Rohan Dennis set the time to beat of 40 minutes in the Stage 16 ITT, ultimately besting the former World TT champion Tony Martin and the current World Time Trial champion Tom Dumoulin in the 34.2km contest from Trento to Rovereto. Maglia rosa Simon Yates came in 1:37 down on Dennis and 1:15 down on Dumoulin, keeping his race lead at a comfortable 56 seconds with 5 stages to go.
First Giro Win for Dennis
Dennis gained significant time on his General Classification rivals to jump from 11th overall to sixth place after the 34.4km time trial, with five stages remaining.
As the 11th-to-last rider to roll down the ramp in Trento, Dennis was chasing the early best time set by Tony Martin of 40’14”, and quickly settled into his rhythm to set the best time at the first intermediate checkpoint by 13 seconds.
Dennis kept his composure and didn’t crack under the pressure to again set the best time at the second checkpoint, six seconds faster than Martin.
On the fast run into the finish in Rovereto, Dennis gave it everything he had until he crossed the line, 14 seconds faster than Martin to move into the hot seat.
“I’m really happy. I wanted to get a stage win here and I was hoping it would be in Israel,” Dennis said at the post-stage press conference. “It didn’t happen there but we were able to get the pink jersey. It’s great to be able to pay the team back for all the hard work they have done this week and get a stage win as well as move back up into the top ten. Most time trials are generally good for me but it is always good to get a Grand Tour stage win plus there’s a bit of a bonus today with coming back into the top ten. It’s a nice way to finish today.
“At the first time split, I knew I was up by around 15 seconds and then at the second it was six. And then for some reason, I thought he [Martin] did a 39’40” and I thought I had lost it but when I came towards the finish line and Marco Pinotti was in my ear screaming, I looked at the time and there was no time and normally that means you’re the quickest. I came across the line and they told me I was the fastest and I wasn’t going to argue. It was a good surprise.”
Yates Satisfied
The race leader, Simon Yates, said: “I’m really happy. I felt good in the first half. I had a good rhythm. I was trying to hold on to my position. But I died in the final 10 kilometres. Being in the lead after the time trial changes my tactics for the remaining stages. Unfortunately for the fans, I might be more defensive. I’d like to have a bigger gap but I’m very satisfied with where I stand now.”
“I thought I would lose a lot more, but I managed to hang on and I am really happy with that. I think after today it will change our tactics for the coming stages and I think, unfortunately for the fans we will have to be a lot more defensive.
“We’ll see how it plays out, there’s quite a big gap to some of the guys behind me now, Tom (Dumoulin) is only 56 seconds, but to the others it’s a good gap. There’s still a long way to go to Rome. I hope I don’t have any bad luck or bad days and I’ll see what I can do.”
The Numbers:
- First stage win at the Giro for Rohan Dennis and second individual success in a Grand Tour after the opening time trial of the 2015 Tour de France in Utrecht. This is his fourth victory this year after winning the Australian time-trial championship, stage 4 of the Abu Dhabi Tour and stage 7 of Tirreno-Adriatico (all ITT).
- This is the first Australian stage victory in the 101st Giro d’Italia. In 16 stages, riders from nine different countries have won: The Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Colombia, Ireland, Ecuador, Great Britain, Slovenia and Australia.
- The Giro is now the Grand Tour in which Australians have won the most: 31 stages (30 at the Tour de France, 11 at La Vuelta).
- 51.3km/h: this is the 14th fastest individual time trial in the entire history of the Giro d’Italia, the record being the prologue of Pescara (7.6km) won by Rik Verbrugghe at 58.874km/h in 2001.
- Second podium at the Giro for Tony Martin, 10 years after he was second in stage 21 to Milan in 2008.
Stage 16 Brief Results:
- Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing Team) at 40′ 00”
- Tony Martin (Katusha – Alpecin) at 14″
- Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) at 22”
- Jos van Emden (LottoNL-Jumbo) at 27”
- Chris Froome (Team Sky) at 35”
General Classification After Stage 16:
- Simon Yates (Mitchelton-SCOTT) at 66h 39′ 14″
- Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) at 56″
- Domenico Pozzovivo (Bahrain Merida) at 3’11”
- Chris Froome (Team Sky) at 3’50”
- Thibaut Pinot (Groupama – FDJ) at 4’19”
Jerseys:
- Maglia Rosa (pink), general classification leader, sponsored by Enel – Simon Yates (Mitchelton – Scott)
- Maglia Ciclamino (cyclamen), sprinter classification leader, sponsored by Segafredo – Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors)
- Maglia Azzurra (blue), King of the Mountains classification leader, sponsored by Banca Mediolanum – Simon Yates (Mitchelton – Scott)
- Maglia Bianca (white), young rider general classification leader, sponsored by Eurospin – Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana Pro Team)
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