[tab:Race report]
Cycling: The Australian team Orica-GreenEdge around the time trial specialists Luke Durbridge, Simon Clarke and Brett Lancaster lived up to its role as favorites today and won the team time trial at the start of this year's Giro from San Lorenzo al Mare to San Remo in an impressive manner. The team covered the 17,6km in just 19:27, 7 seconds faster than Tinkoff-Saxo and Alberto Contador in second place. Simon Gerrans is the first rider in pink.
The 98th Giro d'Italia started today with wonderful conditions on the Italian Riviera. The 17,6 km long team time trial seemed made for the already strong Australian team Orica-GreenEdge. Until the team around Gerrans, Matthews and co. but went out on track, Team Astana led for a long time with overall favorite Fabio Aru. The Kazakh team put in a surprisingly strong performance when the clock finally stopped at 19 minutes and 39 seconds. Many other, highly traded teams like BMC or Team Sky bit their teeth at the time.
But as soon as Orica-GreenEdge took the time, it was clear: the advance praise was justified. With an enormously disciplined team performance and strong individual drivers, the team clearly undercut the time of Astana in the end: It was a whole 12 seconds less at the finish in San Remo - impressive. But the penultimate team was Alberto Contador and Tinkoff Saxo and it got exciting again, even if it wasn't quite enough in the end: Tinkoff Saxo was a wafer-thin seven seconds behind the time of Orica-GreenEdge. Nevertheless, it is a very good start for top favorite Alberto Contador. Simon Gerrans is the first driver this year to take over the maglia rosa.
Things didn't go so well for the German team Giant-Alpecin with drivers Simon Geschke and Nikias Arndt. Even if the strengths of the team around sprint ace Luka Mezgec are certainly not in the time trial, a slightly better time than the 20:15 achieved was to be expected. With a deficit of 48 seconds on Orica-GreenEdge, it was only enough for a somewhat disappointing 17th place overall.
[tab:Results]
Final result team time trial Giro d'Italia 09.05.2015
[easy table th=“0″]
1.,Orica-GreenEdge,19:27
2.,Tinkoff Saxo,00:06
3rd, Team Astana, 00:12
4.,Etixx Quick Step,00:18
5.,Movistar,00:20
6.,IAM Cycling,00:24
7.,BMC,00:24
8.,FDJ,00:26
9.,Katusha,00:26
10.,Team Sky,00:26
12.,Trek Factory Racing,00:28
12.,Lotto-Soudal,00:28
13.,Lotto Jumbo,00:35
14.,Bardiani,00:37
15.,CCC-Sprandi,00:45
16.,ag2r,00:45
17th, Giant Alpecin, 00:49
18.,Southeast,00:52
19.,Cannondale-Garmin,00:53
20.,Nippo-Vini Fantini,00:57
21., Lampre-Merida, 00:59
22.,Androni,01:03
[/easy table]
Overall classification Giro d'Italia 2015, 09.05.
[easy table th=“0″]
1.,Simon Gerrans,
,Orica-GreenEdge,19:26
2. Michael Matthews,Orica GreenEdge,
3. Michael Hepburn,Orica GreenEdge,
4., Pieter Weening,
,Orica GreenEdge,
5. Simon Clarke,Orica GreenEdge,
6.,Johan Esteban Chaves Rubio,
,Orica GreenEdge,
7th, Manuele Boardo,
,Tinkoff Saxo,00:07
8. Roman Kreuziger
,Tinkoff Saxo,
9th,Michael Rodgers,,Tinkoff Saxo,
10. Alberto Contador
,Tinkoff Saxo,
[/easy table]
[tab:Preview]
Foreplay
The Giro d'Italia will start on May 9th, 2015 in San Lorenzo al Mare. Instead of a prologue or a normal day's ride, there is a team time trial. With a distance of 17,6 km, it runs from San Lorenzo al Mare to Sanremo along the sea. Will the drivers be able to enjoy the wonderful view? This is rather questionable. This will be a feast for the eyes of those watching the race, whether they are there or at home in front of the television screens.
The 22 teams, including the German World Tour Team Giant-Alpecin, will not be faced with any hilly tasks on the flat stage. But it is to be expected that the first stage of the 1 Giro will get down to business. After all, all teams want to show themselves right at the beginning of the Tour of Italy in order to lay the foundation for a possible later victory. Or simply to do really good advertising for their sponsors.
John Degenkolb would have been particularly happy about the destination of the 1st stage of the Giro d'Italia this year. The German from the Giant-Alpecin team won the cycling classic Milan - Sanremo a few weeks ago, but unfortunately will not be at the start of this year's Giro. But numerous other Germans, including André Greipel, Simon Geschke and Nikias Arndt.
TV and streaming
This year, Eurosport will broadcast live from every stage of the Giro. There is also a stream or two on the Internet.
TV broadcast
Saturday, May 09, 14:30 p.m. – 17.00:XNUMX p.m
internet stream
[tab:Map]
