RYDER WINS GIRO!! Team Garmin scores first Grand Tour victory
From the folks at VeloNews: Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) delivered a solid final-day effort, supplanting Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) atop the overall standings to become the first Canadian to win the Giro d’Italia.
“It was just an unreal experience from day one, with what we’ve been able to do, with the support of the team,” said Hesjedal. “I couldn’t have done it without them. I knew I was good when I came here. I just stayed focused and took advantage of the situation. I kept feeding off that support.”
Rodríguez rolled down the start ramp in pink, but by the halfway point, the Spaniard had lost nearly all of his 31-second advantage. Up the road, Hesjedal drove across the downtown Milan roads, holding off Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) and Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil-DCM).
By the second intermediate checkpoint, 25 minutes into the stage, Rodriguez had ceded the virtual lead by 13 seconds to Hesjedal. The Canadian took risks, riding aggressively through the corners and appearing to nearly lose his bike on a number of occasions. He would hold on, however, and deliver the Giro win he targeted late in 2011.
Here's a quick recap from CyclingNews: Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) became the first Canadian rider to win a Grand Tour when he finished 47 seconds ahead of overnight leader Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) to claim the Giro d'Italia title by a mere 16 seconds. Hesjedal finished sixth in the 28.2km test in Milan, which was won by Marco Pinotti (BMC Racing). Hesjedal cleared all but two seconds of his 31-second deficit on Rodríguez by the first time check and continued to gain time on the Spaniard. Apart from a couple of dicey moments as his bike slipped as he went through two tight corners, Hesjedal was always on course to achieve his goal, although Rodríguez finished strongly and did not lose as much team as many had expected.
The post RYDER WINS GIRO!! Team Garmin scores first Grand Tour victory appeared first on Garmin Blog.
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