Sanz’s most consistent month
14 May 2015

Bayern-Rundfahrt (st. 2) / Giro (st. 6)

Spaniard comes 3rd behind Degenkolb (TGA), Bouhanni (COF) on stage two of Bayern-Rundfahrt, scores third podium finish in 27 days. Lobato takes 14th in Giro stage five after long sprint, leading with 150m left

Even though the coveted second pro victory keeps hiding to Enrique Sanz (Movistar Team), the 25-year-old keeps fighting for it into the Bayern-Rundfahrt, whose two stages ridden to date have finished with bunch sprints.

The Orkoien-based rider, well supported by the Movistar Team riders from the start -with Sütterlin, who took a three-second bonus into the final intermediate sprint, and Capecchi, with another two seconds, pushing later on at Selb’s closing circuit-, hobnobbed again within great references as only John Degenkolb (TGA), the new race leader, and Nacer Bouhanni (COF) were able to beat the Navarran.

Sanz (+10") and Sütterlin (+11") are now within the top 15 overall as Saturday’s ITT in Hassfurt (26km) will be preceeded tomorrow by a series of short climbs (almost 2km at 3’5% average) ending another long stage in Ebern (206km).

Giro: Chaos in finishing straight as Lobato makes courageous attempt

Southbound in the coast of Tuscany, the 2015 Giro d'Italia covered its easiest stage to date… until the finishing straight. A long lens from a spectator next to the barriers at the end of day six in Castiglione della Pescaia (186km) caused a series of crashes, avoided by the Movistar Team riders yet making many others fall down, including race leader Contador (TCS) and most notably Italian Daniele Colli (NIP).

The second real sprint finish in this year's 'Corsa Rosa' was the testing ground for Juanjo Lobato, who started the final kilometer from a rear position to complete a fabulous comeback to the front into the final 200 meters. However, no more energy was left on the Trebujena-born rider's legs, having to stay content with 14th place behind day's victor André Greipel (LTS).

Tomorrow's stage seven, the longest in recent editions of the Giro with 264km towards Fiuggi -where Ventoso won in 2011-, will favour the Andalusian with its final slopes. The GC stays the same as 24 hours ago, with Giovanni Visconti in seventh place (+56") while Andrey Amador sits in tenth (+1'18").

Results: Bayern-Rundfahrt | Giro d'Italia

Picture ©: René Vigneron / Bayern-Rundfahrt