Hesjedal will try to become the first rider to win back-to-back Giro titles since Spain’s Miguel Indurain in 1992 and 1993 when the iconic race begins Saturday in Naples, Italy.

Hesjedal was considered a strong rider heading into last year’s 95th running of the race — he was fifth at the 2010 Tour de France — but he was still an outsider in a field of top European racers that included two-time winner Ivan Basso and defending champion Michele Scarponi.

Undaunted, the Victoria native stayed in the mix with consistent performances in each stage and took the pink jersey on the race’s final day, becoming the first Canadian to win a Grand Tour event and the second non-European to win the Giro.

Hesjedal won’t be flying under the radar this year, and the likes of 2012 Tour de France winner and Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins and Italian favourite Vincenzo Nibali will be gunning for him. But Hesjedal has been buoyed by his preparation for the gruelling 21-stage race, which finishes in Brescia in May 26.

“I have that confidence, and I’m relaxed in the sense that I’ve already won the Giro,” Hesjedal said Thursday in a phone interview from Naples. “I was able to accomplish that last year, so that’s a big thing and these achievements don’t come easy or often so I’m glad I’m here again to try and do it again but I’m probably the most relaxed I’ve been in my career.”

Hesjedal was instrumental in helping his Garmin-Sharp teammate Daniel Martin win the Volta a Catalunya in Spain and the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race in Belgium leading up to the Giro. He showed some aggression in Belgium, making a solo breakaway with about 15 kilometres to go and ultimately finishing eighth.

“I feel stronger than last year,” said Hesjedal. “I’ve done the hard work and gone through the moments where there’s no guarantees. I said a long time ago it’s one thing to win the Giro, but to go back there again to try again is a different story.”

Hesjedal said he’s glad he made it through the tune-up races unscathed.

“It’s a fairly intense program leading into the race, so it’s no small feat to get through without bad luck or injury or all the things that can happen in bike racing,” he said.

Hesjedal has no problem challenging other competitors and won awards for his aggressive riding three times in 2010. He claimed the most combative rider awards at single-day races in Montreal and Quebec City as well as the combativity award in the fourth stage of the Tour de France.

He said he will bring that measured aggression to the 2013 Giro.

“You have to force the race at different times and take your chances when you think you can make an impression,” he said. “You can’t win a three-week race unless you’ve been in front of everyone at some point, so you need to be aggressive when you think it’s time and take your chances. That’s part of trying to win the race.”

Hesjedal will have a solid team behind him as he tries to win back-to-back titles. Christian Vande Velde and Tom Danielson, both Tour de France top-10 finishers, join Peter Stetina, Ramunas Navardauskas, David Millar, Robbie Hunter, Thomas Dekker and Nathan Haas as members of a team built around Hesjedal.

“Every team in the race has to work toward propelling one person as hard as possible. You can’t do it by yourself,” Hesjedal said. “There are guys on the team that I’ll be racing with that I’ve been with for six years on this program. Those bonds and the things that you’ve gone through, I mean you can’t just replicate that kind of stuff. I know the team is 100 per cent supporting me and that’s a huge compliment.”

Hesjedal said he’s seen cycling gain momentum worldwide on both a competitive and recreational level, particularly with people in large cities realizing the environmental and health benefits of biking to work or while running errands.

He said the momentum can be seen in Canada, where a multi-stage race sanctioned by cycling’s governing body will debut this year. The six-day Tour of Alberta will start Sept. 3 in Edmonton and finish in Calgary.

“I was the first Canadian to win a Grand Tour and a race as historic and prestigious as the Giro d’Italia … I mean I would be excited if I was a younger person and saw that,” he said. “I know I was always motivated by people I saw competing on the world stage from my country.”

“It’s a great time for the sport,” Hesjedal added. “I think Canadian cycling is by far at the highest level it’s ever been so it’s great to be a part of it.”

16:45ET 02-05-13

Enrico Battaglin (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox) burst from the pack to take his maiden Giro victory ahead of Fabio Felline (Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela) and Giovanni Visconti (Movistar).

Like yesterday’s stage, two late climbs – combined this time with wet roads and poor visibility – helped shatter the leading bunch. A late attack from the ‘Killer’, Danilo Di Luca (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia), and Robinson Chalapud (Colombia) 7km from home was shut down only 300 metres from the finish.

The Katusha team of yesterday’s stage winner and race leader Luca Paolini brought their man home comfortably in tenth place in the leading group to preserve his overall lead and the points jersey. One of today’s losers was Giro favourite Bradley Wiggins (Sky), who was caught behind a three-man crash, lost 17 seconds and dropped from second to sixth in the GC.

VeloVoices rider of the day

Today’s pick is stage winner Enrico Battaglin, a 23-year-old second year pro with small-budget Pro Continental wild-card outfit Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox. He burst out of the bunch in the gloaming in his sherbet-lime outfit to take the biggest win of his nascent career. He was one of the few sprinters to make it over the two climbs and hang with the leading group. Of course, he’ll be hoping that his career follows a similar trajectory to that of his namesake Giovanni Battaglin, who won the Giro in 1981. It’s looking promising, as young Enrico already has 24 victories to his name since he started competing as a junior, although this victory is by far the biggest and most significant so far.

Opinion & analysis

This Giro has provided plenty of excitement since the off. While today’s stage perhaps lacked the fireworks of yesterday’s, there were nonetheless some changes on GC. All of the favourites bar one finished in the leading group. Bradley Wiggins was delayed by three riders falling in front of him, but the latest word from the Giro is that his time won’t be adjusted since he didn’t actually fall. He finished 17 seconds down having been seemingly abandoned by his Colombian teammates Sergio Henao and Rigoberto Uran, with the latter moving up to second overall. Maybe, as Spanish-speakers, they didn’t understand the instruction to wait for Wiggo?

Also, pop-pickers, look who’s now in 10th place overall and a mere eight seconds back from Wiggins. Yes, it’s Cadel Evans (BMC), who is indeed giving the Giro his best shot, just as he said.

Despite the rain and fog, the descents weren’t sufficiently long or technical for any of the renowned descenders to chance their arms today. Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) did have a bit of a scare with a puncture but he soon swapped out a teammate’s wheel and was quickly back in the bosom of the peloton.

Stage 4 result

1. Enrico Battaglin (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox) 6:14:19

2. Fabio Felline (Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela) same time

3. Giovanni Visconti (Movistar) s/t

4. Rigoberto Uran (Sky) s.t

5. Arnold Jeannesson (Ag2r La Mondiale) s/t

General classification

1. Luca Paolini (Katusha) 15:18:51

2. Rigoberto Uran (Sky) +0:17

3. Benat Intxausti (Movistar) +0:26

4. Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) +0:31

5. Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) +0:34

6. Bradley Wiggins (Sky) same time

7. Giampaolo Caruso (Katusha) +0:36

8. Sergio Henao (Sky) +0:37

9. Mauro Santambrogio (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia) +0:39

10. Cadel Evans (BMC) +0:42

Link: Official website

Going for gold: Bradley Wiggins. Photo courtesy of robkingcameraman

Next year sees Leeds host the Grand Depart of the world’s biggest sporting event, the Tour de France, with the likes of Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome both starting the route from outside of the Town Hall.

Wiggins’ victory in last year’s event alongside the success of the British cycling teams at the Olympics helped to raise the profile of the sport, but what impact will it have on the city of Leeds?

We spoke to members of the public to see what they think.

Tell us what you think:

#GiroCrush

That Boy Phinney has come into this year’s Giro just as he did last year – with a cheeky grin and an effervescent spirit for everything this fabulous grand tour has to offer.

I was thinking about this the other day and I reckon Taylor Phinney really is the only guy who could get away with those pink jeans. Whilst in those pink jeans, That Boy stopped by a local pizzeria and next thing you know, he’s workin’ the dough, spreadin’ the sauce, going all Zoolander in that big white apron!

He’s even on his bike, ready to deliver the pies! Want more? Go to the BMC flickr set.

But That Boy Phinney has a lookalike! Uncanny.

And away we go!

The Giro starts and finishes on a pink carpet. This picture caught my eye as there was some sort of touching Beauty & The Beast re-enactment going on here. I don’t know about you guys – I think that mascot is a bit scary with those multi-coloured horns but it’s downright terrifying when it grows to seven feet.

This year, breaking with tradition (perhaps to start a new one?), last year’s winner, Sharpie Ryder Hesjedal, was given the first maglia rosa of 2013 to wear on the opening stage. Sir Paul Smith, who designed this year’s jerseys, made sure it fit properly.

During the presentations, flags were flown. In Wiggo‘s case, the Union Flag was used as some sort of jousting weapon. A warning to Nibali, perhaps?

That Boy Phinney was a bit more freewheeling with the Stars & Stripes.

Cav will be Cav

Now that grand tour season has begun, we are seeing a lot more of a certain Mark Cavendish. How he’ll fare over the three weeks is up for debate, but one thing is for sure – he’s one of the superstars of the peloton and he knows it and, for the most part, embraces it.

The Manx Missile took the first stage of the Giro – and promptly swore on live feed (not in anger, but because the earpiece wouldn’t work). His reaction was, quite simply, sooooo Cav.

And his former bromance, Ladies’ Favourite Bernie Eisel, sent a congratulatory tweet, doing a bit of dissing Nacer Bouhanni who is considered a bit of a loose cannon in a sprint. Nacer said what so many of Bernie’s female fans think every minute of every day.

As it was the team time trial on stage two, that meant a pink skin suit. Blimey.

DAD!! Brad’s talking about the Tour again!!!!

Ah, the old yin and yang of Wiggins/Froome just keeps yinning and yanging, doesn’t it? For those who don’t know anything about it (the cave dwellers amongst you), Wiggo gave an interview to various outlets in the run-up to the Giro, talking about doing the double, taking leadership of the Tour de France, holding form, et cetera et cetera. Froome continued to say what he’s been saying since the end of July last year: “I am the leader of the TdF team.” For those of you who aren’t sick to the back teeth of the yinning and the yanging, here are the highlights.

Then this bombshell early on Monday. “Read my lips: no new leader. We’re staying with Froome.”

Is this why Inner Ring found Wiggo playing the tourist on the ferry back to the mainland after stage two?

Gruppetto

Nice pic from Movistarlet Alex Dowsett.

Okay, this picture doesn’t have anything to do with the Giro, other than the mag hits the newsstands during the Giro. Hmmm, he might be good at that pizza dough stuff that Taylor was doing this week!

Speaking of pizza, if this Nutella variation is one of the restaurant’s specials, do you think that maybe the Great Nutella Heist™ wasn’t German at all, but an Italian Job?

Luckily PhilGil wasn’t riding when that dog jumped out at the riders. There would have been some fireworks!

I love it when people make their own little art installations around cycling. I put SSpiaggia’s carrot art after the dog because she used to have a picture of her dog in a wig. I was disappointed that the dog in the picture above did not have a wig on. Now *that* would have been a sight to see.

Tiago seems very happy to be riding such a fantastic race, but with those eyebrows, doesn’t he remind you of someone?

Ever the bloodhound for a good story, Velocast may have uncovered a Sicilian scandal.

Colourised or not, it still looks epic after all these years!

The last word

2013 could have been anti-climactic, but we have the prospect of Chris Froome following Wiggo’s success in this years Tour de France, and further British progress in the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana.  On the back of all this there’s been a boom in the popularity of cycling in this country, and the biggest news of all is the organisation of the inaugural Prudential Ride London 100 on the first weekend of August.  This is planned to be the biggest cycling event in the world, with 20,000 riders covering 100 miles on closed roads from the Olympic Park out through Surrey and back to finish on The Mall.  Already this is on a par with the London Marathon, and entries have had to be decided by a lottery.

The Cardiomyopathy Association (CMA) secured places for eight riders and because the CEO, Robert Hall, knows cycling is one of my sports I’ve been granted a place on the CMA team.  I’m already involved in several other fundraising efforts this year, but I hope my friends and colleagues will support me: no way could I resist this chance of a lifetime to take part in a weekend of cycling events that will involve many of my cycling heroes and heroines.

I enjoy riding sportives although in deference to my age and my heart condition I tend to ride the middle distance options, leaving the Epic routes to the whippets and chain gangs.  I’ve ridden two charity centuries in past, both for Action Research… one when I was thirty, and another when I was forty.  At sixty-two, this one is definitely a tough challenge but one that I’m looking forward to, whatever happens.  Look out for more posts here over the last few months of my preparations.

However, it’s not all over for winter sport fans just yet. This Saturday brings the FA Cup final, with displaced Premier League Champions Manchester City aiming to salvage something from a wholly disappointing season, while Wigan Athletic will be hoping to avoid repeating Birmingham’s feat from 2010/11, where they won the League Cup but were also relegated. This is swiftly followed by the Europa League final, in which Chelsea will aim to prove British sides are still a force in Europe, and then the Champions League Final. This should be the most intriguing encounter of all, pitting the best team in Germany (Bayern Munich) up against last year’s Bundesliga champions (Borussia Dortmund). Despite Bayern leading the German league by 20 points these two had a fiery encounter just the other day, ending in a 2-2 draw – expect more fireworks in the final.

The day after it is confirmed that Germany has the greatest domestic sides in Europe, France takes centre stage for the first time this summer as the French Open gets underway at Roland Garros. Rafael Nadal is the undisputed King of Clay, having won this competition 7 out of the last 8 times it has been held. But he has not attended a Major since his shock loss to Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon last year – will he be fit enough to retain his title? The women’s championship looks much tighter on paper, with there having been 5 different winners since Justin Henin’s victory in 2007. Australian Open victor Victoria Azarenka is not one of these five and nor is Serena Williams, who has only won this tournament once (2002). Picking a winner from this group is nigh on impossible, so keep your eyes glued to what should be an enthralling tournament.

The British and Irish Lions tour of Australia kicks off during the French Open on the 1^st June. The last time the Lions toured down under, back in 2001, they won the first Test comfortably before being thrashed in the second. The final game was a much tighter affair, with the Aussies just winning by six points. The also lost 2-1 during their last tour (South Africa, 2009) but with a young, dynamic and exciting team expect our boys to give the Aussies a real test this time round. With 15 players from the Welsh team that won the 6 Nations earlier this year, including the Player of the Tournament Leigh Halfpenny, playing alongside starlets such as England’s Owen Farrell, Ireland’s Brain O’Driscoll and Scotland’s Stuart Hogg, this is arguably the strongest Lions side for a long time and I really feel they can come back victorious as well as tanned.

The ICC Champions Trophy will be played out for the final time in June, but the highlight of the cricketing summer has to be the Ashes, which will be contested between England and Australia for the 67^th time since the inaugural series in 1882-83. While the buzz surrounding this series may not match that of 2005 or 2010-11, there is huge excitement in the cricketing world at the prospect of this latest chapter in what is the greatest rivalry in sport. Both teams have had less than perfect years, with England relinquishing the no.1 Test spot after losses to Pakistan and South Africa while Australia were  absolutely spanked by India just after the Asian side were themselves beaten by our guys over the winter. But both sides boast tremendously resilient captains in Alastair Cook and Michael Clarke alongside hugely talented batsmen and aggressive bowlers. On paper England should have no problems but nothing is guaranteed in the game of cricket – let’s just hope we can get 25 days of dry weather!

Wimbledon will then yet again grip the hearts of the nation as the 127^th Championships take place at the end of June and start of July. Roger Federer broke a lot of British ones last year as he defeated a valiant Andy Murray in the final, who finally seems to have won over most of the home public. However, his subsequent victory at the Olympics, followed by his first Grand Slam win in the US, proved the Scot does indeed have what it takes to win. Can he be just the third Brit, and the first male, to win at Wimbledon during the open era? And can he end a 77 year wait for a British man to win at SW19? And what can the British girls do at their home games? Keep a keen eye on Laura Robson and Heather Watson as they aim to cause a few upsets on their way through a tournament that guarantees drama, upets, tears and an awful lot of grunting.

Finally, France will become the focus of the sporting world for the second time on the 29^th July as the 100^th Tour de France gets underway. Three weeks of hills, roads, hills, villages and ultimately more hills will test the greatest road racers in the world to see who will end up with the yellow jersey. Last year’s champion Sir Bradley Wiggins won’t be defending his title, with Sky team-mate and last year’s runner-up Chris Froome being chosen to lead the team instead. Mark Cavendish will also be looking to add to his record 22 Tour stage victories and, with Wiggins, Cavendish and youngster Alex Dowsett all having made very good starts to the Giro d’Italia, it looks as if British cycling is in for another good year.

But that’s not all – between now and August there is also the Epsom Derby and Royal Ascot, two golf Majors, the Women’s 2013 Euros, a handful of Formula 1 races and both the IPC and able-bodied World Athletics Championships. One thing is for certain – sporting fans have no excuse to be bored this summer!

The weather was beautiful, the sun was out and the teams were tested by what was a deceptively tricky little 17.4km time trial route around the island.

It really has become impossible this year to not comment on the rider’s helmets and Colombia, the first team off the rank, did not let us down with their choice of aerodynamic head wear.

A quick glance at the TV and for a minute there, I thought I had tuned into the wrong channel. Had Eurosport put Spaceballs on as a filler? Was Dark Helmet about to jump in the middle of the course and demand that his Schwartz was bigger than the whole Colombia team’s put together?

Thankfully, Sky were not the team off directly after the Colombians and, thus, their black riding kit wasn’t mistaken for 9 Dark Helmets on bikes. It would be unimaginable to have Sir Wiggo out there proclaiming the size of his Schwartz, I mean sideburns, are equitable to any mere underlings.

The menacing black jerseys, though, carved up the course, dropping four riders before flying home to take a 28 second lead from Blanco. These are men on a mission to see their leader the first Briton to win the Giro.

The island of Ischia has been the home to American literati, such as John Steinbeck and Truman Capote. It’s hard to see how this beautiful island could have been home to Steinbeck, the chronicler of rural America during the depression. The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden and Of Mice and Men aren’t really imbued with the romance of a Mediterranean island, but then again, this time trial isn’t imbued with that romance either.

Most teams struggled to finish with all nine riders. In fact, many struggled to finish with the minimum five, just ask Euskaltel-Euskadi. Watching the Basque team trying to slow down for their fifth man, you couldn’t help but get the feeling that they wanted to take a gun, call the last guy Lenny and go for a little walk.

Like Steinbeck’s writing, this time trial is a little closer to plumbing the depths of the human condition rather than a spot for a sunny summer vacation.

It would seem that Italy is not proving to be a happy hunting ground for Orica-Green Edge. After yesterday’s disappointment, the team which many thought would challenge for a podium in this time trial, finished ninth.

The day was even worse for Cadel Evans’s BMC finishing well down on his rivals.

But the day belonged to Sky.

Perhaps I’ve been wrong in suggesting the boys from Briton are Dark Helmets. On this gorgeous sunny island, perhaps Truman Capote envisioned his Holly Golightly. The svelte, black kit of Sky may be a little more Audrey Hepburn, than maniacal space empire builder.

Published May 6th, 2013

As is so often the case in a three week grand tour a combination of nerves and excitement within the peloton leads to a crash and stage 1 was no exception. Perhaps it didn’t help that this years race started with an additional nine riders (thanks to Katusha’s reinstatement to the world tour) after Giro organisers RCS had sent out the inevitable wild card invitations to the Italian pro-continental teams. While some riders couldn’t avoid getting caught up in the pile up just before the end of the stage FDJ’s Laurent Pichon managed to fall off while descending early on, in an echo of the bizarre accident of teammate Yoann Offredo at this years Paris Roubaix.

The big question for the sprint was whether Omega Pharma had got their lead out organised for Cavendish. The team was working hard at the front of the peloton all day which was possibly the outcome that Cannondale wanted when they sent Aussie rider Cameron Wurf up the road. If Wurf managed to get the other riders in the breakaway to cooperate and make the chase harder then Cannondale’s sprinter Elia Viviani could take advantage. The tactic seemed to have paid off as Omega Pharma ran out of riders for Cavendish as the stage reached it’s climax. There were a number of tricky corners to be negotiated on the run in and the crash that seemed inevitable took out Argos Shimano sprinterJohn Degenkolb  and spilt the peloton completely. As the riders who had avoided trouble wound up the speed Matt Goss looked well placed; Orica managing to maintain their lead out better than their rivals. Cavendish looked like he was in an impossible position, many wheels off the front where Goss and Viviani were going for the line. It’s a measure of just how good a sprinter Cavendish is that he was able to overcome a combination of getting boxed in (by FDJ’s Nacer Bouhanni), needing to switch from left hand side to the right and overhauling Goss and (a visibly frustrated) Viviani by at least a bike length to win.

So Cavendish was into the Maglia Rosa in a script that would have delighted the organisers and designer of this years leaders jersey Sir Paul Smith. Cavendish was certainly all smiles and in a cooperative mood for the media crush that followed. Largely absent from social media in the last few weeks he had returned to Twitter before the start. While complimentary about his teammates in general terms he kept his views on the merits of his lead out to himself in his post race tweet. The victory, entirely manufactured by Cavendish, took the focus away from the effectiveness or otherwise of the Omega Pharma lead out.

The island of Ischia had waited rather longer that Naples for a Giro return. In a discipline where he is demonstrably stronger than GC rival Vincenzo Nibali, Bradley Wiggins was looking for a repeat of the TTT win Sky secured in the Giro Trentino a couple of weeks ago. Sure enough Sky were pretty dominant with only Movistar looking likely to beat their time at the half way stage. VCSE suspects Nibali won’t be too disappointed with finishing 14 seconds down.

Adding to the list of things to discuss at the Omega Pharma team meeting is their performance today. These are the world champions remember and while Tony Martin isn’t at the Giro finishing 48 seconds down and 17th cannot have been part of the game plan. Mark Cavendish demeanor was the polar opposite of last night, although it has to be said that the Paul Smith skinsuit is not a great look so every cloud etc. Omega Pharma weren’t the only team with time trial pedigree who didn’t perform. Both Garmin and BMC will be disappointed with their results and defending champion Ryder Hejesdal  goes into stage 3 25 seconds down on the GC. So it’s a Sky rider leading the GC but not the team leader. While Wiggins finished the stage on the same time as his four teammates today, the first Sky rider across the line yesterday was Salvatore Puccio. While Puccio’s Maglia Rosa is more by accident than design Sky will probably be pleased that they don’t have to try to defend Wiggins in the jersey at such an early stage. Stage 8 an individual time trial is where we should expect to see Sir Wiggo taking over.

Four Days of Dunkirk

Races in France seem to have their own idiosyncracies when it comes to race names actually reflecting the race itself. Paris Roubaix is a classic example. Since 1968 it has started in Compiegne, around 40 miles north of the French capital. The Four days of Dunkirk is another in that it takes place over five days rather than four. Go figure.

The GC was won by FDJ’s Arnaud Demare with seven French riders in the top 10 on the overall standings. FDJ just looked super organised in the three stages VCSE caught on Eurosport before the Giro grabbed all of the airtime. While the first two stages had a parcours that promised a sprint finish, stage three offered something for the teams prepared to put someone in the break. With no race radios it was great to see a team get things right tactically the old school way.

The phrase ‘un peloton a deux vitesses’ was coined originally in France to reflect the difference in performance between riders who doped and didn’t. After the Festina scandal in 1998 the axis of power shifted away from French teams to, first, the anglophones and later teams from the new Europe like Astana. Strict anti doping laws were enacted after Festina forcing French registered teams to rethink their approach and in the absence of similar controls elsewhere (Spain didn’t ban sports doping until 2006) lower expectations for results. Now, with a new generation of riders seemingly more committed to racing clean French cycling is enjoying something of a resurgence.

FDJ is a bit of a contradiction is this respect. A few weeks ago in the Tro Bro Leon one day race the team scored a dominant 1-2-3 with their nearest rival finishing over a minute down. Racing in France matters to a French team of course, but the contrast between how strong FDJ have looked in these two races compared with the notoriety their riders have gained for self inflicted harm in world tour events is striking. Looking at the performances of another French world tour team AG2R, with a win in the semi classic Roma Maxima and strong showings from new signing Carlos Betancur VCSE wonders if FDJ should be showing in the big races a bit more.

Giro a distraction for Wiggo?

Conspiracy theorists had a great time dissecting the various noises emanating from the Death Star this week as Bradley Wiggins revealed that he does want to defend the yellow jersey in 2013. Backed up with ‘helpful’ quotes from coach Tim Kerrison Wiggins revealed that his preparation for the season meant that he would potentially be able to recover from three weeks racing at the Giro and peak again for the grand depart in Corsica a month later.

Clarifying a couple of days later that what he had meant to say was that Sky could go into the Tour with two leaders (Wiggins and Chris Froome) and / or decide on who to support based on the first weeks results in July. It’s sometimes hard to work out if this is something that he (Wiggins) does to mix things up a little bit. Certainly the Tour has not been mentioned since the start of the year when Froome was installed as defacto team leader with Wiggins focused on the Giro.

Froome maintained a dignified silence (almost) releasing a statement that said (among other things) “I have been reassured by the management at Team Sky that I have their full backing and at no time has the leadership of the Tour team been in question.” Froome’s fiance Michele Cound has been less circumspect predicting that the only way Wiggins and Froome would line up at the Tour would be on different teams! Surprisingly nothing ‘official’ has been said by Sky so whether or not the story develops remains to be seen. In the last VCSE Racing Digest we talked about the possibility of Sky holding back someone like Rigoberto Uran or Sergio Henao if Wiggins GC hopes in the Giro were fading. If there is something in what Wiggins says about the Tour this year might it be him that gets rested if a Giro win (or podium) looks unlikely?

Cavendish photo – http://www.tdwsport.com

Related articles

• Paul Smith and Giro d’Italia (paulsmith.co.uk)

ISCHIA, Italy, May 5 (Reuters) – Team Sky took a morale-boosting victory in the Giro d’Italia team time trial as overall contender Bradley Wiggins moved up to second overall and gained time on his rivals on Sunday.

Second in the short, hilly and very technical second stage were Spanish squad Movistar, nine seconds back, with Astana, led by Wiggins’s key rival Vincenzo Nibali, third at 14 seconds.

The first Team Sky rider to cross the line in Saturday’s first stage, Italian Salvatore Puccio, took the overall leader’s pink jersey.

“It’s a surprise to have taken the pink jersey but I’m very happy,” Puccio told reporters.

“The idea was for it to go to (Italian team mate Dario) Cataldo, but I hung on in there, and finished in the same time as the rest of the squad.

“I’m riding my first Grand Tour and have to thank the team for this special moment. It will be great to wear the leader’s jersey for a few days, I will ride up front and see what happens,” added Sicilian Puccio, who turned professional last year.

His best professional result to date was third place in a stage of last year’s Tour of Switzerland.

Wiggins himself drove hard in the early part of the highly technical 17.4-km team time trial course, featuring four short and sharp climbs, twisting descents and even a short tunnel a little before the finish on Ischia’s sundrenched coastline.

Despite losing American Danny Pate early on, the British team clocked the second best time at the mid-way checkpoint behind Movistar.

After shedding more riders to shrink to a minimum unit of five at the finish, Sky were still the fastest squad home, netting the British squad their first Grand Tour team time trial victory.

Wiggins has a 14-second advantage over Italian Nibali, third in last year’s Tour de France behind the Briton.

He leads Italian Michele Scarponi, who won the Giro in 2011, by 22 seconds while defending champion Ryder Hesjedal of Canada lags 25 seconds behind the pace after his Garmin-Sharp team produced a notably below-par performance.

Cadel Evans’s BMC Racing team were 12th, 37 seconds behind Sky.

Nibali, who beat Wiggins at the Giro del Trentino last month, was satisfied with Sunday’s results.

“It’s not that bad a difference,” Nibali told reporters.

“It was a very technical course and our team have a lot of climbers, not time trial specialists. We can be satisfied.”

Puccio will lead the race on Monday’s stage three, a 212-km hilly ride from Sorrento to Marina di Ascea.

The Giro finishes in Brescia on May 26th.

Bradley has made it clear that this is his Target for this year and he hopes to support Chris Froome for the Tour De France. As for Mark Cavendish, well he is hoping to win the Green Jersey and re-stamp his authority over the other sprinters in the field. So I impress my basis on this Blog stating I am British and will be hoping for a Wiggins Win and a Cavendish in Green at the end. The hope of this happening are fairly good since Alberto Contador has decided to concentrate on the Tour De France that may well not help Froome in his Ambitions. However Wiggins will have competition from the following people -

Vincenzo Nibali Italy Team  – Astana

As the only Italian hope, he carries the weight of a proud cycling nation on his shoulders. No doubt his team will lose 3+ minutes to Team Sky in the time trials, but has plenty of steep mountains in the final week with which to recoup. But has had a great early season with wins in the Is on a roll this season with two major stage race wins already in the Tirreno-Adriatico and Giro del Trentino

Ryder Hesjedal Canada Garmin-Sharp

Last years winner who came from left field to win last year’s event; won silver in the mountain bike world championships who had finished fifth in the 2010 Tour de France. Following in the step s of Cadel Evans. Hesjedel has a reputation as a consistent strongman but not a winner. Newly confident and clearly in form but that may not be enough

Robert Gesink Netherlands Team Blanco Pro Cycling

Coming from a stable of brilliant Dutch riders and a great  climber is due a big ride in a major Tour. He is vulnerable to crashes but capable of a big win on occasion as last year’s Tour of California showed – when he won his first Tour since the 2011 Tour of Oman – and of riding consistently through a tough three weeks. The final phase will suit his mountain ability

Carlos Betancur Colombia – Team Ag2r-La Mondiale

One of a new generation of Colombians which also includes Sky’s Sergio Henao – who may well be used by Sky as a “decoy” to snaffle time bonuses. Each Giro has its dark horse; Betancur is a better all-rounder than most Colombians but can climb as well as most so could be the man

Anyone who says a team time trial doesn’t matter in the bigger picture of a three-week race is kidding themselves. Last year, when seconds truly did count on the final day, Ryder Hesjedal must have been thankful that Garmin-Sharp had won stage 4′s TTT and taken those five seconds off Joaquim Rodriguez’s Katusha team. This year could hold the same late dramas so the big GC teams will want to do well here. The twisty, undulating parcours on the north side of the tiny volcanic island of Ischia isn’t long so, barring any disastrous team fails, the top teams should be pretty tight in the standings.

Sky will want to take this stage, both for pride and to put Bradley Wiggins in pink, while Garmin, Katusha and Astana will want to spoil their parade – or at least make sure they themselves don’t get their chances rained on. That said, Omega Pharma-Quick Step are the world champions in this discipline (albeit with a very different line-up to what they have here) and have the added motivation of defending the maglia rosa to spur them on.

Link: Official website

The 130 Kilometre city centre route involved tight turns and proved for exciting racing. There were a few crashes during the early stages of the race as the riders struggled to deal with the course. However Sir Bradley Wiggins and the rest of his Sky team mates managed to avoid the melee to survive the stage.

Cavendish’s Omega-Pharma QuickStep colleagues adapted best to the course as they led out the Manx-Missile perfectly to claim the win in the sprint finish.

Wiggins is placed well in the overall race however, he finished with the same time as Cavendish as his quest for the Tour De France and Giro D’Italia double continues.

Tomorrow’s stage is a team time trial event which Team Sky will look forward to with a decent record in the discipline.