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CURRENT
May 13, 2013

As with all grand tour stage-races, the first week of the Giro has actually felt like three weeks, for so much has happened. It does seem weeks since Team Sky pipped the opposition to win the short team time trial on stage two and cement the opinion of almost everyone that their leader, Bradley Wiggins, would be the most likely winner of the 2013 Giro d’Italia. No-one imagined then how the following days and stages would see another perspective emerge – that Wiggins seems a different sort of man to the one who dominated the 2012 season. Then again, perhaps his rivals here, especially Vincenzo Nibali and Cadel Evans, had already spotted something wasn’t quite right with Sir Bradley, for all three cyclists raced in the Giro di Trentino last month. Both Nibali and Evans are too astute to have said anything about their observations in Trentino, but if what they saw back then has mushroomed into a full-blown crisis for Wiggins and his British team, it has handed BMC and Astana an opportunity both teams know how to exploit so well. I’d like to have added Garmin to the list of teams most likely to benefit from Wiggins’ weakness, except that this first week has also exposed Ryder Hesjedal’s drop in form after a stirling display in the Ardennes Classics and an inspirational attack here on stage three. Such is the unpredictability of stage-racing – almost anything can, and does, happen!

I followed the peloton down the treacherously wet descent of the Vallombrosa on stage nine, not realizing until the very bottom that in amongst the dropped riders was Wiggins – and I only noticed him then because of six other Sky riders pacing him along. The conditions were awful, with pouring rain, limited visibility, and the never-ending, sinuous descent that begged for an accident to happen. Up ahead, Astana were chasing the escape of the day, perhaps initially unaware that Wiggins had dropped back, for race-information in this Giro has been noticeably sketchy at best. What we on motorbikes know, is no more or less than what the team cars know, thanks to the radio information given out by the organisers. I think that if Astana, BMC and Garmin had known earlier that Wiggins had faltered halfway down the descent, the British rider might never have got back on. As it was, his team pulled back a full minute along the valley, and then Wiggins sort of trotted across by himself to Nibali’s group, just as the penultimate climb began, to add a sense of mystery as to what’s wrong with him – if anything is wrong. All that remains is to see how Wiggins copes with tomorrow’s first mountain-top finish at Altopiano di Montasio, before knowing if his erratic performances in this first week are a mere blimp, a carefully planned joke, or something far more serious.

If Wiggins does falter on stage ten, on paper it looks as if the race is down to just two men – Nibali and Evans. An awful lot can and will happen in the coming weeks, and a string of other contenders will emerge as the road rises up in the coming days. But from what we’ve seen this week in Italy, Nibali and his super-strong Astana team seem set for a showdown with Evans and his ever-so-quiet BMC team. If Astana has shown their intent and power by taking 3^rd-place in the TTT, by exploding the peloton on stage three – and by seeing Tanel Kangert take 3^rd-place on the stage eight TT, BMC has been noticeable by its near-total absence so far in this Giro. I believe there’s a tactical reason for all this, that BMC’s TTT result – a lowly 12^th – and the invisibility of talented workhorses like Morabito, Wyss, Cummings, Santaromita and Oss in the race so far, not to mention the totally un-remarkable 72^nd-place of Taylor Phinney in the long TT to Saltara only means one thing - they are planning something special for the last week! Whenever I’ve photographed Nibali, Hesjedal, Wiggins and Gesink near the head of the climbers’ group, Evans has always been there too – and often ahead of his rivals. It’s too early to say how good Evans is – like Wiggins, the stage-ten uphill finish could settle his fate – but there’s a sparkle in the man’s eyes and a liveliness to his body language that I’ve not seen for quite a while. Just where Evans can make up time on Nibali, and how, could be a highlight of the Giro’s last week if he’s still in with a shout of the final podium. His BMC team are ready and waiting if they are needed.

I’ve enjoyed this first week of the Giro immensely. Being in Italy isn’t such a bad thing anyway – the food and wine and lifestyle are to die for. And in the Giro there’s no such thing as a quiet day, especially if it starts raining with one hour to go! Stages four, five, seven and nine have all had the most exciting finales thanks to heavy rain and some twisty, rolling roads into the finish. My cameras might suffer from the inevitable water-damage, but their photographer works with a smile on his face throughout these difficult sections of the race. There’s a constant guessing game as to where to be when the hammer goes down in the peloton, and where the attacks and crashes are most likely to happen. With all due respect to stage-winners Hansen and Belkov, I’ve deliberately missed those finishes to instead enjoy the final bust-up between the G.C contenders on the final climb. Wiggins on stage seven – his suffering on the last hill – and the prowess of Niabli on stage nine, have already given me some memorable images to archive. I’ve thrilled at the sight of Alex Dowsett winning that Saltara TT as the reigning British TT champion, and sighed at the sheer speed and exuberance of Mark Cavendish at Naples and Margherita de Savoie. Ah, if only Hesjedal was still in with a chance too, I'd be an even happier man. Now that’s after just one week’s action. Just what lies ahead, who knows – but I’m sure I’ll find a way of enjoying it! GW