Lastras leads 226-km break
17 May 2013

Giro d'Italia (st. 13)

Movistar Team's road captain enters longest escape in this year's Giro; more than five-and-a-half hours at the front in search for victory, with Herrada and Intxausti also in the moves

With one day in the pink jersey and one stage victory already on the books, an ambitious Movistar Team keeps looking for more success in the 2013 Giro d’Italia. The longest stage in this year’s race -254km between Busseto and Cherasco- saw Pablo Lastras taking his turn. The telephone squad’s road captain was into the breakaway for five-and-a-half hours after jumping at 21km together with six other riders: Ermeti (AND), Boem (BAR), Bak (LTB), Hondo (RLT), Ludvigsson (ARG) and Andriato (VIN). Their maximum advantage of 13 minutes was shortened after crosswinds halfway through the stage made a nervous bunch pushing hard and getting closer to the attempt (only one minute’s gap with 50k remaining). Against the charge, Lastras -initially alongside Boem and Bak, then solo with 15k to go- digged until the very end and even kept the pace when a six-man counterattack including a combative José Herrada jumped from the bunch.

Herrada’s move was caught with 5k from the finish by a short bunch that did not leave any space for surprises, with Beñat Intxausti attacking into the last small climb of Norzole ahead of race leader Vincenzo Nibali (AST). Mark Cavendish would conquer his fourth sprint in this year’s Giro as the GC oversaw no changes, with Intxausti in 8th place before a demanding duo of mountain stages in the weekend -should the weather allow the routes to stay as proposed-. Saturday will bring the first round on stage fourteen: 168km from Cervere to the Jafferau summit in Bardonecchia, a hard, Cat-1 climb (6km, 10’5%) after the long Cat-2 Sestriere, more than 2,000 meters above sea level, with 43k to go.