Giro de Italia (st. 20)

Movistar Team fights to the final kilometers with Capecchi for a stage win in epic Tre Cime Lavaredo climb, marked by snow; Intxausti set to finish 8th overall

Protagonists of the Giro d’Italia from the first to the last day -and still with a chance tomorrow as Ventoso tackles the predictable sprint in Brescia-, Movistar Team left their impression and fought for the stage win in the penultimate stage, finishing atop the Tre Cime di Lavaredo -this year’s Cima Coppi (2,304 meters above sea level)-. After yesterday’s stage was cancelled due to weather, the riders were able to cover the 210km route proposed by the organisers -with all Costalunga, San Pellegrino and Giau scrapped from the parcours-, still keeping the Tre Croci (2ª) and Lavaredo, where the bunch faced a snow storm and temperatures below zero.

At the slopes of the mythical Dolomite climb, Movistar Team played its cards -Eros Capecchi, Intxausti and Herrada always inside the 30-man elite group- as the Italian went on the attack with 10k from the finish. Capecchi started overtaking riders in the final ascent and even went solo in the lead with 5 kilometers to go, in a supreme effort that did not find reward after the reaction from Vicenzo Nibali. The race’s big dominator showed his superiority in this Giro and left the Blue rider behind with 2km left to claim the stage win and confirm his triumph in the 2013 Corsa Rosa. In turn, Beñat Intxausti resisted again within the main GC riders and profited from the time loss by Santambrogio (VIN) to jump into 8th overall, the place he’ll end up in tomorrow -except for any major race incidents- at Brescia, his first top-ten finish in the Giro d’Italia after taking 10th in the 2012 Vuelta a España.