want to remind yourself of how things panned out yesterday, before things kick off today, then you can find a short video highlights of the stage here.
The break is in the feed zone and the gap still sits above seven minutes. The first climb of the day is in just a few kilometres time.
This is what the riders can expect on this first climb. It's not long, but there are some steep sections.
128km remaining from 225km
We saw some torrential rain play a massive factor in yesterday's finale, and it ultimately meant the end of the breakaway's chances. Today, it should not be a problem for the bunch. It should be dry, according to the forecasts, though the temperatures are expected to drop to around 12 C.
News coming in that Jakub Mareczko has climbed off and abandoned, leaving 170 riders in the peloton. The Wilier Triestina rider finished second on stage 2 and sixth on stage 7 but he has really struggled in the mountains.
120km remaining from 225km
Some fractures in the front group as we begin to climb as Ballerini, Masnada and Berhane go off the front.
Masnada takes the points at the top of the climb but in a rather unusual fashion. He drops his chain and Ballerini has to push him up the climb. Meanwhile, Berhane looks on incredulous. The Eritrean sits up and still lets Masnada take the climb.
The Androni pair could be in trouble though, as pushing your teammate is not allowed. Movistar got in a lot of trouble for it during a team time trial in the 2017 Volta a Catalunya.
112km remaining from 225km
The leaders are on a plateau at present and will head onto a short descent soon. In the valley, they will take on two intermediate sprints in quick succession.
Soon after the intermediate sprints, the riders will begin the climax of today's stage. They will first climb to Calascio before a very short descent and then onto the final rise to Gran Sasso d'Italia. It is divided into two classified climbs but in reality it is one big effort that should split the group of favourites up.
The last time the Gran Sasso d'Italia climb appeared in the Giro d'Italia was in 1999 when Marco Pantani won the stage. Pantani took the maglia rosa for a day before Laurent Jalabert resumed the role of leader the following day. Pantani would eventually retake the jersey in the final week and hold it all the way to Milan. The climb is also this year's montagne di Pantani.
Some small echelons forming near the front of the peloton. Mitchelton-Scott are at the front with FDJ, Astana and EF Education First all forming their own line.
Further back in the bunch, quite a few riders have lost contact as the wind blows from left to right across the plateau.
94km remaining from 225km
The race jury has taken the first KOM from Masnada for that push earlier on. Berhane therefore takes the 15 points available with Ballerini in second place. Not a surprise as pushing your teammate is against the rules. Though, it is not an offence to get a push from a member of another team.
It is unfortunate for Masnada, who suffered a mechanical issue at just the wrong time. It was so close to the top of the KOM that he would not have been able to get over in time if he'd stopped to fix the problem, unless the other two chose to stop and wait for him. In theory, Ballerini should be relegated too as the pusher, if I have understood the regulations correctly.
84km remaining from 225km
Tom Dumoulin is back in the cars and it seems that he might have a problem with his race radio. He hands it into the team car.
Race radios are likely to be quite important in the finale for time gaps to riders up front and behind. So, Dumoulin will want to get his sorted before we hit those final climbs.
A quick reminder of the general classification standings ahead of today's finale.
I also remind you of the riders in the breakaway and that Brambilla is only 6:40 down on Yates in the overall classification.
72km remaining from 225km
FDJ is sitting just behind Mitchelton-Scott in the peloton. They've maintained that position throughout the past few days. Thibaut Pinot was in fine form yesterday as he rolled over in third place to take a few bonus seconds. He's sitting in fourth place at the moment at 41 seconds. He will want to take a bit more time ahead of the time trial at the start of the third week.
The first of the two intermediate sprints are coming up and we can expect Ballerini to go for them. Whether or not any of the other members of the break go up against him remains to be seen.
Ballerini takes the sprint ahead of Belkov, who gave him a bit of a run for his money. Turrin follows them over for third place.
61km remaining from 225km
Another rider thrown into the mix for Mitchelton-Scott. They now have four riders helping with the chase. The gap stands at 8:07 but they want to bring that down if they hope to keep pink.
Belkov attacks the intermediate sprint early and Ballerini is chasing.
Ballerini easily catches Belkov and takes the sprint points. He will move into the lead of the intermediate sprints competition. Belkov didn't stand a chance.
55km remaining from 225km
Potential stage winners today are Brambilla, Wellens, Barhane, Visconti, Carthy, Cherel and Benedetti. I'd put my money on either Brambilla or Wellens, but Visconti is a serious threat if he's not suffering too much from his crash earlier in the week.
Don't forget that the Tour of California gets underway today. We've put together a handy guide as to how you can follow the race, wherever you are.
The front of the peloton with Mitchelton-Scott still well in control.
44km remaining from 225km
The gap has remained much the same for the escapees over the past 10 kilometres despite this injection of pace from the bunch. The 14 leaders still have 8:08 as Dider sets the pace for Trek-Segafredo.
This is what the riders are tackling at the moment.
Astana, who have been pretty quiet all day, have put the hammer down with Luis Leon Sanchez. They're looking to do some real damage today for Miguel Angel Lopez.
Lutsenko is now doing the work and they've taken 30 seconds out of the leading group. That's not their primary concern. They want to put the contenders in the peloton into trouble.
The breakaway is still all together but we will see some riders dropping off the back as we carry on. Didier is setting a tough pace and we will see some fissures soon.
In the peloton, Jan Hirt is putting the hurt on - see what I did there - Astana are blowing this apart as Ruben Plaza gets into trouble off the back with a mechanical problem.
The main contenders remain comfortable in the bunch but it is their domestiques that are being burned off by this pace from Astana. They also have Pello Bilbao high up the general classification, as well as Lopez.
Chris Froome moving up the side of the peloton. He's got one teammate up with him, which appears to be De la Cruz, and Henao is coming to join him but Poels seems to be missing.
Once they're done with this climb, they will be onto the final ascent immediately.
37km remaining from 225km
The gap to the breakaway has dropped to 5:15 as Androni take up the pace setting ahead with Ballerini. The leaders are all still together at the moment.
After the shenanigans on the first classified climb, I can only assume that Masnada will be looking for the points at the top of this climb. There was obviously an agreement with Berhane on the last climb, but will the Eritrean go for it on this one now?
34km remaining from 225km
Astana is still on the front in the peloton with Team Sky firmly on their wheels. Mitchelton-Scott are next in line with the maglia rosa and Sunweb is behind them. The gap to the leaders has dropped to 4:36.
A great picture of the action on this climb.
The gap is ticking down consistently as the kilometres pass by. How long will it be before one of the break takes a punt and goes for it?
Boaro ups the pace and rides off the front of the peloton. It's only a small tester and he's closed down pretty quickly. It has distanced Belkov, who is chasing to get back on.
Masnada and Cherel attack now as we approach the KOM.
Masnada takes the points, this time without a shove from his teammate.
30km remaining from 225km
Didier has been caught by the peloton and Turrin is about to be brought back too.
Tim Wellens puts in a small dig and is brought back by Brambilla, who pulls out a gap on his companions.
24km remaining from 225km
Carthy, Boaro and Visconti are now with Brambilla, Cherel and Masnada. Belkov and Berhane are chasing.
23km remaining from 225km
I would still put Brambilla as my favourite from this leading group but any one of those riders remaining out front could take the win.
A little bit of a coming of a coming together in the peloton. Thankfully everyone stays on their bikes.
It is Zeits doing the damage at the moment for Astana, they still have five riders up at the head of affairs. That's some showing from the team who have been dominant in the build-up to the Giro d'Italia.
20km remaining from 225km
Bahrain-Merida have two riders in the front, which has allowed Visconti to sit on the back as Boaro helps to drive things on. Meanwhile, Wellens and Andreetta have been caught by the peloton.
Mitchelton-Scott have had enough of Astana on the front and they move up with Kreuziger and Haig. Yates is in third wheel with Nieve coming up. Chaves is further down the bunch.
17km remaining from 225km
Masnada puts in a small dig and he gets a gap on his breakaway companions. The response behind isn't immediate as they try to figure out who chases.
Boaro has finally picked up the chase in group two. Visconti remains firmly secured to the back of it and he's enjoying the free ride. If they bring back Masnada then he should have slightly fresher legs than some.
And Visconti attacks
Cherel now chasing down Visconti as the gap to the peloton falls to 2:38. Masnada still at the front.
The chasing group is now back together as we now see Boaro attacking.
Carthy tries to track Boaro down with Cherel in his wheel. The riders are on a flatter section of the climb.
13km remaining from 225km
Luis Leon Sanchez slips into the front ahead of the Mitchelton-Scott team. The chase had slowed and they're interested in increasing the pace.
The first three groups on the road can all see each other. There isn't much space between them but the wind out there is making the chase a bit harder.
The time check has Masnada with a 25-second gap on Boaro and 38 on the third group.
10km remaining from 225km
The peloton continues to close the gap to the leaders bit by bit. This is very much touch and go with the gap dropping to 2:05.
The pace is high in the peloton as the GC teams try to get towards the front. Masnada up front has 42 seconds on Boaro. This is a great ride from the young Italian.
5km remaining from 225km
In the peloton, Goncalves attacks while Carthy has a go in the chasing group. Cherel and Visconti follow and it looks like Brambilla has cracked.
One camera shot can now pick out Boaro, the Carthy group and the peloton. It looks like this might just come back together as Brambilla is caught.
5km remaining from 225km
Meanwhile, Masnada has a minute on the Carthy/Boaro goup. The peloton is a further 25 seconds back.
Carthy gives Boaro a look and drops him. This is a real grind to the top. The air is thin and it will feel like the lungs are burning.
Carthy is giving it his all but he's struggling to close down Masnada, who still has 52 seconds. Boaro has been caught and immediately helps set the pace in the peloton.
Visconti also laid a hand to the peloton chase and he goes pop. Pozzovivo is now alone int he group.
3km remaining from 225km
All of the big favourites still in the peloton at the moment. Just a few teams with more than one rider, Astana, Mitchelton-Scott and Team Sky.
Can you hear that noise? That's Masnada going pop.
Masnada is weaving all over the road as the peloton closes in on him with three kilometres to go.
2km remaining from 225km
Meanwhile, Fabio Aru has been distanced by the peloton and is digging in to get back.
Haig is still on the front for Mitchelton-Scott. What a fine Giro d'Italia he's had.
Chris Froome is on the back of the group. Is he in trouble?
And Froome has been dropped
Henao has dropped back to help Froome but Pinot attacks up front with Pozzovivo in his wheel.
Pinot is caught and Lopez digs in. Dumoulin is distanced.
Bennett also lost tough, he helps Dumoulin back into this leading group of contenders.
Henao is gone and Froome is on his own. Poels is in the background chasing him down but this is bad news for Froome.
Ciccone is still in this leading group and he's had a couple of attacks. A fine ride from him.
There is a Dimension Data rider in that group and it looks like O'Connor.
Ciccone attacks again
Now Pozzovivo goes and Pinot follows
Yates and Chaves are right on their wheels
Carapaz also there are Lopez and Bennett are distanced.
Pozzovivo leads into the final metres
Pozzovivo, Pinot, Yates, Chaves and Carapaz lead
Yates attacks and wins
Pinot crosses the line in second with Chaves in third
Froome crosses the line well down. He's lost 1:06 on Yates. Aru has lost 1:13, a bad day for him too.
This is how the stage ended
That result has pushed Chaves up to second with Dumoulin in third. Froome is no longer in the top 10, nor is Aru.
Simon Yates doesn't do huge emotions but he let out a big shot and thumped his chest as he crossed the line. This was the moment that he won the stage.
Yates had this to say after his win: "That one was for the boys, the big guys who’ve been riding on the front all day. They’ve had a couple of tough days, always riding on the front on some really long stages. That’s for those guys.
Nicolas Portal tried to remain upbeat despite the difficult day for Chris Froome. He had this to say to Eurosport:
Another image of today's finish, showing Pinot and Chaves just behind the maglia rosa.
This has been a very level-headed performance from Simon Yates this week and he looks very strong going into the second rest day of the Giro d'Italia. There is still a long way to go with a key time trial to come, but this is the perfect start for the Mitchelton-Scott rider.
Mitchelton-Scott are in the perfect position, with Esteban Chaves sitting in second place. If Yates does falter, Chaves is there to pick things up. Though they would be hoping to try an get both of them to the finish on the podium.
This is what Mitchelton-Scott DS Matt White had to say about the day's action.
With some of the young riders shining brightly in the opening week, particularly Carapaz after his stage win yesterday. We have to note another start turn from another young rider in Giulio Ciccone. He's over 30 minutes down in the overall standings but he put in a very solid ride today to finish 10th on the stage. He had a few goes at testing the favourites too, which is a solid effort from the 23-year-old.
Gianluca Brambilla was one of the favourites from the breakaway to take the win, but it didn't work out. The Italian eventually lost time, but he's happy with how his legs felt today.
The riders will now enjoy a rest day before the race resumes on Tuesday. It will be a slightly easier day out with a few smaller climbs and a chance for the rouleurs or lighter sprinters to have a chance.
That is it from today's live coverage. We will have plenty of news and reaction this evening and tomorrow before we return with live coverage on Tuesday. For a round-up of today's action, result and photos, click here.
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