Giro d'Italia (st. 4)

Movistar Team continues huge performance in this year's Giro: Visconti 3rd in the day, back in 'maglia azzurra'; Intxausti into overall podium

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The Movistar Team continues with their fine performance in the beginning of the 2013 Giro d’Italia as they rubbed the victory on stage four, one of the longest in this year’s ‘Corsa Rosa’ over 246km between Policastro Bussentino and Serra San Bruno. The difficult finish, with the 10-kilometer, Cat. 2 climb of Croce Ferrata just 7k from the end, joined by relentless rain, let a group of only thirty riders ahead, always featuring Intxausti, Visconti and Karpets. It was Fran Ventoso who couldn’t keep the pace in the last slopes, the Spanish road champion having to take a serious effort after Lastras gave him a wheel following an ill-timed punctured in the beginning of the ascent -Dowsett had done to an unfortunate Herrada, who already had to put a foot on the ground after a crash that also affected Eros Capecchi, though with no physical consequences-.
 
At the final, 600-meter cobbled section to the finish line, youngster Enrico Battaglin (BAR) made his speed count against Fabio Felline (AND) and Giovanni Visconti, who overtook several riders in the closing meters and proved his great fitness, able to take points in all two categorized climbs of the day to retake the ‘maglia azzurra’ as king of the mountains. Also Intxausti went to the fore in the difficult finish and is now 3rd in the overall classification, after Bradley Wiggins (SKY) lost 17 seconds into a split that happened in the final kilometer. An easier stage should be the fifth in this year’s Giro, with no complications in the opening phase of the 203-kilometer route from Cosenza to Matera, yet with a Cat. 4 col and several slopes in the final 20k.
 
REACTION / Giovanni Visconti: “It’s sad, because when you know you’re fast and there’s a finish like today’s, you get furious by losing such an opportunity. I have went through a period of time where things didn’t go well, and it became hard to believe in myself and my chances, but this Giro start is making me start regaining that confidence. I made a mistake today by entering the cobbles in bad position, a bit scared due to the wet roads. When I found a way to progress in the finale, Paolini went in front of me and it was impossible to get back. The important thing is that I’m back in good shape, and I hope to keep it for as long as possible.”