Deignan makes bid for stage win - 23rd Feb
Article from Irish Pro Cycling
Philip Deignan had a go at winning the queen stage of the Giro di Sardegna with a late attack on the finishing climb of Monte Ortobene only to be caught inside the closing four kilometres by a group containing stage winner Damiano Cunego.
The Radioshack rider was in attacking form as the peloton closed down an early five-man break inside the final 15 kilometres of the 198 kilometre mountainous stage from Porto Rotundo to Nuoro.
The group containing Mikhail Ignatiev (Katusha), David Boily (Spidertech powered by C10), Alessandro De Marchi (Androni Giocattoli), Elia Favilli (Farnese Vini Neri Sottoli) and Alessandro Malaguti (Ora Hotels Carrera) escaped after 10 kilometres of racing.
They built up a lead of 7 minutes over the next seventy kilometers but the challenge of the third category climb of Pattada and the second category climb of Nule saw their advantage slip to 3’15” before they shed Boily 158 kilometers into the stage.
Deignan was comfortable over both climbs and was well placed as the BMC Team of second placed Alessandro Ballan and the Colnago CSF Inox team worked together to reduce the gap to a handful of seconds heading onto the foothills of the first category Monte Ortobene.
De Marchi’s relentless determination to maintain his lead saw him pull away from his breakaway companions as the peloton was just about to swallow them up with the plucky Italian reopening a lead of 55 seconds heading into the final 10 kilometres.
The decision of the Liquigas-Cannondale team to take control of the chase for race leader Peter Sagan led to a serious injection of pace with the peloton quickly shedding over 40 riders as it started into the climb.
Stefano Pirazzi (Colnago CSF Inox) made an attempt to bridge to De Marchi and was lying between the Italian and the peloton when Deignan made his move to close the 40 seconds deficit with a strong attack off the front of the chase group.
The Donegal man reached Pirazzi within a kilometre but was given little room to maneouvre by the chasing group which had slimmed down to 30 riders at this point with Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas Cannondale) among the big names unable to handle the pace.
Deignan and other two front runners were caught with four kilometers to go before a select eleven man group containing his Radioshack teammate Ben Hermans, Sagan, Simone Stortoni (Colnago CSF Inox), Mauro Santambrogio (BMC Racing), Cunego and his Lampre ISD teammate Michele Scarponi moved to take command of the race.
Cunego proved strongest over the closing kilometre and celebrated the end of winning drought by seeing off Androni Giocattoli riders Jose Serpa Perez and Emanuele Sella to take the stage and to move into the race lead with a 2 second lead over Sagan.
Results:
Giro di Sardegna
Stage 2: Porto Rotondo – Nuoro (Monte Ortobene), 197. 5 kilometres
1. Damiano Cunego (Lampre ISD)
2. José Serpa Perez (Androni Giocattoli)
3. Emanuele Sella (Androni Giocattoli) at 02 seconds
4. Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale)
5. Ben Hermans (Team RadioShack)
6. Eros Capecchi (Liquigas-Cannondale)
7. Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) at 8 seconds
8. Robert Kiserlovski (Astana)
9. Pavel Brutt (Katusha)
10. Simone Stortoni (Colnago Csf Inox) at 14 seconds
Philip Deignan (Team Radioshack) TBC
General classification after stage 2:
1. Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD)
2. Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) at 2 seconds
3. José Serpa Perez (Androni Giocattoli) at 4 seconds
4. Emanuele Sella (Androni Giocattoli) at 8 seconds
5. Eros Capecchi (Liquigas-Cannondale) at 12 seconds
6. Ben Hermans (Team Radioshak)
7. Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) 18 seconds
8. Pavel Brutt (Katusha)
9. Robert Kiserlovski (Astana) at 23 seconds
10. Mauro Santambrogio (BMC Racing) at 28 seconds
Philip Deignan (Team Radioshack) TBC