The great mountain was about to give birth to the classic little mouse when, two and a half kilometers from the finish line, a lunge by Ryder Hesjedal broke the truce in the group of the best and gave a small but significant shuffle to the standings with the Canadian, fourth at the finish with 26” on the big (or assumed) who took back the pink jersey left to Joaquin Rodriguez at the end of the Assisi fraction. Purito, just before Hesjedal's sprint, perhaps getting his timing wrong, had tried to surprise the others, but Scarponi had been good at immediately mending the rift.
In summary, this is the race of the best on the first day in the real mountains. If it hadn't been for the performance of Hesjedal, who now has a 9" lead over Rodriguez, we'd be here to talk about a stage run brilliantly only by a semi-unknown Costa Rican, Andrey Amador, who finished second last in the 2011 Tour by more than three hours late by the winner, Cadel Evans. Amador practically climbed Cervinia alone, being caught up towards the end by two other outsiders and then regulating them in the sprint, the Czech Jan Barta and the Italian De Marchi, who has a gap in the standings (that is, more than one hour and a half). For Costa Rica it is the first victory in the Giro. Hesjedal crossed the finish line at 26”. Fifth at 46” Tiralongo who preceded Rodriguez and a small group with Basso, Pozzovivo, John Gadret, Scarponi and Frank Schleck (appeared to recover after the amnesia of recent days).
The Matterhorn, almost as if it were a divinity offended by the wait-and-see tactics of the big names, had let itself be enveloped by black clouds full of rain so as not to see Basso and his companions ascending its roads without anyone ever attempting an extension. Hesjedal's flash, athletically important because he proposes the Canadian again among the possible winners of the Giro with more conviction, does not dispel the uncertainty that never reigns at the top of the standings as this year: Basso (always with slow carburetion but alert at all times) , Scarponi (ready to repel all moves except Hesjedal's final one) and Rodriguez (less bold than other days) are always there enclosed in a few seconds. The same can be said for Pozzovivo and the increasingly surprising Tiralongo who appears more reactive in Astana than his captain, Kreuziger, who arrived slightly behind his rivals today. Damiano Cunego also lost other precious seconds who on the last ramps of the Col de Joux had attempted a sortie that took on more substance in the descent to Chatillon. The winner of the 2004 Giro began the climb towards Cervinia with an advantage over the peloton of about a minute, so much so that with 20km to go he had virtually climbed up to third position 25” from wearing the pink jersey. Then, after being grabbed back, Cunego even lost the wheels of his rivals, even if the Lampre rider was satisfied with himself at the finish line: "Whoever pulled to come and get me certainly wasted energy for the next few days too".
Maybe for tomorrow, before the rest on Monday, when there will be another uphill finish at Pian dei Resinelli, above Lecco. The weather conditions speak of a Sunday of heavy rain in the North-West. What didn't happen in the shadow of the Matterhorn could happen at the foot of the Grigna. Meanwhile the mountains have advised some big names in the sprints to pack their bags prematurely. So at the start this morning in Cherasco, where the Giro paused for a minute's silence to remember the brutal attack in Brindisi, Mattew Goss (winner of Horsaens), Mark Renshaw (third in Sestri Levante) and the Argentinian Haedo. Lancaster also did not leave with them. Mark Cavendish remained in the running instead. Today in Cervinia Cannonball, the king of the sprints, suffered a lot but gritting his teeth he reached the finish line, he and Kristoff, another surviving sprinter, with the last group of stragglers 32'04” behind Amador, just to avoid run out of time.
