Watch the highlights of Day 1 here
A strong team performance in tough conditions saw NOMAN take the lead after Stage 1 of the Trois Etapes Giro, held on Saturday [7th June 2014].
Stage 1 saw the riders take on the Passo Pordoi – a 2,339m high mountain, with the gradient starting as soon as the teams ride out from the event HQ. It marked a brutal start to the inaugural Trois Etapes Giro, and became a serious challenge for all from the first pedal stroke. After topping out, the riders took in a long descent down to the town of Moena, before heading skywards for the second timed climb of the day: the Passo San Pellegrino.
The sun shined all day, with temperatures reaching the high twenties; making team work, hydration and nutrition incredibly important.
The second climb, the San Pellegrino, was a difficult and testing ascent that whilst dwarfed in comparison to the Pordoi earlier in the day for length, more than made up for it with steep sections that left riders begging for the descent. An almost uninterrupted 20km descent followed – a welcome relief for riders – before the final short rise along a plateau before dropping sharply down to the town of Caprile de Alleghe and the night’s stopover.
It’s a great start for Team NOMAN, who will have to work hard to defend a lead going into Stage 2. Tomorrow’s stage includes two tough timed mountain climbs, Passo Giau and Passo Falzarego. Weather conditions are also expected to be very hot and challenging.
STAGE 1 BRIEF RESULTS:
NOMAN 02:05:20.350 – 14 pts dZi Foundation 02:08:34.013 – 12 pts Kids Company 02:17:13.250 – 10 pts World Bicycle Relief 02:40:18.487 – 4 pts