Dutchman in command as Giro d’Italia enters final week
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Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNl-Jumbo) in the maglia rosa(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNl-Jumbo) happy with his time trial(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNl-Jumbo) and Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) stage 14 Giro d'Italia
Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) may insist that he is as surprised as everyone else to find himself leading the Giro d’Italia by more than two minutes as the race enters its final week, but he didn’t seem remotely fazed by his new status when he met with reporters during Monday’s rest day.
A week ago in Tuscany, Kruijswijk’s rest day press conference was a low-key affair, attended primarily by a handful of Dutch reporters on their way to see Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin). Seven days on, a rather more eclectic spread of media outlets descended upon the mountain town of Natz – still in Italy, albeit German-speaking South Tyrol – to hear the maglia rosa’s thoughts.
This Giro, certainly, is speaking a different language to one anticipated beforehand. Rather than a straight battle between home favourite Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Spanish challengers Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Mikel Landa (Sky), it is Kruijswijk who holds a commanding lead in the overall standings.
Rabobank and injury
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Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.
