Reigning champion Tom Dumoulin laid down a marker to main rival Chris Froome by winning the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia on Friday. Dutchman Dumoulin edged out Australian Rohan Dennis by just two seconds in the 9.7-kilometre time-trial around Jerusalem.
Froome Struggles After Pre-Race Crash
Chris Froome, on the hunt for the 2018 Giro overall, struggled today following a crash in morning training, finishing 21st and losing 37 seconds.
He was already well down in around 50th place at the intermediate time check just over five kilometres into the stage.
Although he improved over the second half, he even finished behind slight climbers such as fellow Briton Simon Yates (seventh at 20sec), Italian Domenico Pozzovivo (10th at 27sec) and Frenchman Thibaut Pinot (33sec off the winner).
Normally, Froome would have expected to gain significant time on those three.
Dumoulin Reclaims the Maglia Rosa:
Defending champion Tom Dumoulin (NED) of Team Sunweb finished his race against the clock in a time of 12 minutes and two seconds. His efforts also mean that he wears the first Maglia Rosa of the 2018 edition of the race.
Dumoulin said: “It’s been quite a cool few days in Israel and today tops it off with the win. I knew that I felt good but you have to see how things go during the race. We’ve worked really hard over the last few months, so I’m really happy with the win because it confirms that all of the work has paid off. The course was really good for me; it was really technical and I’m good on the corners. I could go full gas, then recover, then go full gas and recover again. It’s nice to be in the Maglia Rosa but it will be hard to keep it for three weeks. We aren’t planning on defending it every day so we will see what we do with that in the coming days.”
Team Sunweb coach Marc Reef (NED) added: “We had a really good preparation period and the atmosphere in the team is really good, relaxed and focused which helped us to get the win today. The course here in Jerusalem was quite difficult; they were hard parcours which were constantly up and down with really warm temperatures. Technically Tom did a really good TT and in the end, whilst some guys had problems keeping the pace high, he could continue strong. We are all very happy and proud of this victory.”
Rohan Dennis Narrowly Misses Top Step
Rohan Dennis came nail-bitingly close to securing the maglia rosa on day one of the Giro d’Italia in Israel, crossing the line with just two seconds behind Dumoulin. Dennis chose to start the 9.7km time trial early and was the 42nd rider to roll down the TAG Heuer start ramp to begin the undulating course in Jerusalem.
With one intermediate checkpoint coming after 5.1km, Dennis made his intentions clear and recorded the fastest provisional time of 6’21” at the checkpoint, before laying everything on the line in the second part of the time trial to cross the line in 12’04”.
Dennis then had a long wait in the hot seat as rider after rider tackled the demanding and technical course, and it was only 2017 Giro d’Italia winner Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb), the last rider to start, who could beat Dennis’ time by stopping the clock in 12’02”, two seconds faster.
“It was a technical course. It was hard to get a rhythm and it was challenging,” Dennis said after the stage. “I would have liked the roads to be a bit smoother but you can’t have everything. I did everything I could and the only way I can judge how I rode is my position at the end of the day. I was pretty relaxed until the last half an hour of the race. I knew Tom was going to be the big rival today and he proved that by taking the win. There were a few other riders that I was surprised about. There was nothing I could have done better today. I was just beaten by the better guy.”
Euro TT Champion Victor Campenaerts Rounds Out Podium
The European time trial champion set the third best time in today’s opening stage.
When Victor left the start ramp at about half past three, Rohan Dennis had already been sitting in the hot seat for a while. The Australian time trial champion had ridden his time trial early in the afternoon. He had covered the course of 9.7 kilometres through the centre of Jerusalem in 12’04”. At the finish, Campenaerts was only a few hundredths of seconds slower than Dennis.
Victor Campenaerts: “Of course I am disappointed after coming so close to victory, especially because the pink jersey was at stake today. That I finished third in the end, makes it a bit more bearable. This result proves that my pink dream was realistic, although I knew beforehand that it wouldn’t be easy. I have earned my place among the time trial specialists.”
“In a time trial like today it all depends on details. In the last downhill part, I felt I couldn’t reach my maximum speed anymore. That’s something every time trialist thinks after a race. But two seconds isn’t a detail, the difference of a few hundredths of seconds with Dennis is.”
“In the next hours my disappointment will disappear, I’m sure. I can be proud of all my efforts of the past months to prepare myself for this day. It ended with a nice third place. The team has put its faith in me and I got the perfect preparation. I am very grateful to the team. The Giro is still long. The time trial on the sixteenth stage should suit me, but of course I had preferred to win today. But congratulations to Tom Dumoulin.”
Maximilian Schachmann dons Giro d’Italia white jersey
Max Schachmann enjoyed a perfect start to his Giro d’Italia campaign, after stopping the clock in 12:23 on the 9.7km-long course in Jerusalem.
The last Quick-Step Floors rider to leave the start house, the Volta a Catalunya stage winner clocked the best time at the only checkpoint on the route, before arriving at the finish exhausted after leaving everything on the road and slotting into eighth place, some 20 seconds down on stage winner Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb). For the two-time U23 World ITT Championships runner-up, it was a result that at the end of the day landed him the first white jersey of this edition, for the best young rider in the race.
An elated Schachmann shared his thoughts after writing a small piece of history at the prestigious Corsa Rosa, where he became the first German to lead this classification since it was created, back in 1976.
“I knew that I had a good chance to take the jersey, but I can’t say I was expecting this, I was just hoping to move into it at the end of the stage. Last month I went to an altitude training camp before riding the Ardennes Classics, and after a short period of rest I came here with good legs and confidence. The course was up and down, very hard for the first day of a race. After passing through the intermediate, Davide Bramati told me I was the fastest there. At that moment, I was already beginning to feel tired, but I pushed myself and ignored the pain. It’s always tricky to find the right balance between riding on the limit and not going over it, but I think I managed well the situation.”
“It will be difficult, because this is the Giro – one of the toughest races in the world – but I will try to defend this jersey for as long as possible. Having it from the first day of the race it’s such a great honour and makes me very proud. To be on the podium after the first stage of my maiden Grand Tour is an incredible achievement, especially as my foot injury in the 2017 Tour de Pologne kept me out of action until the start of this season. I can say this is a nice reward for all the hard work of last winter, when I kept believing I can return to my best”, concluded the 24-year-old Quick-Step Floors rider.
Ron is the chief cook and bottlewasher at Bike World News, doing everything from website design to bike reviews.
Websites:
Bike World News
Ron’s Bike Garage
Current Bike Quiver:
Bird Bikes Zero 29 29″ hardtail mountain bike
Commencal Absolut 26″ Dirt Jump/Pump Track bike
Commencal Tempo 29″ full suspension mountain bike
Felt ZA 700c race bike
Kona Kilauea vintage 26″ mountain bike
Niner RLT9 700c road/gravel bike
Specialized Stumpjumper vintage 26″ mountain bike
Day Job: Digital Marketing
Night Job: Digital Marketing, eCommerce Consultant, Web Consultant, Bike Shop Operator, Husband, Dad, Tenor