Stage 17 of the Giro d’Italia should finally hand the breakaway specialists their moment…probably. The 201-km route from Cassano d’Adda to Andalo opens with nearly 55 flat kilometres before turning into a relentless day of rolling roads, short climbs and energy-sapping valley sections.
It’s an awkward stage for the lads going for the overall. It’s not really the kind of terrain where the GC riders can blow the race apart, but the uphill finish into Andalo could still punish anyone whose legs are tenderized after Tuesday’s brutal mountain test. With Visma-Lease a Bike firmly in control of the race and bigger Alpine stages still to come, few teams are expected to chase. Most likely Jonas Vingegaard et al. will be keen to let some riders up the road and control the pack. But cycling is cycling and anything can happen.
If the Dutch team decides to let an escape go? That leaves the door wide open for attackers. At this point in a stage race, with the GC more or less settled (in terms of who is going for it, and who isn’t) it’s common to see the same 20 or so riders try and get clear. A rider like Giulio Ciccone could definitely go for it again. He’s hungry for a win.
What about Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, Que.’s Nick Zukowsky? The Pinarello 36.5 rider has been super aggressive making all kinds of moves. The only tiny little problem is he crashed in the weird headbutt thing crash in Milan. Thankfully, the former national champion had a day off on Monday to recover. Even better, despite him being a bit beat up, nothing was broken and he was good to continue. Tuesday wasn’t exactly a fun day, but he still rolled in safe and sound in 72nd. If he’s feeling good, maybe Wednesday could be another ZukeDay ™ ?
Other GC outsiders may also try to sneak up the road and gain time. Another Canadian that did well (I mean, there are only two in the Giro) was Ciccone’s team leader, Lidl-Trek’s Derek Gee-West.
The national champion continues to claw back time after his early crash. He had a great TT, and on Tuesday finished right in the thick of the podium battle, in fifth. He now sits sixth overall, and there are plenty of tough stages left. In fact, pretty much everything until the final stage in Rome is going to be leg-breaking.
Action begins on Flobikes.com at 6:40 a.m. EDT. Canadian Cycling Magazine will also have a report and analysis after the fun is done! And don’t forget, the women will be starting their Giro soon too, with eight Canadians racing!