Giro d'Italia (st. 7)

Big action by the Spaniard from Movistar Team in his maiden Giro appearance, chased down by the GC favourites with 700m from the finish in Rocca di Cambio after leading most of the final climb

Just 24 hours after the unfortunate crash by Pablo Lastras -already with his teammates at Movistar Team’s hotel following a favourable scanner result this afternoon in the Ospedale Generale Provinciale di Macerata-, José Herrada has come on the edge of the telephone squad’s first victory in the 2012 Giro d’Italia during the climb to Rocca di Cambio, ending point of stage 7 after a 205-kilometer trek starting at Recanati. The Spaniard, riding his first-ever Corsa Rosa, jumped from the selected peloton of favourites with just over 13k from the finish in pursuit of a day’s break whose last survivor, Italy’s Matteo Rabottini (FAR), kept the pace from Herrada and also-Italian Stefano Pirazzi (COG) before dropping in the second part of the uphill, tackled by the duo with around 30 seconds over the group containing no less than six Blue riders.

With their advantage reduced to a handful of seconds in the last 1.5k, Herrada jumped in search for the victory but couldn’t contain the charge from the favourites, with Paolo Tiralongo (AST) profiting from his climbing skills to win in front of Michele Scarponi (LAM) -with Ryder Hesjedal (GRM), 5th at the finish, as new maglia rosa-. Beñat Intxausti completed a great finale for the Blues in 12th place, now sitting 51 seconds back on the race lead -Herrada, Visconti, Bruseghin, Amador and Pardilla also into the overall top 30- after the Italian grandtour’s first summit finish. The race will witness its seconds duel for the overall on Sunday: 229k from Sulmona to Lago Laceno, with the Colle Molella (Cat. 2) located 4km from the finish line.