He also woke up the champion of the 95th Giro d’Italia. With that honor comes a lot of attention, particularly from the Garmin-Barracuda rider’s native Canada, where he is the nation’s first grand tour winner. Hesjedal took a phone call from VeloNews on Monday, moments before he jumped on a plane to return to his European base in Spain.

VeloNews: How did you celebrate last night?
Ryder Hesjedal: We had a really nice dinner with the team and staff and some family and friends who came over from Canada in a nice family-style Italian restaurant. It was real cozy and nice. They had a big pink cake and some pink lobster. It was great.

VN: It’s obviously huge news in Canada, how many interviews have you done today?
RH: I’ve lost count. We did a ton of radio stuff this afternoon, when it was morning back in Canada. It’s on the front page of every newspaper back home. It’s pretty huge in Canada. It feels good.

VN: What was going through your mind on the start ramp yesterday in Milan?
RH: I knew I had to have the time of my life in order to win the Giro. I really wasn’t comfortable until I got out on the bike. Once I was on the course and I felt how good my legs were, I knew they were good. I just tried to stay focused and do my ride. I was ready for it. I was happy to be there and to go for it. I knew in the morning after pre-riding the course that my legs were good. That’s all I needed.

VN: What was the emotion once you crossed the line and realized you had just won the Giro?
RH: It’s pretty unreal and overwhelming. I thought I could look at the clock and even compute the time differences, but the effort was so intense, I couldn’t even see straight. People were explaining to me that I had done it. It was pretty crazy. It was a huge elation and relief when I had finished and I had won. It was a quest that took everyday, step-by-step. It’s hard to explain. It was almost surreal, like I was in a dream state when I was on the podium, getting the pink jersey and the trophy. It feels a little more real today. The dust has settled and I am the winner of the Giro d’Italia.

VN: Not many people counted you as a potential winner when the Giro started, but did you truly believe you could win?
RH: I was very confident. I was very believing in my abilities, based on what I have done the past few Tours. I was confident I was going to have a good ride. You never know how good the other rivals are going to be. I can understand why. I have never been on a grand tour podium before or even finished in the top five. But at the same time, you do not want to put limits on yourself. I was open-minded during the whole race. Maybe now a few people will think twice about me.

VN: How have you spent your first day as a Giro winner?
RH: I took it easy in the morning. I had breakfast with the team. I’ve been catching up with my friends and family who came over from Canada. I had a nice lunch in Milan and I’ve been doing media interviews all day. Pretty much just chilling out.

VN: Do you have to pinch yourself when you think that you’ve just won the Giro?
RH: It’s incredible. I respect the Giro. It’s as high as anything in the sport. This is a hard race. This is what it’s all about. This is as prestigious as anything you can do in the sport. I am proud of how my team rode and how I rode for three weeks. I am very happy.

VN: Is it confirmed you will ride the Tour de France?
RH: We’re going to sit down in a few days and decide. We’re just taking this all in right now. We will sit down in a few days and plan out the rest of the season. There are other important races, too, and we want to make a good plan and do a schedule that is most beneficial to the team as well as for me. But to tell the truth, I do not want to think about those things right now.

VN: So you’re heading back to Spain, what are you going to do when you get back to Girona?
RH: I am just going to chill out and relax.

1. Matthew Busche, Radioshack-Nissan
3. Benjamin King, Radioshack-Nissan
11. Timothy Duggan, Liquigas-Cannondale
12. Ted King, Liquigas-Cannondale
21. Thomas Danielson, Garmin-Barracuda
22. Tyler Farrar, Garmin-Barracuda
23. Alex Howes, Garmin-Barracuda
24. Thomas Peterson, Garmin-Barracuda
25. Jacob Rathe, Garmin-Barracuda
26. Andrew Talansky, Garmin-Barracuda
27. David Zabriskie, Garmin-Barracuda
31. Brent Bookwalter, BMC Racing
32. George Hincapie, BMC Racing
33. Tejay van Garderen, BMC Racing
43. Jeff Louder, UnitedHealthcare
44. Jason Mccartney, UnitedHealthcare
45. Bradley White, UnitedHealthcare
51. Alex Bowden, Team Type 1
53. Kiel Reijnen, Team Type 1
54. Joseph Rosskopf, Team Type 1
62. Jonathan Mccarty, Spidertech-C10
71. Jesse Anthony, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies
72. Andrew Bajadali, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies
73. Alexander Candelario, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies
74. Michael Creed, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies
76. Chad Haga, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies
77. Kenneth Hanson, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies
78. Jonathan Mumford, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies
79. Christopher Parrish, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies
80. Thomas Soladay, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies
81. Thomas Zirbel, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies
82. Scott Zwizanski, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies
91. Thomas Brown, Mountain Khakis-SmartStop
92. Jonathan Hamblen, Mountain Khakis-SmartStop
93. Travis Livermon, Mountain Khakis-SmartStop
94. Christopher Monteleone, Mountain Khakis-SmartStop
95. Jerome Townsend, Mountain Khakis-SmartStop
96. Benjamin Zawacki, Mountain Khakis-SmartStop
101. Matthew Cooke, Exergy
103. Sam Johnson, Exergy
104. Quinn Keogh, Exergy
105. Logan Loader-Mooney, Exergy
106. Conor Mullervy, Exergy
107. Kevin Mullervy, Exergy
108. Freddie Rodriguez, Exergy
109. Morgan Schmitt, Exergy
111. Nathaniel English, Kenda-5-hour Energy
112. Phillip Gaimon, Kenda-5-hour Energy
113. Andy Jacques-Maynes, Kenda-5-hour Energy
114. Roman Kilun, Kenda-5-hour Energy
115. Paul Mach, Kenda-5-hour Energy
116. Shawn Milne, Kenda-5-hour Energy
117. John Murphy, Kenda-5-hour Energy
118. James Stemper, Kenda-5-hour Energy
119. Robert Sweeting, Kenda-5-hour Energy
121. Menso De Jong, Jelly Belly-Kenda
122. Alexander Hagman, Jelly Belly-Kenda
123. Sergio Hernandez, Jelly Belly-Kenda
124. Charles Huff, Jelly Belly-Kenda
125. Sean Mazich, Jelly Belly-Kenda
126. Emerson Oronte, Jelly Belly-Kenda
127. Jeremy Powers, Jelly Belly-Kenda
131. James Driscoll, Jamis-Sutter Home
132. Carson Miller, Jamis-Sutter Home
133. Philip Mooney, Jamis-Sutter Home
134. Kyle Wamsley, Jamis-Sutter Home
135. Tyler Wren, Jamis-Sutter Home
141. Chad Beyer, Competitive Cyclist
142. Ian Burnett, Competitive Cyclist
143. Cole House, Competitive Cyclist
144. Maxim Jenkins, Competitive Cyclist
145. Nathan King, Competitive Cyclist
146. Michael Olheiser, Competitive Cyclist
147. Taylor Shelden, Competitive Cyclist
148. David Williams, Competitive Cyclist
152. Tyler Karnes, BMC/Hincapie
153. Parker Kyzer, BMC/Hincapie
154. Tyler Magner, BMC/Hincapie
155. Alder Martz, BMC/Hincapie
156. Andrew Meyer, BMC/Hincapie
157. Tanner Putt, BMC/Hincapie
158. Michael Stone, BMC/Hincapie
161. Andrew Baker, Bissell
164. Andrew Dahlheim, Bissell
165. Benjamin Jacques-Maynes, Bissell
166. Carter Jones, Bissell
167. Chase Pinkham, Bissell
168. Frank Pipp, Bissell
169. Eric Young, Bissell
171. Nathan Brown, Bontrager-Livestrong
181. Alister Ratcliff, Chipotle-First Solar
191. Adam Carr, Ekoi.com
201. Craig Lewis, Champion System ]]> http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/05/news/road/usa-cycling-2012-professional-national-championship-road-race-startlist_221567/feed 0 http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/05/news/canadas-cycling-greats-react-to-hesjedals-historic-giro-win_221549 http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/05/news/canadas-cycling-greats-react-to-hesjedals-historic-giro-win_221549#comments Mon, 28 May 2012 12:37:15 +0000 VeloNews.com http://velonews.competitor.com/?p=221549 DUNDAS, Ontario (VN) — When Ryder Hesjedal became the first Canadian to win the Giro d’Italia on Sunday, he sparked the interest of a nation. The country’s major media outlets picked up the news and the prime minister congratulated the Vancouver Island native.

But Before Hesjedal, there was Steve Bauer, whose fourth-place finish in the 1988 Tour de France stood for more than two decades as Canada’s top grand tour result.

“It’s an evolution of Canadian cycling, it’s an evolution of an athlete called Ryder Hesjedal… if you follow the sport and see what Ryder’s done, he’s been on the cusp of a huge performance,” Bauer said Sunday. “Chapeau, monumental performance, exceptional for him, for Canadian cycling, for Canadian sport.”

Bauer spoke to VeloNews at the Domestique-Café Cyclo Sportif, a coffee spot that is a hotbed of cycling culture in the Greater Toronto Area. Located in Dundas, Ontario, the Domestique is a frequent ride destination and hangout for cyclists of all skill levels and the space is filled with everything from press passes to historical race bikes to a Bauer yellow jersey. And great coffee of course.

Dundas is more than 2,500 miles from Vancouver Island, but on Sunday the shop was filled to capacity with folks who wanted to share a very special moment in cycling history. Fans rode, walked and drove from miles around to be part of the collective cheering of Hesjedal.

Olympian Sue Palmer-Komar arrived in her kit and watched much of the race with her helmet still on. Bauer made a point of being there and his presence drew the media outlets along, too. The cafe is a small place so it was quickly crowded and shortly after 10:30 a.m. local time the sound of cowbells and cheering was deafening as Hesjedal took to the start.

Palmer-Komar described Hesjedal as “the greatest athlete in Canada now,” and was firm in her opinion that he deserves to represent Canada at the Olympics.

Prior to the race, people were positive and confident in Hesjedal’s ability to win. Hesjedal himself said after the race that it wasn’t until around 5km to go that he really believed it would happen, but Bauer was more confident. The Spidertech-C10 boss thought Hesjedal could beat Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) by a minute. Mirek Mazur, who coached Olympic gold medalist Clara Hughes, amongst other top cyclists, was also confident, simply saying “sure!” when asked if Ryder could win.

No other rider has carried the Canadian torch in men’s cycling over the last decade better than Michael Barry (Sky). A four-time Giro finisher, Barry helped Paolo Salvodelli win the overall with Discovery Channel in 2005.

“Ryder’s performance is remarkable and it will place him with cycling’s great icon,” said Barry on email Sunday. “From the fan’s perspective, the race has been fantastic to watch and surely it will go down as one of the most exciting grand tours ever. His ride has inspired me and I hope the rest of Canada feels the same.”

If the mood at the Domestique Café was any indicator, Canada does indeed feel the same.

“In the 1980s and ‘90s, Steve Bauer’s results at the Tour and in the classics brought cycling in Canada into the spotlight,” said Barry. “Slowly, cycling is returning to the headlines and this Giro will hopefully only bring the sport more prominence.”

As for Bauer, he was clearly enjoying the atmosphere and the rise of a new star. When he launched the now-Pro Continental Spidertech squad, Bauer brought one of his yellow jerseys to the presentation as a reminder and to help set a clear objective: he wanted to develop talented cyclists capable of accomplishing what he did and more.

His smile on Sunday was huge. And Bauer was perhaps a little satisfied that finally there is another name to put up alongside his own. Passionate and patriotic, Bauer was the first to take off his cap when the national anthem played for Hesjedal’s victory. He knew better than anyone in the room how it feels to be on the stage at a grand tour in a moment like that.

“There’s almost an element of calm, ‘has this really happened?’” said Bauer. “I guess that’s the Canadian in us.”

The victory came on the back of the three Giro time trials, which balanced Joaquim Rodríguez’s (Katusha) early time bonuses and sharp final-kilometer attacks in Hesjedals’s (Garmin-Barracuda) favor. The Canadian took 47 seconds in the final TT, 14 seconds in the prologue, and his team took five seconds in the stage 4 team time trial. Without those 66 seconds, gained inch-by-inch in races against the clock, Hesjedal would have fallen to the Spaniard’s time bonuses and high-mountain attacks.

Position and equipment play a central role in time trials, and Hesjedal and the Garmin staff have been at work optimizing both since the lanky rider’s GC abilities were exposed in the 2010 Tour. Hesjedal’s time trial position has changed dramatically since that summer, resulting in lower drag figures and higher power output, according to Garmin’s director of sport science, Robby Ketchell.

“Being a really tall person like he is, tall and skinny, it’s hard to get aerodynamic,” Ketchell explained shortly before the 6’2”, 160-pound Hesjedal toed the start line in Milan. “We had to tweak things over time.”

Ketchell has played a key role in those tweaks, tackling the aerodynamic problems presented by a rider of Hesjedal’s stature. The two have spent hours in the wind tunnel and on the road with Ketchel’s BAT Box (basically a mobile drag calculator) over the past two years, making changes big and small to Hesjedal’s bike and position.

“The process evolved after the 2010 Tour de France, when we realized that he could do a good GC in a grand tour. We knew then that his time trial at the time was something he needed to focus on, so we set about optimizing his position,” Ketchell said.

In 2010, Hesjedal used a very wide arm stance, with his elbows situated almost directly in front of his knees and his head and neck hunched down in between them. The position was low, but not particularly narrow. Ketchell saw room for improvement.

In 2011, Hesjedal’s arm rests were raised and narrowed, bringing his elbows and hands closer together while also raising his arms a bit. Narrowing his frame decreased drag, even with the higher overall position. “Last year’s position was probably a mid-point between 2010 and now,” Ketchell explained. “We’ve just gradually gone to a more aero but also more relaxed position.”

Balanced against outright drag reduction is the need to maintain or improve power output. The fastest position in the wind tunnel won’t be the fastest on the road if the rider can’t produce the watts required.

Raising Hesjedal’s arm rests slightly allowed him to increase power output, while narrowing his arms didn’t decrease the watts produced. The result of the higher, narrower position was an improvement in both parts of the TT equation.

For this year, armrest height and width have remained the same, but Hesjedal has swapped to S-Bend bars to bring his hands up a bit higher. The Canadian is now more relaxed, more powerful, and more aerodynamic than ever.

“We’ve tried a lot of different things with the head and the shoulders but just found that when he’s relaxed he’s more efficient,” Ketchell continued. “He can produce a bit more power, and he’s more comfortable so he can focus on the effort.”

That effort, years of work on the part of both Hesjedal and the staff behind him, bore fruit on Sunday with the first-ever grand tour victory for Garmin, and Canada. But the optimization will only continue, now with an even more intimate awareness of the value of every second.

Editor’s Note: This story originally listed the 2012 Giro as the closest since 1948. The 1974 Giro was closer, with Eddy Merckx edging Gianbattista Baronchelli by 12 seconds.

Stage 3 results

• 1. Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, Team Specialized-lululemon, in 2:29:23
• 2. Leah Kirchmann, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies, at s.t.
• 3. Megan Guarnier, Team Tibco-To The Top, at s.t.
• 4. Inga Cilvinaite, Diadora-Pasta Zara, at s.t.
• 5. Claudia Hausler, GreenEdge-AIS, at s.t.
• 6. Jennifer Hohl, Faren Honda Team, at s.t.
• 7. Tiffany Cromwell, GreenEdge-AIS, at s.t.
• 8. Alison Powers, NOW And Novartis For MS, at s.t.
• 9. Maaike Polspoel, Topsport Vlaanderen-Ridley 2012, at s.t.
• 10. Flavia Oliveira, Forno D’asolo Colavita, at s.t.
• 11. Jasmin Glaesser, Canadian National Team, at s.t.
• 12. Julie Beveridge, Canadian National Team, at s.t.
• 13. Trixi Worrack, Team Specialized-lululemon, at s.t.
• 14. Shara Gillow, GreenEdge-AIS, at s.t.
• 15. Tayler Wiles, Exergy Twenty12, at s.t.
• 16. Tara Whitten, Team Tibco-To The Top, at s.t.
• 17. Denise Ramsden, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies, at s.t.
• 18. Kristin Mcgrath, Exergy Twenty12, at s.t.
• 19. Polona Batagelj, Diadora-Pasta Zara, at s.t.
• 20. Evelyn Stevens, Team Specialized-lululemon, at s.t.
• 21. Carmen Small, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies, at s.t.
• 22. Clara Hughes, Team Specialized-lululemon, at s.t.
• 23. Rachel Neylan, Abus Nutrixxion, at s.t.
• 24. Maria-Luisa Calle, ESPNw Pro Cycling, at s.t.
• 25. Amber Neben, Team Specialized-lululemon, at s.t.
• 26. Karol-Ann Canuel, Canadian National Team, at s.t.
• 27. Andrea Dvorak, Exergy Twenty12, at s.t.
• 28. Jacquelyn Crowell, Exergy Twenty12, at s.t.
• 29. Amanda Miller, Team Tibco-To The Top, at s.t.
• 30. Courteney Lowe, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies, at s.t.
• 31. Jade Wilcoxson, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies, at s.t.
• 32. Anne Samplonius, NOW And Novartis For MS, at s.t.
• 33. Lindsay Myers, Team Tibco-To The Top, at s.t.
• 34. Fabiana Luperini, Faren Honda Team, at s.t.
• 35. Elizabeth Newell, NOW And Novartis For MS, at s.t.
• 36. Rhae-christie Shaw, Exergy Twenty12, at 0:01:12
• 37. Gillian Carleton, Canadian National Team, at s.t.
• 38. Devon Gorry, NOW And Novartis For MS, at s.t.
• 39. Robin Farina, NOW And Novartis For MS, at s.t.
• 40. Emily Kachorek, Primal-mapmyride-Bh Bikes Pro Women’s Racing, at s.t.
• 41. Nicole Cooke, Faren Honda Team, at s.t.
• 42. Anna Sanders, Primal-mapmyride-Bh Bikes Pro Women’s Racing, at 0:01:16
• 43. Sari Saarelainen, Forno D’asolo Colavita, at s.t.
• 44. Alexis Rhodes, GreenEdge-AIS, at 0:01:19
• 45. Joelle Numainville, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies, at s.t.
• 46. Janel Holcomb, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies, at s.t.
• 47. Els Belmans, Topsport Vlaanderen-Ridley 2012, at 0:05:54
• 48. Lex Albrecht, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies, at 0:06:10
• 49. Hsun Huang Ho, Axman Team Taiwan, at 0:08:34
• 50. Alessandra D’ettorre, Diadora-Pasta Zara, at s.t.
• 51. Lauren Hall, Team Tibco-To The Top, at 0:08:37
• 52. Mary Zider, ESPNw Pro Cycling, at s.t.
• 53. Leah Guloien, ESPNw Pro Cycling, at s.t.
• 54. Jen Weinbrecht, Primal-mapmyride-Bh Bikes Pro Women’s Racing, at s.t.
• 55. Gerrike Schreurs, Sengers Ladies Cycling Team, at s.t.
• 56. Laura Brown, Canadian National Team, at s.t.
• 57. Amber Pierce, Diadora-Pasta Zara, at s.t.
• 58. Liza Racchetto, Forno D’asolo Colavita, at s.t.
• 59. Olivia Dillon, NOW And Novartis For MS, at s.t.
• 60. Marlen JÖhrend, Abus Nutrixxion, at s.t.
• 61. Kristen Lasasso, Primal-mapmyride-Bh Bikes Pro Women’s Racing, at 0:08:48
• 62. Alison Tetrick, Exergy Twenty12, at 0:09:14
• 63. Jolien D’hoore, Topsport Vlaanderen-Ridley 2012, at 0:12:29
• 64. Bianca Schnitzmeier Ana, Abus Nutrixxion, at s.t.
• 65. Ine Beyen, Topsport Vlaanderen-Ridley 2012, at s.t.
• 66. Theresa Cliff-ryan, Exergy Twenty12, at s.t.
• 67. Giorgia Bronzini, Diadora-Pasta Zara, at s.t.
• 68. Addyson Albershardt, NOW And Novartis For MS, at s.t.
• 69. Alisha Welsh, Primal-mapmyride-Bh Bikes Pro Women’s Racing, at s.t.

Amber Neben (Specialized) retained the overall lead with one stage remaining. Specialized-lululemon holds the top four places on the general classification with Neben, Teutenberg, Evelyn Stevens and Clara Hughes sitting first through fourth.

With 4520 feet of climbing on a course that took riders from Crouch to Idaho City, few teams expected the race to come down to a field sprint on this fourth day of racing.

“In a race like this, when I actually hurt myself for the 80 kilometers before, it’s not a given that a sprinter is still a sprinter. These are the times when I actually don’t have a jump anymore. I can still push it, but the mountains took a lot out of my legs,” said Teutenberg.

The 93km road race, which rolled along the South Fork Payette River for about 30km before hitting the base of the first climb, started fast, with a flurry of attacks animating it early. Courteney Lowe (Optum), Alexis Rhodes (GreenEdge-AIS) and Amanda Miller (Tibco) all tried to establish breaks, but with the Specialized squad monitoring the front, nothing stuck.

After Lauren Hall (Tibco) took the first and only intermediate sprint 20km into the race, the road gradually started heading upwards in a climb that would culminate with the first QOM, at 56km.  Despite a thin trickle of riders dropping off the back, the peloton stayed together for the most part until the group hit the final 13km of steep climbing before the first QOM. Here, a break of seven riders managed to sneak off the front: Janel Holcomb (Optum), Fabiana Luperini (Faren Honda), Trixi Worrack (Specialized), Tiffany Cromwell (GreenEdge), Rachel Neylan (ABUS Nutrixxion), Lindsay Myers (Tibco) and Kristin McGrath (Exergy Twenty12).

Sari Saarelainen (Forno D’Asolo-Colavita) bridged to the group, but shortly fell off again along with Neylan. The reduced break of six hovered about 35 seconds off the peloton, and was the first group of riders to cross the summit of the first climb. Luperini won the QOM, and finished the day in the Queen of the Mountains jersey.

But with NOW-Novartis for MS driving the pace at the front of the peloton, the bunch swallowed the break about 8 km from the second QOM. Despite another flurry of attacks initiated by Tayler Wiles (Exergy Twenty12) and Beth Newell (NOW) the group made it to the top intact, with Evelyn Stevens (Specialized) taking the second QOM. Teutenberg fell off the pace but was able to close the gap with the help of teammate Worrak to ultimately win the sprint.

“I was in agony for 80km, while the others just breathed through their noses. I had a rubber band — it got longer and it got shorter, it got longer and it got shorter, but it never snapped, so that was good,” said Teutenberg, who also kept the sprinter’s jersey.

Once the riders crested the last climb, they hit a downhill that would carry them the final 25km of the race to the finish. As the racers approached the finish, the Optum and Specialized leadout trains rolled into action. Navigating a sharp, slick turn 300 meters out, Teutenberg came around Kirchmann to take the win.

“It ended up being kind of a drag race. My team set me up great coming into the last kilometer, we had Janel (Holcomb) in the front and then I was on Carmen (Small’s wheel,” said Kirchmann. “It had just rained so the corners were really slippery, and the last corner was pretty sketchy. I managed to come out second on Carmen’s wheel and start sprinting from there.”

The jump would prove too early, however, and Teutenberg was able to close on the Kirchmann at the line.

Another notable ride came from Jasmin Glaesser (Canadian National Team), who took over the best young rider jersey from her teammate Gillian Carleton. Specialized will start tomorrow with Neben, Teutenberg, Stevens and Hughes sitting in the top four of the GC.

“We’re in a good position. We’re going to fight hard and we’re going to work together,” said Neben.

Monday’s final stage of the Exergy Tour returns to Boise for a 75km road race that Neben, Teutenberg and Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Exergy Twent12) all predicted would be the decisive stage of the race.

Cavendish gave everything, but could only muster 55th, well beyond the points, meaning he lost the points jersey to Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) by one point.

“I knew it wasn’t really a possibility for a top 15, but I might as well give it a try,” Cavendish said about his TT. “It’s disappointing, because we feel like we’ve done everything right for this jersey, but things were out of our control.”

Cavendish won three stages, but crashed twice in the first week, two incidents that cost him a chance to win the points jersey. On Saturday, Rodríguez crossed the line fourth atop the Passo dello Stelvio, earning just enough points to take the jersey, 139-138.

Unlike many sprinters, Cavendish stayed in the Giro all the way to Milan, in part to honor the rainbow and to chase the points jersey to go along with those he’s won in the Tour de France and Vuelta a España.

“They say what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger, but I think this Giro has pretty much killed me. I am dead. I am on my hands and knees,” Cavendish said. “The Giro is the hardest grand tour in the world. The Tour is different; it’s the racing that makes it hard. Here the mountains are diabolical. It kills you.”

Cavendish also defended himself against accusations that he takes pulls off team cars up the longer climbs. Four riders were kicked out of Saturday’s stage for taking pulls, but Cavendish pushed through each day to finish in the gruppetto to arrive at the finish line.

“Contrary to popular belief, I am one of the only riders who do not take pulls or get pushed,” he said. “The commissaires do everything they can to make things harder for us. They make barrages when it’s not necessary. I am spent, but I have enjoyed it. I love this race, I love this country.”

Cavendish said he will come back to the Giro someday to win the points jersey, but admitted he was disappointed to lose it by the narrowest of margins.

“Well, that’s life on the bike,” Cavendish said. “In a way, I am happy for Rodríguez, because it was tough for him to lose the pink jersey on the last day. At least he can stand on the podium with the red jersey.”

“We have two Italian teams out of 18 WorldTour teams, so this is the likelihood. The foreign teams have a greater chance. Before the start, Ivan Basso was confident, also Michele Scarponi, but they encountered strong rivals,” Acquarone said during a press conference. He met the press early Sunday in a courtroom on the second floor of the Giureconsulti, around the corner from the Piazza Duomo and the finish of the Giro d’Italia.

“I’d like if an Italian won out there to see the Italian fans get behind him, but as an organizer, we have to treat everyone the same,” he said. “Then, on a worldwide level, if we want to see the race recognized globally, then we need to accept these global champions.”

For the first time since 1995, the Giro enjoyed a podio straniero, or a podium of foreigners. Swiss Tony Rominger won 17 years ago ahead of Russian Evgeni Berzin and Latvian Piotr Ugrumov. Only two times has a rider from outside Eurasia won the race: 1987 with Ireland’s Stephen Roche and 1988 with American Andy Hampsten.

Canadian Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda), Spain’s Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha) and Belgian Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil-DCM) swept the podium today in the fourth closest Giro in history.

This year, American Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing) won the opening time trial and held the race lead for three days. Hesjedal – who is as international as they come, born in Canada with homes in Hawaii and in Spain – held the lead for five days. They helped the Giro reach a global audience, reaching out to the U.S., even as the weeklong Amgen Tour of California ran.

“The figures are positive,” Acquarone continued. “We broadcasted the Giro live around the world. EuroSport covered it live daily. For the first time, Australia saw it live via SBS television – the audience is growing.”

Journalist after journalist questioned Acquarone in his debut year. Those questions included how and why the Tour of California today attracts bigger names than an established race in its 95th year.

“The Tour of California is definitely growing, it has a lot of investment and it draws on the cycling industry,” said Acquarone. “We are aware it’s growing, even if it’s not in the WorldTour. We’ve already talked with the UCI, saying, these two important races shouldn’t be on the schedule at the same time. I know it’s hard for them because the calendar is already packed. If they can’t split them, we have to be so good that the best teams want to race in Italy because it’s worth their while.”

Several journalists grumbled, writers who’ve been covering the race for more than 30 years, about the lack of an Italian flavor in the 2012 edition. Their long faces didn’t seem to accept another year without a home winner — three of the last five Giros have been won by non-Italians. Some didn’t want to see so many foreign WorldTour teams at the start, at the expense of squads like Acqua & Sapone and De Rosa. One asked, “Why bring NetApp, Rabobank, RadioShack and others that failed to influence Italy’s big tour?”

“I’d like to do everything thing I can so that the WorldTour teams want to come here and want to do well. In this time, it’s like the European Cup, some teams don’t even go there to win, like the Italian teams,” said Acquarone. “We need to make the Giro a worthwhile investment for the teams.”

Yesterday on the Passo dello Stelvio, the Giro’s operations director, Mauro Vegni echoed Acquarone. He told VeloNews, “A Canadian winner would not be bad at all. To see his name engraved on the race trophy would give the race more of an international feel.”

The organizers may be searching for that feel, but not everyone is so keen.

Tears welled in Hesjedal’s eyes as his national anthem blasted over Milan’s central Duomo. For the first time in cycling history, a Canadian stood atop the winner’s podium of a grand tour and the ever-cool Hesjedal couldn’t hold back his emotions.

“With about 5km to go, I started to believe in it,” Hesjedal said. “It’s hard to describe. It’s a dream come true. It’s unbelievable. Since the first day I pulled on the pink jersey, I believed I had a chance for this race. I just kept focusing. I want to thank the team for believing me. This is the highlight of my career so far.”

Hesjedal erased a 31-second deficit to Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) 15km into Sunday’s 28.2km final time trial to take the virtual overall lead. He didn’t take any unnecessary risks from there and when Rodríguez crossed the line almost two minutes after the Canadian, Hesjedal officialy won the Giro by just 16 seconds, the fourth-smallest winning margin in Giro history.

Making history

The victory is historic on several levels. It’s the first grand tour victory for Canada (Steve Bauer’s fourth in the 1988 Tour de France was the best result until now) and it’s the first grand tour victory for the Slipstream franchise since it entered the elite peloton in 2008.

For Hesjedal, the win marks a long journey that began on the gravel roads of Vancouver Island in Canada’s British Columbia. After riding in the 2004 Olympic Games on fat tires, Hesjedal dedicated himself exclusively to the road in the second half of the season.

“When I stopped racing mountain bikes, I was just going into races where I could fit it. It wasn’t the easiest way to start, but I got a lot of good experience,” he said. “I did that first Giro (in 2005). That was my first grand tour. I took a lot out of that experience.”

After knocking around the peloton for a few years to gain experience, Hesjedal began to hit his stride after joining Garmin in 2008. His first grand tour stage win came the next year, during the 2009 Vuelta a España. Hesjedal followed that up with second at Amstel Gold Race and sixth overall at the Tour de France in 2010.

Last year, he was consistent over the entire season in a year without major highlights, but one that helped pave the way for his Giro win. When Garmin staff sat down with Hesjedal last fall to map out the 2012 season, they suggested that the Giro could be his chance to ride for GC.

With the support of the Garmin squad, Hesjedal rode confidently through the Giro, catching the Italians by surprise and then having the legs to pull on the pink jersey on Sunday, on the only day that counted.

“I knew I came to this Giro with good legs, but I never thought I was going to win,” Hesjedal said. “It just came together, and I couldn’t be more happy.”

The story of the 2012 Giro

Hesjedal’s Giro started off with a strong ride on a technical, 8.8km individual time trial to open the 95th edition in Denmark. The Canadian was better than each the Giro “big,” but no one was paying attention to him yet.

Garmin’s team time trial victory in stage 4 further bolstered Hesjedal’s GC position and he pulled on the pink jersey in stage 7, a day after Garmin botched the chase and left him 17 seconds short of the lead.

Hesjedal defended for two stages before he and Rodríguez began a bitter tug-of-war for the maglia rosa when the Spaniard sprinted to victory at the hilltop town of Assisi to win the stage and take a decisive 20-second time bonus that put him into pink by just seconds.

Time bonuses would play a key role throughout the race. Rodríguez took 28 seconds to Hesjedal on bonuses in the first half of the Giro, but officials removed them from the formula in the five decisive mountain stages.

Hesjedal took back the pink jersey at Cervinia with a thrilling, 3km attack, only to lose it the following day at Piani Resinelli above Lecco in a cold rain. He described that ride, a week ago Sunday, as his “bad day.”

“We started to believe that Ryder could win on that stage to Cervinia, not only for the way Ryder rode, but also how the other rivals were reacting,” said Garmin sport director Bingen Fernández. “We could see that Ryder was maintaining his gap to the others and even taking time. That changed everything.”

Rodríguez would carry pink all the way to Milan, but Hesjedal and Garmin rode superbly through the final decisive climbing stages in the Alps to put the world on notice that the winner of this Giro would not be an Italian.

Hesjedal attacked up Alpe di Pampeago on Friday on a day when many predicted he would be vulnerable. Some 24 hours later, Rodríguez attacked Hesjedal after sucking his wheel all the way up the Passo dello Stelvio. The difference into Milan was just 31 seconds and Hesjedal had just enough in the tank to take back the pink jersey on the only day that mattered.

Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil-DCM) was a wildcard that no one saw coming. The Belgian attacked over the Mortirolo and eventually pulled within two minutes of Hesjedal after winning Saturday’s stage up the Stelvio.

“You do not know what I was thinking about him yesterday,” Hesjedal joked about De Gendt. “It was very complicated yesterday because all the others put the weight of the race on me. It was my race to lose. I had to do the work and bring back that time. That makes my victory even sweeter. I knew he was a good climber, but also a good time trialist. I was nervous about him today.”

The Giro big

Hesjedal’s rivals were magnanimous in defeat. Ivan Basso, whose Liquigas-Cannondale team ground down the peloton but couldn’t shake Hesjedal, tipped his hat to the Canadian.

“Ryder and ‘Purito’ were the bravest two riders during this Giro. It is a well deserved podium,” Basso said. “I do not believe this will be my last Giro as a protagonist. Like I said yesterday, this Giro just didn’t go the way that I had hoped.”

The defeat was tough on Rodríguez, who bashed into a metal barrier on Sunday morning during his recon of the TT course, leaving him with a gash on his left shoulder.

Rodríguez took consolation by winning the red points jersey, just one point ahead of Mark Cavendish (Sky). The Spaniard tried to be philosophical in defeat in what was his first grand tour podium after five grand tour top-10 finishes over the past four years.

“We gave everything we could to win this Giro. The team worked great for me. I risked a lot in the time trial and I thought I did a pretty good time trial, but in the end, Ryder was simply a little stronger than me. I don’t think I made any particular error that cost me the Giro,” Rodríguez said. “I can only congratulate him. It was important to arrive to Milan in the pink jersey, but of course, it’s too bad to lose it by such a small margin.”

Garmin rode well throughout the Giro, winning the team time trial and putting Ramunas Navardauskas into pink for one day. Sprinter Tyler Farrar crashed out in the first week, but the team rallied around its Canadian leader.

When the race hit the decisive climbing stages in the second half of the Giro, Peter Stetina and Christian Vande Velde buried themselves to protect Hesjedal’s flanks in the most important moments. Both were essential to his victory and Hesjedal was quick to thank them.

“The team believed in me 100 percent and that gave me the confidence I needed,” Hesjedal said. “The guys, they were even more believing in me than myself at some points. They just gave everything. I know they’re extremely proud of me and I am of them. It’s going to be a good night tonight.”

Celebrating a first

Hesjedal is now the toast of Italy and the Giro saw its first non-Italian podium sweep since 1995.

Hesjedal’s father came to Italy in time to see his son ride up the Stelvio. His wife, Ashley, was the first to receive a kiss after Hesjedal secured overall victory.

Tonight the team will celebrate its first grand tour victory, with team manager Jonathan Vaughters flying into Italy, but keeping a low profile to not disrupt the team’s concentration in the final decisive moments.

Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper applauded Hesjedal after the finish.

“On behalf of all Canadians, I would like to congratulate Ryder Hesjedal for his amazing victory in the Giro d’Italia,” said Harper. “We thank Mr. Hesjedal for his defining moment in Canadian sport and wish him well in his upcoming races, including this year’s Tour de France.”

Hesjedal doesn’t want to think about the Tour de France, though he will be racing for Garmin with the weighted expectations of trying to become the first rider since Marco Pantani in 1998 to win the Giro and Tour in the same year.

That’s how fast things can change. Three weeks ago, few counted Hesjedal among the Giro favorites. Now people are asking him if he can win the Tour.

For the immediate future, Hesjedal is going to celebrate his historic victory with those who’ve been there for him since he began racing as a kid growing up in British Columbia.

“Maybe I will go shopping tomorrow and pick up some nice things,” Hesjedal joked.

Stage 21 results

• 1. Marco PINOTTI, BMC Racing, in 33:06
• 2. Geraint THOMAS, Sky, at :39
• 3. Jesse SERGENT, RadioShack-Nissan, at :53
• 4. Alex RASMUSSEN, Garmin-Barracuda, at 1:00
• 5. Thomas DE GENDT, Vacansoleil-DCM, at 1:01
• 6. Ryder HESJEDAL, Garmin-Barracuda, at 1:09
• 7. Gustav LARSSON, Vacansoleil-DCM, at 1:14
• 8. Maciej BODNAR, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 1:15
• 9. Svein TUFT, Orica-GreenEdge, at 1:22
• 10. Julien VERMOTE, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, at 1:23
• 11. Ian STANNARD, Sky, at 1:24
• 12. Michal KWIATKOWSKI, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, at 1:24
• 13. Dario CATALDO, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, at 1:25
• 14. Adriano MALORI, Lampre-ISD, at 1:28
• 15. Nelson Filipe SANTOS SIMOES OLIVEIRA, RadioShack-Nissan, at 1:30
• 16. Taylor PHINNEY, BMC Racing, at 1:31
• 17. Christian VANDEVELDE, Garmin-Barracuda, at 1:36
• 18. Mikhail IGNATYEV, Katusha, at 1:47
• 19. Jose Rodolfo SERPA PEREZ, Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela, at 1:49
• 20. Sébastien ROSSELER, Garmin-Barracuda, at 1:50
• 21. Fabio FELLINE, Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela, at 1:53
• 22. Michele SCARPONI, Lampre-ISD, at 1:54
• 23. Ramunas NAVARDAUSKAS, Garmin-Barracuda, at 1:54
• 24. Giacomo NIZZOLO, RadioShack-Nissan, at 1:54
• 25. Sandy CASAR, FDJ-Big Mat, at 1:55
• 26. Joaquin RODRIGUEZ OLIVER, Katusha, at 1:56
• 27. Matteo MONTAGUTI, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 2:01
• 28. Ivan BASSO, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 2:06
• 29. Sergio Luis HENAO MONTOYA, Sky, at 2:10
• 30. Tom Jelte SLAGTER, Rabobank, at 2:11
• 31. Juan Antonio FLECHA GIANNONI, Sky, at 2:11
• 32. Jack BAUER, Garmin-Barracuda, at 2:12
• 33. Gatis SMUKULIS, Katusha, at 2:12
• 34. Stef CLEMENT, Rabobank, at 2:13
• 35. Tanel KANGERT, Astana, at 2:13
• 36. Alessandro BALLAN, BMC Racing, at 2:17
• 37. Alexsandr DYACHENKO, Astana, at 2:19
• 38. Domenico POZZOVIVO, Colnago-CSF Bardiani, at 2:21
• 39. Lars Ytting BAK, Lotto-Belisol, at 2:21
• 40. Sergey LAGUTIN, Vacansoleil-DCM, at 2:25
• 41. Eros CAPECCHI, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 2:26
• 42. Grischa NIERMANN, Rabobank, at 2:26
• 43. Manuele BOARO, Saxo Bank, at 2:26
• 44. Fabio SABATINI, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 2:29
• 45. Benat INTXAUSTI ELORRIAGA, Movistar, at 2:30
• 46. Bartosz HUZARSKI, Team NetApp, at 2:31
• 47. Gianluca BRAMBILLA, Colnago-CSF Bardiani, at 2:32
• 48. Ben GASTAUER, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 2:33
• 49. Damiano CUNEGO, Lampre-ISD, at 2:37
• 50. Andrey AMADOR BAKKAZAKOVA, Movistar, at 2:42
• 51. Bart DE CLERCQ, Lotto-Belisol, at 2:43
• 52. Ben HERMANS, RadioShack-Nissan, at 2:45
• 53. Rigoberto URAN URAN, Sky, at 2:45
• 54. Evgeny PETROV, Astana, at 2:46
• 55. Mark CAVENDISH, Sky, at 2:46
• 56. Marzio BRUSEGHIN, Movistar, at 2:47
• 57. Martijn KEIZER, Vacansoleil-DCM, at 2:47
• 58. Alessandro DE MARCHI, Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela, at 2:49
• 59. Sacha MODOLO, Colnago-CSF Bardiani, at 2:54
• 60. Marco COLEDAN, Colnago-CSF Bardiani, at 2:56
• 61. Stefano PIRAZZI, Colnago-CSF Bardiani, at 2:57
• 62. Diego ULISSI, Lampre-ISD, at 2:58
• 63. Jan BARTA, Team NetApp, at 3:00
• 64. Branislau SAMOILAU, Movistar, at 3:00
• 65. Paolo TIRALONGO, Astana, at 3:01
• 66. Jussi VEIKKANEN, FDJ-Big Mat, at 3:02
• 67. Stefan DENIFL, Vacansoleil-DCM, at 3:04
• 68. Adam HANSEN, Lotto-Belisol, at 3:05
• 69. Geoffrey SOUPE, FDJ-Big Mat, at 3:07
• 70. Francis DE GREEF, Lotto-Belisol, at 3:07
• 71. Fumiyuki BEPPU, Orica-GreenEdge, at 3:08
• 72. Matteo CARRARA, Vacansoleil-DCM, at 3:12
• 73. Jon IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 3:13
• 74. Luke ROBERTS, Saxo Bank, at 3:15
• 75. Gregor GAZVODA, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 3:15
• 76. Thomas ROHREGGER, RadioShack-Nissan, at 3:17
• 77. Paolo LONGO BORGHINI, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 3:17
• 78. Aliaksandr KUSCHYNSKI, Katusha, at 3:18
• 79. Matthias BRANDLE, Team NetApp, at 3:23
• 80. Damiano CARUSO, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 3:25
• 81. Brian BULGAC, Lotto-Belisol, at 3:26
• 82. Valerio AGNOLI, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 3:29
• 83. Roman KREUZIGER, Astana, at 3:29
• 84. Daniel SCHORN, Team NetApp, at 3:30
• 85. Sylvester SZMYD, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 3:32
• 86. Francisco José VENTOSO ALBERDI, Movistar, at 3:32
• 87. Johann TSCHOPP, BMC Racing, at 3:33
• 88. Jonas Aaen JÖRGENSEN, Saxo Bank, at 3:36
• 89. Serge PAUWELS, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, at 3:37
• 90. Hubert DUPONT, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 3:37
• 91. Przemyslaw NIEMIEC, Lampre-ISD, at 3:39
• 92. Amets TXURRUKA, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 3:44
• 93. Michal GOLAS, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, at 3:45
• 94. Miguel MINGUEZ AYALA, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 3:45
• 95. Daniel MORENO FERNANDEZ, Katusha, at 3:45
• 96. Oliver ZAUGG, RadioShack-Nissan, at 3:46
• 97. Danilo WYSS, BMC Racing, at 3:48
• 98. Daniele RIGHI, Lampre-ISD, at 3:50
• 99. Volodymir GUSTOV, Saxo Bank, at 3:50
• 100. Mikel NIEVE ITURALDE, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 3:52
• 101. Francis MOUREY, FDJ-Big Mat, at 3:53
• 102. Pavel BRUTT, Katusha, at 3:54
• 103. Kevin SEELDRAEYERS, Astana, at 3:55
• 104. Juan Jose OROZ UGALDE, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 3:55
• 105. Enrico GASPAROTTO, Astana, at 3:58
• 106. Sonny COLBRELLI, Colnago-CSF Bardiani, at 3:58
• 107. Andreas SCHILLINGER, Team NetApp, at 4:00
• 108. Jan BAKELANTS, RadioShack-Nissan, at 4:01
• 109. Emanuele SELLA, Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela, at 4:02
• 110. Jens KEUKELEIRE, Orica-GreenEdge, at 4:04
• 111. Peter STETINA, Garmin-Barracuda, at 4:04
• 112. Lucas Sebastian HAEDO, Saxo Bank, at 4:05
• 113. Juan Manuel GARATE, Rabobank, at 4:08
• 114. John GADRET, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 4:09
• 115. Matteo RABOTTINI, Farnese Vini-Selle Italia, at 4:10
• 116. Alessandro SPEZIALETTI, Lampre-ISD, at 4:10
• 117. Gabriel RASCH, FDJ-Big Mat, at 4:10
• 118. Daniele PIETROPOLLI, Lampre-ISD, at 4:10
• 119. Olivier KAISEN, Lotto-Belisol, at 4:11
• 120. Angel VICIOSO ARCOS, Katusha, at 4:12
• 121. Sergio PARDILLA BELLON, Movistar, at 4:12
• 122. Oscar GATTO, Farnese Vini-Selle Italia, at 4:14
• 123. Roberto FERRARI, Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela, at 4:15
• 124. Jackson RODRIGUEZ, Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela, at 4:16
• 125. Simone PONZI, Astana, at 4:19
• 126. Nikolas MAES, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, at 4:20
• 127. Enrico BATTAGLIN, Colnago-CSF Bardiani, at 4:24
• 128. Matteo TOSATTO, Saxo Bank, at 4:26
• 129. Mickael DELAGE, FDJ-Big Mat, at 4:27
• 130. Pier Paolo DE NEGRI, Farnese Vini-Selle Italia, at 4:29
• 131. Guillaume BONNAFOND, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 4:34
• 132. Mathias FRANK, BMC Racing, at 4:35
• 133. Mirko SELVAGGI, Vacansoleil-DCM, at 4:37
• 134. Mauro SANTAMBROGIO, BMC Racing, at 4:38
• 135. Francesco FAILLI, Farnese Vini-Selle Italia, at 4:39
• 136. Andreas DIETZIKER, Team NetApp, at 4:42
• 137. Adrian SAEZ, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 4:42
• 138. Anders LUND, Saxo Bank, at 4:45
• 139. Victor CABEDO, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 4:46
• 140. Mathieu PERGET, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 4:50
• 141. Alberto LOSADA ALGUACIL, Katusha, at 4:51
• 142. Ivan SANTAROMITA, BMC Racing, at 4:52
• 143. Marco BANDIERA, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, at 4:53
• 144. Andrey ZEITS, Astana, at 5:03
• 145. José HERRADA LOPEZ, Movistar, at 5:07
• 146. Bernhard EISEL, Sky, at 5:11
• 147. Julien BERARD, Ag2r La Mondiale, at 5:14
• 148. Cristiano SALERNO, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 5:19
• 149. Pierre CAZAUX, Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 5:22
• 150. Christian MEIER, Orica-GreenEdge, at 5:24
• 151. Angelo PAGANI, Colnago-CSF Bardiani, at 5:26
• 152. Dennis VANENDERT, Lotto-Belisol, at 5:37
• 153. Alexander KRISTOFF, Katusha, at 5:42
• 154. Miguel Angel RUBIANO CHAVEZ, Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela, at 6:15
• 155. Luca MAZZANTI, Farnese Vini-Selle Italia, at 6:17
• 156. Cesare BENEDETTI, Team NetApp, at 6:30
• 157. Matteo BONO, Lampre-ISD, at 8:53

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) delivered a solid final-day effort, supplanting Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) atop the overall standings to become the first Canadian to win the Giro d’Italia.

“It was just an unreal experience from day one, with what we’ve been able to do, with the support of the team,” said Hesjedal. “I couldn’t have done it without them. I knew I was good when I came here. I just stayed focused and took advantage of the situation. I kept feeding off that support.”

A year after crashing out of the Giro, Pinotti finished in 33:06, 39 seconds ahead of Thomas and 53 seconds faster than Sergent.

“I am very happy with my ride today,” said Pinotti. “I was keeping this stage in mind. After the accident I had last year, I am content to get back to a good level. Maybe this result will help me gain a spot for the Olympic team.”

Rodríguez rolled down the start ramp in pink, but by the halfway point, the Spaniard had lost nearly all of his 31-second advantage. Up the road, Hesjedal drove across the downtown Milan roads, holding off Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) and Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil-DCM).

By the second intermediate checkpoint, 25 minutes into the stage, Rodriguez had ceded the virtual lead by 13 seconds to Hesjedal. The Canadian took risks, riding aggressively through the corners and appearing to nearly lose his bike on a number of occasions. He would hold on, however, and deliver the Giro win he targeted late in 2011.

“Up to the last bend I told myself anything could happen. I took every risk possible,” said Rodríguez. “I gave it my all. It was only at the finish that I knew I’d lost the Giro, and that makes it even harder.”

De Gendt, who shot up the GC on Saturday with his solo win atop the Passo dello Stelvio, moved ahead of Scarponi to finish third overall, behind Hesjedal and Rodríguez.

“Ryder was at 1:50, so I knew that winning was impossible,” said De Gendt. “I thought third place was possible, and maybe even second if Rodriguez had a very bad day. Third place is very good for me. I am very happy with this Giro.”

Ivan Basso, whose Liquigas-Cannondale team worked hard at the head of the peloton to set up the two-time champion, finished fifth overall.

This Giro has not happened as I hoped, like me and the team wanted. But it will not be my last Giro,” said Basso. “We have nothing we can blame. I declined and this is what explains the ranking. Next I will go to the Tour to help Vincenzo Nibali.”

This is the first time since 1995 that no Italian has finished on the final Giro podium.

Results >>

Editor’s Note: Keep your browser pointed to VeloNews.com for more from stage 21 of the Giro d’Italia. Agence France Presse contributed to this report.

Contradicting earlier reports, team officials said Rodríguez has a cut on his left shoulder, but did not crash in the mishap during a morning recon ride on the 28.2km individual time trial course in central Milan.

Katusha officials said Rodríguez is not seriously injured and will be able to hold his time trial position during the important final-day time trial. The official said Rodríguez also hit his left hip on the metal barrier while sweeping through the corner.

Rodríguez starts the final-day race against the clock nursing a 31-second lead to Ryder Hesjdal (Garmin-Barracuda).

Race officials, meanwhile, reduced the distance of the time trial by 1.8km due to road works. That shorter distance could become a factor if the differences come down to seconds.

The race motorcycle ahead of Phinney in the stage 21 time trial missed a turn on the course and led the American off-course. Phinney was forced to turn around and return to the course.

Phinney finished in 34:38, fading to ninth with 80 riders finished. It is impossible to know how Phinney would have finished without the incident.

“I don’t think it’s worth trying to estimate how much time I lost. At the end of the day, shit happens and I’ve just got to move on,” Phinney told VeloNews. “It’s pretty disappointing. I was pretty angry at the finish.”

Phinney had hoped to register another win after he took out the Giro’s prologue in Denmark and wore the maglia rosa for three days. The 21-year-old American also hoped to register a ride that would help his candidacy for a discretionary selection to the U.S. Olympic squad for the time trial.

His coach, Neal Henderson, summed up the Giro finale on Twitter:

Sport mirrors life… and life isn’t always fair.

Phinney’s father, Davis, was less reflective:

Bummed and angry to hear @taylorphinney was taken off course by lead moto in the TT and had to turn around. WTF @giroditalia!?! Inexcusable

Not in half a century has there been a stage in a major tour as dramatic and decisive as the 14th stage of the Tour of Italy on June 5.

Three factors contributed to the drama: an unseasonable day of continuous rain that turned to snow above 6,000 feet; the horrifically steep climb and descent of the 8,600-foot Gavia Pass (with long stretches of dirt road); and the wide-open state of the race. Just three minutes covered the first nine riders on overall time.

At the heart of this drama was a 26-year-old American named Andy Hampsten. He eventually placed second in the stage, seven seconds behind Erik Breukink. But more importantly, Hampsten ended the day clothed in the fabled maglia rosa, or pink jersey, as leader of the Giro.

What was it like to battle the worst conditions possible on a mountain pass that is regarded as the toughest in Italy — maybe in all of Europe? I visited Hampsten the next morning in his hotel room in Bormio. This was how he described the event, one that has already entered the legend of bike racing.

Velo-News: What did you know about the conditions on the Gavia Pass?
Hampsten: Coming down the first descent we were told that the Pass was open. I wouldn’t have been surprised — although very disappointed — if it had been closed. I was already cold coming down the first descent. I think everyone was. Although that was nothing — nothing — compared to the Gavia.

So I started to prepare myself for the conditions. Nobody told me it was snowing up there, but I was certain it was as bad as it was. And I’ve certainly never raced in anything like yesterday.

I even told Bob [Roll] to prepare himself for an absolute epic. He thought I meant that the climb was going to be so hard, but I wasn’t concerned about the climb. I was really looking forward to it, because I heard it was dirt and steep. We train on that [terrain] all the time on our beat rides [in Boulder]. Also, Massimo [Testa, the team doctor] has gone skiing here a lot, and he told me about the road. I was more concerned about the descent and the summit, because I knew it was fairly flat at the top. And I was certain the conditions were going to be bad.

V-N: Is that why you put Vaseline on before the stage? Whose idea was that?
Hampsten: That was Mike [Neel, the team director's] idea. It’s a big team joke — you’ve got to grease up. I had anti-cold cream and Vaseline everywhere on my body, even my face. I didn’t wear too many clothes. All I wore was a longsleeve polypropylene shirt and my wool jersey and a raincoat over that.

Coming down the first descent I decided I wasn’t going to get rid of too many clothes because it was going to be so cold. Also, we were very well prepared. Not only did Mike have extra clothes in his follow car, we also had Jim Ochowicz at the top with a musette for the descent.

I changed my mind again and I decided — even though I knew the descent was more important than the climb — I was going to get rid of all extra clothing. Bob took back my rain jacket, wool hat, and shoe covers. They gave me an extra rain jacket and rain hat, but I even threw those away on the climb. The only thing I kept that was warm was my neoprene gloves, because I knew that starting the climb I’d be fairly warm, but toward the top my hands would be too cold to put on my gloves. So I kept them on.

At the top, after Jim had given me the musette, I managed to get on a balaclava, a wool hat, and a plastic rain jacket. I lost a lot of time trying to put it all on and Breukink caught me. It was windy and I was pretty uncoordinated and clumsy. And it was hard riding. But [the extra clothes] absolutely saved me.

On the descent I was hoping to catch [Johan] Van der Velde and descend with him. But I didn’t even worry about that. I was going really hard on the climb, but the summit wasn’t my goal. I was just thinking, “Stay in control.” I tried to shut out everything and [I said to myself], try to put some clothes on and make it down the descent.

I think I’ve blocked out most of yesterday. Descending is a very vague image, because if I try to visualize it all I see are clouds anyways. It’s kind of sad, because I’ve almost blocked out the greatest ride of my career.

It was absolutely shocking what I did. I think if I ever ride or drive back up the Gavia Pass and realize how fast I went down it in those conditions, I’d scare myself silly.

V-N: Were you using your brakes much?
Hampsten: I was controlling my speed with the brakes, but I wasn’t really [using them much].

I was looking for road signs and marshals. Everything was fairly blurred together. I couldn’t see where the road was going to go until 100 or maybe 50 meters before me. I was looking for road signs. So every time it said tornante [turn], and every time it had a radical arrow, I would slow down.

My bike was working beautifully. I did have brakes. But really, I let the bike go, just led it, and really went on automatic. I didn’t have the vision to look for potholes, even though it was a gravel road with rocks all over.

I couldn’t look for potholes, rocks, or obstacles. I was only concentrating on figuring out what was a curve and what was a gentle bend. And I was only putting on the brakes if it was a curve.

It’s hard for me to say, but maybe I didn’t go that fast. But nothing passed me. It was really weird. For a while I thought I was on the wrong road because there were no lead vehicles. There was no frame of reference. Everything was stationary. There were no clues that there was a race as I was coming past.

I remember a Carrera support person with a pair of wheels on the gravel part of the descent in a parka. He was just walking up the road against the storm. It wasn’t a race anymore.

I was going by spectators with umbrellas just walking down the middle of the road. They didn’t know I was in the race. I was passing policemen on motorcycles going 10km/hr. I was just going — whoosh — past them.

V-N: What about VanderVelde?
Hampsten: He was with me for a while. I caught him just when the descent started, with Breukink. The three of us were together. Then Van der Velde disappeared. I think he pulled over. He had nothing on. It was insane.

I can remember being behind Breukink for maybe 500 meters at the beginning, even drafting with him. I was thinking, “this is great, maybe we can work together and put on some time.” But right away I wanted to get ahead of him.

I was pedaling as hard as I could just to get my legs moving. And after those 500 meters I forgot about him. I wasn’t really racing against him. I had this camaraderie with him, like “Is there someway we can help each other down?” But there wasn’t. It was every man for himself. And I didn’t want to fall prey to one of his mistakes. I’d rather take my own risks.

So, as fast as my bike wanted to go down the mountain, I let it go. I think I probably got a pretty good gap, because at 15km to go — I saw the sign — it was still terrible conditions, still snow everywhere. And somewhere before l0km it changed to rain, and then my vision was fine.

V-N: Did you have glasses on?
Hampsten: I had glasses, which really saved me. Whenever I dared —when the road wasn’t too bumpy — I’d wipe the crust of snow off. And then I’d have to pull them away from my face a bit so they wouldn’t fog up so much. The balaclava I had on caused the heat to rise.

I put clear lenses in. Once I thought maybe I shouldn’t wear them and I pulled them down. And the snow just sandblasted me. My glasses were fogged over on the side, which I couldn’t clean. They had grease from my gloves, which were greasy from my legs. There was a terrible film on them, so everything was a blur. But I could keep my eyes open.

V-N: Had you put shoe covers on again?
Hampsten: No, I took those off on the bottom of the climb. My feet were cold on the way up. And on the way down I remember on one of the hairpins in the snow on the paved road — before it turned to rain — I looked down at my legs. I couldn’t get a clear idea of what they were like. I knew they were going around, and that they stung a bit, which I knew was good. They weren’t totally numb. I made sure I kept spinning. But they were bright red and they had chunks of ice everywhere. Just that one glance terrified me. I’d never seen my body look like that and I refused to look down after that. I remember coming out of a hairpin — I couldn’t feel my feet at all — but I flipped my ankles as I was pumping my gears out of the comer just to make sure they weren’t locked shut. I really had no idea what had happened to my lower body.

And then on the fast downhill part I was pedaling as hard as I could, just with the fear that if I didn’t my legs would just lock up. I didn’t have a huge force. I tried to do my Roy Knickman imitation and tuck down the hill, and I think Breukink thought that out quicker than I did and passed me. I couldn’t respond at all when he came by. This was about 6km to go.

By now I’m beginning to snap out of it a bit, thinking, “Okay, I think you’re gonna make it. It’s raining, it’s not snowing.”

I was thinking the whole way down, for 25km, each kilometer it’s warmer. So get down there as soon as you can. And at this point I’m starting to think about the race. I’m starting to think, “Wow, I might actually win this race.” And it wasn’t until 6km to go that I thought that I was in a bike race instead of just trying to survive the most wretched thing I’d ever done.

And then I just [thought], “Goddamn, I want to win this race.” But that was just a momentary thought. I was just so, so happy that I’d survived it.

It’s not as if I could have gone any faster, or I thought I could have been any quicker. I’m just so proud of myself, as I am of everyone who finished, just to make it to the line.

V-N: Neel bad been blocked by Van der Velde’s team car. Were you conscious of the fact that be wasn’t there behind you for most of the descent?
Hampsten: I can’t imagine how any car could have [gone as fast as us]. For the more than 10km I was descending in the snow, I saw no vehicle. There’s no way I would have wanted a vehicle anywhere near me. If I could have truly seen the road I would have been terrified. And in a car, I should imagine, it was an awful descent.

But I was sorry for the spectators. It was amazing how many people were up there.

V-N: What happened in the last 6km? Did Breukink just take off?
Hampsten: Breukink went right past me. I never saw him, and I really didn’t look back except a couple of times. And I really didn’t see anything.

Then [race director Vincenzo] Torriani came out of somewhere in his car. And there were motorcycles. And it was, “Oh yeah, this is the Giro.” And then it started to look like the finish of a Giro stage, even though there was no helicopter. And it was fast, downhill.

Then I started checking what gear I was in, and comparing it to my speedometer to see if my legs were performing the way they usually do. Things were okay. My legs were really numb. They didn’t respond, but I could wind them up more and more. And even though they weren’t responding to what I was telling them to do, they were doing all right.

I had no snap at all to go with Breukink. He passed me at maybe 5km/hr faster than I was going. There was nothing I could do. But I just took a few breaths and made sure I didn’t crack. I just went as fast as I could a little ways behind him.

I was really happy in the final little uphill. I kept it in the big ring and maybe a 19 or so in the back. I was just happy that I could force my body to ride, happy that my body was functioning.

After the race I was just an emotional ruin. I remember I went up to the podium to try to do the TV interview and I just left. I couldn’t handle it. I went back to the car and hyperventilated — the car was nice and hot — and sat there. Emotionally I was on fire. I cried. I dried myself off a little bit and put on some more clothes. And after 10 minutes I was okay.

Stage 2 Results

• 1. Amber NEBEN, SLU, in 21:37
• 2. Evelyn STEVENS, SLU, at 15
• 3. Clara HUGHES, SLU, at 20
• 4. Shara GILLOW, GEW, at 29
• 5. Gillian CARLETON, CAN, at 31
• 6. Ina TEUTENBERG, SLU, at 34
• 7. Alison POWERS, at 37
• 8. Trixi WORRACK, SLU, at 42
• 9. Tara WHITTEN, TIB, at 45
• 10. Jasmin GLAESSER, CAN, at 58
• 11. Anne SAMPLONIUS, at 1:02
• 12. Rhae-Christie SHAW, EXG, at 1:03
• 13. Kristin MCGRATH, EXG, at 1:03
• 14. Jacquelyn CROWELL, EXG, at 1:09
• 15. Jade WILCOXSON, at 1:10
• 16. Tiffany CROMWELL, GEW, at 1:12
• 17. Carmen MCNELLIS SMALL, at 1:14
• 18. Alexis RHODES, GEW, at 1:17
• 19. Tayler WILES, EXG, at 1:20
• 20. Julie BEVERIDGE, CAN, at 1:33
• 21. Robin FARINA, at 1:33
• 22. Claudia HÄUSLER, GEW, at 1:36
• 23. Leah KIRCHMANN, at 1:37
• 24. Maria Luisa CALLE WILLIAMS, at 1:37
• 25. Laura BROWN, CAN, at 1:38
• 26. Megan GUARNIER, TIB, at 1:43
• 27. Emilia FAHLIN, SLU, at 1:46
• 28. Denise RAMSDEN, at 1:48
• 29. Olivia DILLON, at 1:49
• 30. Amanda MILLER, TIB, at 1:51
• 31. Theresa CLIFF-RYAN, EXG, at 1:55
• 32. Devon GORRY, at 1:55
• 33. Janel holcomb, at 1:59
• 34. Lauren HALL, TIB, at 2:00
• 35. Rachel NEYLAN, NXX, at 2:02
• 36. Joelle NUMAINVILLE, at 2:21
• 37. Stephanie ROORDA, CAN, at 2:22
• 38. Lex ALBRECHT, at 2:24
• 39. Kathryn BERTINE, at 2:25
• 40. Nicole COOKE, FHT, at 2:27
• 41. Elizabeth NEWELL, at 2:29
• 42. Andrea DVORAK, EXG, at 2:29
• 43. Sari SAARELAINEN, FCL, at 2:37
• 44. Loren ROWNEY, SLU, at 2:38
• 45. Emily KACHOREK, at 2:39
• 46. Ally STACHER, SLU, at 2:43
• 47. Christina SMITH, at 2:49
• 48. Moriah MACGREGOR, at 2:52
• 49. Addyson ALBERSHARDT, at 2:56
• 50. Jamie DINKINS, at 3:01
• 51. Courteney LOWE, at 3:08
• 52. Karol-Ann CANUEL, CAN, at 3:11
• 53. Jacqueline KURTH, at 3:13
• 54. Ana Bianca SCHNITZMEIER, NXX, at 3:15
• 55. Jennifer WEINBRECHT, at 3:20
• 56. Alison STARNES, EXG, at 3:21
• 57. Geerike SCHREURS, SLT, at 3:29
• 58. Jessie MACLEAN, GEW, at 3:34
• 59. Kathryn DONOVAN, at 3:34
• 60. Jennifer PURCELL, TIB, at 3:35
• 61. Rowena FRY, GEW, at 3:35
• 62. Rebecca WERNER, at 3:40
• 63. Polona BATAGELJ, DPZ, at 3:41
• 64. Liza RACHETTO, FCL, at 3:41
• 65. Inga CILVINAITE, DPZ, at 3:44
• 66. Leah GULOIEN, at 3:45
• 67. Kelly DRUYTS, VLL, at 3:49
• 68. Jolien D’HOORE, VLL, at 3:57
• 69. Whitney GAGGIOLI, FCL, at 4:01
• 70. Maaike POLSPOEL, VLL, at 4:01
• 71. Joanie CARON, at 4:08
• 72. Anna SANDERS, at 4:11
• 73. Els BELMANS, VLL, at 4:14
• 74. Kristen LASASSO, at 4:17
• 75. Chiara NADALUTTI, FHT, at 4:20
• 76. Fabiana LUPERINI, FHT, at 4:27
• 77. Giorgia BRONZINI, DPZ, at 4:30
• 78. Mary ZIDER, at 4:41
• 79. Lindsay MYERS, TIB, at 4:44
• 80. Amber PIERCE, DPZ, at 4:48
• 81. Jennifer HOHL, FHT, at 4:49
• 82. Flavia OLIVEIRA, FCL, at 4:52
• 83. Ine BEYEN, VLL, at 4:52
• 84. Alessandra D’ETTORRE, DPZ, at 4:58
• 85. Marlen JÖHREND, NXX, at 5:11
• 86. Alisha WELSH, at 5:14
• 87. Rochelle GILMORE, FHT, at 5:17
• 88. Mei Yu HSIAO, ATT, at 5:19
• 89. Ho Hsiung HUANG, ATT, at 5:25
• 90. Emma MACKIE, NXX, at 5:34
• 91. Jessica UEBELHART, FCL, at 5:45
• 92. Belinda GOSS, NXX, at 5:55
• 93. Celine VAN SEVEREN, SLT, at 6:04
• 94. Myfanwy GALLOWAY, FHT, at 6:28
• . Kimberly BUYL, SLT, at 6:45
• . Anouk ROCKX, SLT, at 7:01
• . Yu Hsuan LEE, ATT, at 7:33

Saturday’s epic day of racing, with climbs up the Mortirolo and the snow-bound Stelvio summit, didn’t tip the GC into anyone’s favor with Sunday’s final time trial left to play the Giro’s kingmaker and executioner.

Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) marked the wheel of Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) all the way up the legendary Stelvio switchbacks and pounced with less than one kilometer to go to earn 12 seconds and extend his grip on the maglia rosa to 31 seconds.

Add Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil-DMC) into the fray — who won the stage and bounced to fourth overall, at 2:18 back — and this Giro is still up for grabs.

“I hope it’s enough,” an exhausted Hesjedal said at the 2,700-meter summit of the snow-choked Stelvio climb. “Everyone seemed to be racing for me to lose today. The whole day, they stuck it to us. I was proud of how we rode.”

Garmin took control of Saturday’s epic battle over the Giro’s most famous climbs, putting Christian Vande Velde into an early breakaway that saw De Gendt surge to the stage victory. Vande Velde later waited in the valley after coming over the Mortirolo to help pace Hesjedal up the grueling, 24km Stelvio climb.

“The plan wasn’t to be in a break. I was just following the other teams. They were pushing the pace and I said, ‘OK, I will go with you.’ I ended up having three-and-half-minutes and I had to wait forever for them to come up,” Vande Velde told VeloNews. “It worked out great. I was able to help out on the Stelvio for 45 minutes to keep a constant tempo. De Gendt was surprising.”

The Belgian made an already complicated situation even more troublesome for Garmin. With the other teams refusing to set the pace, Garmin had to take control of the race. Vande Velde and Peter Stetina, who rode his heart out once again, helped Hesjedal keep De Gendt on a short leash.

De Gendt pulled more than five minutes clear with just 5km to go, putting Hesjedal and Rodríguez’s pink jersey into peril.

“They left all the responsibility on our doorstep,” Garmin sport director Charly Wegelius told VeloNews. “We had to balance the threat of an attack from Rodríguez, the threat from De Gendt. We were getting time checks at 5km to go and he was on the verge of taking the pink jersey. It was a little bit delicate and we had to leave it as late as we dared to eliminate De Gendt as a threat.”

The GC favorites were intent on putting Hesjedal under pressure. The Canadian looked solid all the way up the Mortirolo and then the Stelvio. Rodríguez could only manage to get away with 800 meters to go.

“Ryder did everything on the Stelvio,” Vande Velde continued. “He was obviously stronger. I don’t know what to say (of the other teams’ tactics). They knew they had to watch out for Ryder and they know he is going to take a lot of time out of him in the time trial.”

Just how much time can Hesjedal expect to take back on Rodríguez on Sunday? That’s the million-dollar question going into the final stage of the 2012 Giro.

“Normally, on paper, it’s not enough for ‘Purito’. When you look at 30km and 30 seconds, normally, that’s not enough,” Katusha sport director Valerio Piva told VeloNews. “Purito has the jersey. He is super-motivated. He is better in the time trial this year. Maybe Hesjedal can have a bad day. Anything is possible. Why not believe?”

Rodríguez says he can only give his best and hope for the best. Without Hesjedal, Rodríguez probably could have ridden into Milan with a comfortable lead on the cusp of his first grand tour victory. But despite attacking throughout the Giro, Rodríguez has been unable to shake the stubborn Canadian.

At 52kg to Hesjedal’s 70kg, Rodríguez knows he will likely be out-gunned on the flat, but sometimes technical urban course.

“I can only have faith and try my best,” Rodríguez said in a press conference. “I know Ryder is a better time trialist than me. Of course, I would like to have a bigger lead. I would like to have minutes! I can only hope that I can surprise some people. Riding with the pink jersey will only motivate me more.”

For Hesjedal to win, he needs to take back about one second per kilometer, something that is realistically within his reach, but certainly no guarantee (see Giro notebook for TT comparison between him and Rodríguez).

Garmin sport director Allan Peiper believes that Sunday’s finale is a fitting conclusion to what’s been a tightly fought, even Giro.

“Rodríguez is going to have the pink jersey on his back and he’s going to be highly motivated to ride above himself,” Peiper said. “And I think Ryder will be doing the same thing. It’s a second per kilometer to take back. After three weeks of racing, you never know how tiredness comes out. After the last couple of days, he could be as tired as (Laurent) Fignon in 1989.”

That classic Tour de France ended with Greg Lemond’s miracle finish in the smallest margin of victory in race history.

The 95th Giro should see an equally thrilling finale on Sunday. Who will play the role of Lemond and Fignon, however, remains to be seen.

Editor’s Note: This story originally referred to De Gendt as Dutch. He is Belgian, riding for the Dutch team, Vacansoleil-DCM.

• 1. David Zabriskie, Garmin-Barracuda, in 40:41.4
• 2. Tejay Van Garderen, BMC Racing Team, at 40:47.9
• 3. Brent Bookwalter, BMC Racing Team, at 41:08.1
• 4. Thomas Zirbel, Team Optum P/b Kelly Benefit Strategies, at 41:23.6
• 5. Nathaniel English, Kenda 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team, at 41:38.7
• 6. Timothy (Timmy) Duggan, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 41:57.4
• 7. James Stemper, Kenda 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team, at 42:06.7
• 8. Andrew Talansky, Garmin-Barracuda, at 42:11.5
• 9. Benjamin King, Radioshack-Nissan, at 42:33.0
• 10. Andy Jacques-Maynes, Kenda 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team, at 42:35.9
• 11. Michael Olheiser, Competitive Cyclist Racing Team, at 42:43.1
• 12. Scott Zwizanski, Team Optum P/b Kelly Benefit Strategies, at 42:45.8
• 13. Robert Sweeting, Kenda 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team, at 43:05.4
• 14. Matthew Busche, Radioshack-Nissan, at 43:11.8
• 15. David Williams, Competitive Cyclist Racing Team, at 43:20.4
• 16. Phillip Gaimon, Kenda 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team, at 43:27.3
• 17. K Frank Pipp, Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 43:33.4
• 18. Ian Burnett, Competitive Cyclist Racing Team, at 43:35.2
• 19. Taylor Shelden, Competitive Cyclist Racing Team, at 43:40.4
• 20. Joseph Rosskopf, Team Type 1 – Sanofi, at 43:42.4
• 21. Craig Lewis, Champion System Pro Cycling Team, at 43:48.9
• 22. Jonathan Mumford, Team Optum P/b Kelly Benefit Strategies, at 44:08.0
• 23. Carter Jones, Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 44:21.6
• 24. Paul Mach, Kenda 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team, at 44:44.2
• 25. Sean Mazich, Jelly Belly Cycling, at 44:55.9
• 26. Benjamin Jacques-Maynes, Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 44:59.2
• 27. Andrew Baker, Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 45:09.4
• 28. Nathan Brown, Bontrager Livestrong Team, at 45:29.7
• 29. Chase Pinkham, Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 45:41.6
• 30. Alister Ratcliff, Chipotle-First Solar Development Team, at 46:05.6
• 31. Nathan King, Competitive Cyclist Racing Team, at 46:29.4
• 32. Eric Young, Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 46:34.3
• 33. Tyler Karnes, BMC/Hincapie Sportswear Development Team, at 47:14.0
• 34. Menso De Jong, Jelly Belly Cycling, at 47:20.8
• 35. Andrew Dahlheim, Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 48:47.1