The first mountain stage of this Giro D’Italia is a week
away but already some big gains have been struck in the race for the Maglia
Rosa following the first leg of the Giro’s Irish stretch.
The opening team time trial yesterday had looked innocuous
enough but nothing is ever simple in road racing and wet conditions made a
course with a couple of technical flashpoints absolutely treacherous, as Garmin
and Dan Martin found out to their cost so tragically as a slip of a front wheel
over a pothole saw Nathan Haas, André Cardoso, Koldo Fernández and Dan Martin
crash to the ground. The first three picked themselves up gingerly but Martin’s
broken collarbone robs him of a grand tour attempt and two stages in his home
country. Team manager Jonathan Vaughters summed things up perfectly; “Professional
bike racing is cruel.”
The overwhelming favourites beforehand, Orica Green-Edge
gave Svein Tuft a birthday present to remember by winning by 5 seconds but the
ramifications in the race for the Magalia Rosa came from BMC and Omega-Phama
Quickstep, who were separated by just two seconds in second and third but took
50 and 48 seconds out of race favourite Nairo Quintana and a further 28 seconds
out of Joaquim Rodriguez – Nicolas Roche and Rafal Majka also had good days, with
Saxo taking 33 seconds out of Quintana and more out of Rodriguez, who did not
their Giro challenge in the most ideal fashion. 
We stay in Belfast today for a long stage, which should end
up in a sprint finish given the flat nature of the stage, with a couple of
category 4’s climbs – the first coming after 126.9km on Cushendall Road – and
the second at Knockcullagh, close to the finish but not enough to eject anyone.
On paper the plan looks simple enough as you can see, but there are many
variables today. Firstly, the inclement weather that causes trouble for many
yesterday could well flare up again, and even were the roads to stay dry, the
placing of a a sharp 90° left hand turn with about 300 meters to go means the
fight for positions will be especially brutal, wet or dry – and before that the
exposed nature of the course to any winds is also a danger. If Marcel Kittel is
delivered first he should win but there’s any amount of variables and a real
team effort is the name of the game – and there may be better betting opportunities
tomorrow.
Advice
No bet
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