Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Rigoberto Uran gets a push from his Cannondale teammates(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale Pro Cycling)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Rigoberto Urán (Cannondale)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Rigoberto Uran(Image credit: Cannondale Pro Cycling)
Rigoberto Uran winced in pain as he stepped off the Cannondale team bus before the start of stage 2, still suffering after crashing at speed during Wednesday's team time trial at Tirreno-Adriatico. He still managed to complete the stage to Pomarance and finished with the leading riders one second behind stage winner Zdenek Stybar (Etixx-QuickStep).
Davide Formolo tried to drag the group back up to Stybar with a big effort and then Simon Clarke used his fast finish to take fourth behind Peter Sagan and Edvald Boasson Hagen in the sprint contested by 37 riders. Uran finished 19th.
Riders rarely quit races unless they are physically unable to continue and the Colombian stage racer had no plans to quit Tirreno-Adriatico. He is hoping to recover before the decisive stages at the weekend and perhaps target a stage victory.
"I landed hard yesterday and I'm a bit banged up but I hope to feel better as the race goes on," he told Cyclingnews.
"I've got scares everywhere, on my left, my right, on my rear… everywhere. But that's racing. I'm going to carry on. Crashing is part of cycling, it's important to look forward, not back. We can't change what happened but we can shape our future."
Uran lost 2:03 in the team time trial stage and so is 52nd in the overall classification. His chances of overall success seem over but he refused to throw in the towel. His best chance for a possible stage victory is on Sunday. The queen stage of this year's Tirreno-Adriatico ends with a 10km climb to Monte San Vicino deep in the little known Marche region.
Uran faces a tough task. His hopes for a stage win cross paths with the fight for overall victory and the time bonuses of ten, six, and four seconds awarded at the finish.
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"Two minutes is a lot. But let's see what we can do. I'm determined to do as well as possible," he said. "It's important to have the desire to do well. We've got a good team, we're on form and so we'll keep trying."
Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
