Dumoulin Wins Opening Giro Stage

Dumoulin in Apeldoorn - Getty Images

Tom Dumoulin won the opening individual time trial of the Giro d’Italia by the finest of margins in Apeldoorn on Friday. At the end of the flat 9.8km route the Dutchman beat Primoz Roglic of Slovenia by one hundredth of a second.

“It’s incredible. I can almost not describe it in words,” said Dumoulin, who added that he felt sick afterwards. “A hundredth of a second is a breath of air and that’s it.

“It’s better than I could have imagined. In front of my home crowd to get the most beautiful jersey in cycling is very special. I did no big mistakes. You always think you could have done this corner a bit better or that one … it wasn’t my best time trial but I’m wearing this jersey now. I will defend this as long as possible. I don’t think I have the level to compete in the real big mountains.”

Roglic took the lead off Dumoulin’s Giant-Alpecin team-mate, Tobias Ludvigsson, who had been in the hot seat for around 90 minutes. Ludvigsson eventually finished fourth, eight seconds behind the leading pair and two seconds behind the Costa Rican Andrey Amador.

Another time trial specialist, Fabian Cancellara, was hoping for a victory that would have handed him the first maglia rosa of his long career. But he was hampered by stomach flu and finished eighth, 14 seconds behind Dumoulin.

The overall favorite Vincenzo Nibali, the 2013 champion, was 19 seconds behind in 16th. “It was a very explosive time trial. I had to make a really big effort,” Nibali said. “It’s one stage out of the way now.

“I can be more than satisfied by what’s happened but let’s just keep our feet on the ground. One or two days before a Grand Tour you can feel nervous and I’m just happy we’re under way now.”

The Swiss rider Stefan Kung threatened to challenge Dumoulin’s lead as he was only one second slower at 4.8km but he crashed into the barriers and finished 16 seconds behind.

The 99th Giro continues in the Netherlands with two sprint stages before an early rest day and a transfer to Italy. The race ends in Turin on 29 May.

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Ivan Basso Gets All Clear

Two-time Giro d’Italia winner Ivan Basso, who withdrew from this year’s Tour de France after revealing he had testicular cancer, has been given the all-clear following treatment, his Tinkoff-Saxo team has said.

The 37-year-old Italian felt pain in his left testicle after crashing in the fifth stage of the Tour and tests later showed he had a small tumour. Basso had surgery in Milan.

“Fabulous news on @ivanbasso! 

Results from final controls show no need for extra treatment. The dark period that started at @letour is over,” Tinkoff-Saxo posted on Twitter.

Basso finished third and second overall in the 2004 and 2005 Tour de France but has won the Giro – his only grand tour titles – thanks to impressive climbing performances.

His career, however, was stained with a two-year ban for his implication in the Operation Puerto blood-doping scandal.

Basso admitted to “attempted doping” in 2007 and was hit by a backdated suspension. He won the Giro in 2010, less than two years after his comeback, to add to his 2006 success.

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Quintana Set for Giro d'Italia Title

Movistar rider Nairo Quintana is on the brink of Giro d'Italia victory after maintaining his lead over Rigoberto Uran on the penultimate stage.

The 24-year-old leads fellow Colombian Uran by three minutes seven seconds ahead of Sunday's race into Trieste.

Australia's Michael Rogers won stage 20, from Maniago to Monte Zoncolan, ahead of Italy's Franco Pellizotti.

Another Italian, Francesco Bongiorno, was challenging Rogers for victory until he was pushed by a spectator.

The Bardiani Valvole rider was on Rogers's wheel with three kilometres to go when a fan pushed him on the back, forcing him to take his left foot off the pedal.

Bongiorno recovered to finished the stage third, ahead of Ireland's Nicolas Roche.

He said: "I'm very bitter. On a climb like that, when you lose your balance, it's impossible."

Race leader Quintana kept close to Uran on the final ascent of Monte Zoncolan, a gruelling climb of more than 10.1km.

With the final stage relatively flat, he is all but guaranteed overall victory ahead of his compatriot, with Italian Fabio Aru set to finish third.

"It's 99% done," said Quintana. "I've achieved one of the big goals in my life."

Tinkoff-Saxo rider Rogers, meanwhile, said he was "proud" to win a second stage in this year's Giro.

The 34-year-old, cleared of a drug violation in April after eating contaminated meat, added: "It's been a dream of mine to win a mountain-top finish like that."

The Giro ends with a 172km flat route from Gemona del Friuli to Trieste.

Stage 20 result:

1. Michael Rogers (Aus/Tinkoff - Saxo) 4:41:55"

2. Franco Pellizotti (Ita/Androni Giocattoli) +37"

3. Francesco Bongiorno (Ita/Bardiani Valvole) +48"

4. Nicolas Roche (Ire/Tinkoff - Saxo) +1:34"

5. Brent Bookwalter (USA/BMC Racing) +1:36"

6. Robinson Chalapud (Col/Colombia) +1:46"

7. Georg Preidler (Aus/Giant) +1:54"

8. Maxime Monfort (Bel/Lotto) +2:13"

9. Dario Cataldo (Ita/Team Sky) +2:23"

10. Simon Geschke (Ger/Giant) +2:38"

General classification:

1. Nairo Quintana (Col/Movistar) 83:50:25"

2. Rigoberto Uran (Col/Omega Pharma - Quick-Step) +3:07"

3. Fabio Aru (Ita/Astana) +4:04"

4. Pierre Rolland (Fra/Europcar) +5:46"

5. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita/AG2R) +6:41"

6. Rafal Majka (Pol/Tinkoff - Saxo) +7:13"

7. Wilco Kelderman (Ned/Belkin) +11:09"

8. Cadel Evans (Aus/BMC Racing) +12:00"

9. Ryder Hesjedal (Can/Garmin) +13:35"

10. Robert Kiserlovski (Cro/Trek) +15:49

"

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Kennaugh Withdraws from Giro

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Peter Kennaugh has withdrawn from Team Sky's nine-man Giro d'Italia squad, leaving team-mate Ben Swift as the only British rider in the race.

Kennaugh claimed the first title of his career in March but has struggled to recover from an illness that also forced him out of Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

"I'm feeling better but I'm behind on where I wanted to be. The plan is to be competing in a few weeks," he said.

Chris Sutton has been drafted in for the race, which starts on Friday.

The Australian supported Chris Froome in the Tour de France champion's most recent triumph at the Tour de Romandie.

The three-week race begins with three stages in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland before heading to Italy.

Team Sky squad in full:

Dario Cataldo (Ita), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor), Philip Deignan (Ire), Bernhard Eisel (Aut), Sebastian Henao (Col), Chris Sutton (Aus), Salvatore Puccio (Ita), Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr), Ben Swift (GB).

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Sky Deignan in Giro Debut

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Philip Deignan will make his Grand Tour debut for Team Sky when the Giro d'Italia starts in Belfast next month.

Deignan, who joined Team Sky over the winter, was set back by a shoulder injury early in the season, but he is now ready for his first three-week race with the team and is part of a solid nine-man squad for the year's first Grand Tour.

The team also features Italian riders Dario Cataldo and Salvatore Puccio alongside Pete Kennaugh, Ben Swift, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Bernhard Eisel, Sebastian Henao and Kanstantsin Siutsou.

Australia star Richie Porte, who had been tabbed as the Giro team leader, was forced to withdraw from the race earlier this month after illness cost him precious preparation time - he will turn his attentions to supporting Chris Froome in his Tour de France repeat bid.

This year's race starts with three stages outside Italy, taking in Northern Ireland and Ireland and kicking off with a time trial in Belfast on Friday May 9.

The race will move on to Italy from May 13 with the last of the 21 stages in Trieste on June 1.

On confirming the line-up Team Principal, Sir Dave Brailsford, said: "The Giro d'Italia is a fantastic race and this year provides a great opportunity for the team to go out and really express themselves on the bike.

"We've brought together an exciting squad and we can't wait, not only for the start in Northern Ireland, but to perform in front of our Italian fans."

Deignan said: "As soon as I heard that the Giro d'Italia was starting in Northern Ireland it was a goal of mine to be there, and racing there with Team Sky is a real honour for me.

"We're going with a good balance of youth and experience; we're all looking forward to it. Growing up in County Donegal I never dreamt of riding a Grand Tour here in Ireland and this is my chance. I'm going to relish every minute of it racing in front of my friends and family."

And Cataldo added: "This will be my seventh appearance in the Giro d'Italia, so it is a race that has a place in my heart.

"The race has a great history in Italy and when I was growing up it was always a dream to ride in my home country.

"Without a doubt it was the race that inspired me to start riding a bike as a young boy, so for an Italian bike rider this is as good as it gets.

"We have a strong and exciting team going into the race and we're all looking forward to the challenge ahead. For me, going home to race is always a pleasure and I can't wait to get started."

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Millar Announces Retirement

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David Millar has announced he intends to retire at the end of the 2014 season.

The Scot, 36, has won four individual stages at the Tour de France during his career and has also won stages at the Vuelta a Espana and the Giro d'Italia.

In 2004, he was suspended for two years for taking a banned substance but has since become an anti-drugs campaigner.

Millar told the Dutch cycling magazine Wieler Revue he had "suddenly" realised his career was coming to an end.

He added: "I think my body is actually getting stronger, it is just that I don't want it or need it as much as I once did.

"I can still be on top of the game - I know that - but it is a lot harder for me now and I want to be on top of my game next year. With the motivation of knowing it is my last year, I know I can get the best out of myself."

Millar was handed his ban after being found guilty of taking erythropoietin (EPO) - a drug that controls red blood cell production.

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Giro First for Canadian Ryder Hesjedal

Ryder Hesjedal won the Giro d'Italia after overturning a deficit of 31 seconds on Joaquim Rodriguez in the concluding time-trial.

Hesjedal (Garmin) posted a time of 34 minutes 15 seconds on the 30-kilometre route around the streets of Milan and then had to wait and see what Rodriguez (Katusha), the last man on the course, could come up with.

The Spaniard had been behind at both intermediate time checks and stopped the clock at 35 minutes 02 seconds, giving Hesjedal - the first Canadian to win any of the Grand Tours - overall victory by a margin of 16 seconds.

Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil), a day after his mountain-top victory on the Stelvio, still had enough left in his legs to snatch third place on the podium from Michele Scarponi (Lampre), who dropped to fourth.

Team Sky's Geraint Thomas had set the early time-trial pace with an effort of 33 minutes 44 seconds but had to settle for second on the day after Marco Pinotti (BMC) trumped him by 39 seconds. Jesse Sergent (RadioShack) was third, a further 14 seconds behind.

Thomas' effort capped a successful Giro for the British-based team, with Colombian duo Rigoberto Uran (seventh) and Sergio Henao (ninth) both finishing in the GC top 10.

World champion Mark Cavendish also bagged three stage wins earlier in the race but had to settle for second in the red jersey points competition, which was won by Rodriguez.

De Gendt Wins Passo de Stelvio

Thomas De Gendt produced a career-defining ride to take victory on the highest mountain-top finish in Grand Tour history at the Giro d'Italia.

The Belgian (Vacansoleil-DCM) took the win on stage 20 at the Passo dello Stelvio and wrote his name into the history books with an epic ride, finishing 55 seconds ahead of his closest rival and vault up to fourth in the overall standings.

The 25-year-old was on the offensive all day, attacking first on the steep ramps of the Mortirolo before pushing onwards again on the lead-up to the 2,757-metre final climb.

Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) and Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel-Euskadi) were next home, unable to live with the accelerations of De Gendt.

Behind the leading contenders scrambled to cover off the threat up the road, Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) forced to push onwards after team-mate Christian Vande Velde had buried himself on the lower slopes of the Stelvio.

On the snow-lined roads Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) was the first to attack, the 2011 winner pushing onwards only to be overhauled by race-leader Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), who re-extended his lead after taking fourth.

The Spaniard's late surge also had dire consequences for Team Sky's Mark Cavendish, the Brit forced to relinquish the red points jersey by a single point to the climber.

With just the final Milan time trial remaining, Rodriguez holds a 31-second advantage over Hesjedal, who still sits in the box seat with his superior time trialling ability.

Scarponi clung onto the final step of the podium with De Gendt threatening just 27 seconds back heading into the 30-kilometre test.

Team Sky's Colombian pairing Rigoberto Uran and Sergio Henao battled hard on the stage to claim eighth and ninth on the line, the result dropping Uran out of the top five to seventh overall.

Earlier 17 riders went clear in the day's break on the Passo del Tonale, a significant move with the top four men on the GC all having riders in the break.

Oliver Zaugg (RadioShack-Nissan) and Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil-DCM) pushed on up the brutally steep slopes of the Mortirolo, with Carrara soon to be joined by team-mate De Gendt.

In a surprise move, Rodriguez put in a speculative attack, firing a warning shot to test the legs of his rivals, yet with 61km to go the Spaniard knocked off the move and resumed tempo.

Behind a gruppetto including Cavendish began to form heading out of Tirano at the foot of the Mortirolo after what had been a big effort to stay in up to that point.

Panic stations

Sitting eighth coming into the stage, De Gendt sprung clear alongside team-mate Matteo Carrara, eventually linking up with Cunego and Nieve to drive out a dangerous advantage.

Behind the favourites began to look at each other, the gap rolling out to around four minutes before order was temporarily restored, yet De Gendt kicked on again, taking a further minute to cement his insurmountable advantage.

After being pulled back from the break Vande Velde set about riding on the front in service of Hesjedal on the lower slopes of the Stelvio but the gap held steady.

The race will be decided on Sunday in a shoot-out between Rodriguez and Hesjedal with the winner taking home the maglia rosa in Milan.

Kreuziger Wins Giro Stage 19

Roman Kreuziger battled hard to claim victory on a brutally tough stage 19 at the Giro d'Italia after a brave attack.

The Czech rider bounced back from a significant time loss on Wednesday to attack on the penultimate Passo Lavaze climb, digging in to hold off his rivals on the steep ramps of the Alpe di Pampeago.

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) crossed the line second to further his claims to overall victory, putting 13 seconds into Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) who, third across the line, held on to the maglia rosa by just 17 seconds.

Despite a number of contenders knowing they had to distance Hesjedal ahead of the final stage time trial, it was the Canadian himself who went on the attack in the closing kilometres, forging clear alongside rival Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) on the toughest climbing test of the race thus far.

Just behind were Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Rigoberto Urán (Team Sky), Basso's squad again setting the pace for most of the day before the Italian was left to go it alone on the final climb.

Despite all featuring in the same picture in the final 200 metres the time gaps among the GC contenders saw Scarponi (+1:39) leapfrog Basso (+1:45) into third, while Urán (+3:21) bravely maintained his place in the top five.

It was no surprise to see riders strewn out across the 198-kilometre parcours, the first of two epic mountain tests which saw 17 riders go clear in the early going with most of the major teams represented.

The group built up a healthy advantage of 10 minutes over the third category Castelnuovo as the peloton set into a rhythm behind.

Best-placed man in the group at 12:25 down Sandy Casar (FDJ-BigMat) kicked on from his fellow escapees late on, dragging with him Stefano Pirazzi (Colnago-CSF) in a move which lasted until deep onto the final climb.

The favourites were content to keep their powder dry first time over the brutal Alpe di Pampeago, each clinging on as the peloton slowly decreased in size, with sixth-placed Benat Intxausti (Movistar) the most high-profile casualty on the day after slipping back early on.

Sensing his chance to strike Kreuziger headed up the road on the penultimate climb along with Dario Cataldo (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), while one by one the original group of escapees, including Team Sky's Juan Antonio Flecha, were dragged back.

With an elite group of favourites once again going toe-to-toe on the final ramps it was Scarponi who made the first to attempt to break clear with three short, sharp attacks.

Hesjedal weathered the storm before attacking himself after his Garmin-Barracuda squad had taken up the running at the foot of the climb, believing with each passing kilometre that he is able to win the Giro.

The race now moves on to a similarly brutal stage on Saturday which culminates in the highest ever Grand Tour mountain-top finish on the Passo dello Stelvio.

Guardini Giro Sprint Stuns Cavendish

Andrea Guardini stunned Mark Cavendish in a sprint finish at the end of the 18th stage of the Giro d'Italia in Vedelago.

Guardini came past the world champion in the closing 100 metres of the 139km run from San Vito Cadore to land another stage win for the Farnese-Vini team.

The first half of the stage was dominated by a break, but with points in the red jersey competition up for grabs, the group was pulled back to give Cavendish the chance to win the bonus sprint.

Another break developed, including previous stage winner Lars Bak, but hard riding on the front by a number of teams ensured the final flat stage of the race would end in a sprint.

Cavendish appeared to get a perfect leadout by Geraint Thomas, but as soon as the Welshman peeled off, Guardini struck and poached a lead the Manxman could not make up.

The duo then powered towards the line and it was the Italian who prevailed, with Cavendish taking second and Roberto Ferrari (Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela) in third.

"I knew I had good legs and wanted to anticipate when Cavendish was going to sprint - that's the only way to beat him," said Guardini afterwards.

"It's a big day for me and the team and I'm incredibly happy."

Cavendish had the consolation of extending his lead in the points classification to 29 points from Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha), with three stages remaining in the battle for the maglia rossa.

With the field finishing together, Rodríguez remains top of the overall standings, 30 seconds in front of Ryder Hesjedal and 1:22 ahead of Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale). Team Sky duo Rigoberto Urán and Sergio Henao are fifth and 10th respectively, with Urán retaining the young rider's jersey.

With the finish in Vedelago 929 metres below the start in San Vito di Cadore it was always going to be a fast stage - with an average speed of over 49km/h - and a four-man break of Manuele Boaro (Saxo Bank), Stef Clement (Rabobank), Pierpaolo De Negri (Farnese Vini) and Angelo Pagani (Colnago-CSF) got away early but were never allowed to open up a lead much over three minutes.

That was closed down in eyecatching fashion by Team Sky as the intermediate sprint point approached after 84km at Cesiomaggiore, reeling the break in with a kilometre remaining to tee up Cavendish for the maximum eight-point haul.

A second four-man break then went clear after that point, with Clement again featuring, this time along with Mickaël Delage (FDJ-BigMat), Olivier Kaisen (Lotto-Belisol) and Martijn Keizer (Vacansoleil-DCM).

But with Team Sky's Ian Stannard almost single-handedly driving the peloton, their advantage was capped at a minute and gradually brought back as the closing stages approached.

When it was all back together Stannard and Juan Antonio Flecha continued to drill it on the front before Saxo Bank moved en masse to take over the pacesetting in the closing 3km.

Bernhard Eisel and Thomas then took Cavendish well inside the flamme rouge before the all-out sprint for the line from 200 metres out.

A very different test awaits over the next two days with an epic double-header back in the mountains to sort out the general classification, starting with Friday's 198km trek from Treviso to Alpe di Pampeago/Val du Fiemme.