Late inclusion Vincenzo Nibali showed he is a serious Giro d’Italia contender with a classy win in Saturday’s 14th stage as Spain’s David Arroyo grabbed the overall lead.
Italian Nibali, called up after Franco Pellizotti was withdrawn from Liquigas’s team because of a doping probe, displayed skill and courage to pull away on a long downhill section toward the end of the 205km trek.
He then confidently maintained a comfortable advantage over team captain Ivan Basso, Michele Scarponi and Australia’s world champion Cadel Evans in the last part of the stage from Ferrara in Emilia-Romagna to the Veneto town of Asolo.
“It’s a beautiful day,” Nibali, who led for three stages earlier in the race, told Rai television. “I didn’t think I was going to make it because I had a long way [to defend the lead]. I had to pull off a beastly effort.”
It was Italy’s third consecutive victory after Manuel Belletti prevailed on Friday and Filippo Pozzato gave the hosts their first non-team stage win in this year’s race on Thursday.
It lifts Nibali to eighth overall, six minutes and 51 seconds behind new pink-jersey wearer Arroyo of the Caisse D’Epargne team, who moved 39 seconds clear of former leader Richie Porte.
Saxo Bank’s Australian surprise package Porte had been in front since Wednesday, when the overall standings were sent haywire after many of the top riders’ teams baldy miscalculated their ability to reel in a break by a group of less fancied riders.
“I’m super happy,” said Arroyo, who finished almost two-and-a-half minutes off the stage winner’s pace. “Today’s result is just reward for the team’s effort.”
Yesterday’s hotly awaited challenge was an even more punishing, a 222km mountain stage starting at Mestre near Venice with an uphill finish on Monte Zoncolan.
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