2014 runner-up says he 'loves' stage 14 ITT parcours
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Rigoberto Uran (Omega Pharma-Quick Step)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Rigoberto Uran will tackle the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in 2015.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Nairo Quintana leads Rigoberto Uran up the Zoncolan(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Rigoberto Uran (Omega Pharma QuickStep) had to dig deep(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Rigoberto Uran and Nairo Quintana ride side-by-side up the Zoncolan(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Rigoberto Uran got an early peek at the Giro d'Italia's stage 14 individual time trial course this week, with the Etixx-QuickStep rider saying he "loves" the parcours.
Uran finished second in the Giro d'Italia general classification last year, temporarily taking the leade's maglia rosa after winning the stage 12 time trial from Barbaresco to Barolo. Movistar's Nairo Quintana eventually won the overall with impressive riding in the mountains.
Uran will return to the Giro this year as the Colombian time trial champion, having won gold in February of this season. He’s hoping the Giro's 59.2km test from Treviso to Valdobbiadene on Saturday, May 23, will favour him again this year.
"This time trial comes after two weeks of racing at the Giro, so it can be key, because energy levels of all riders will be at the limit after that amount of racing," said Uran, who scouted the course this week with teammate Gianluca Brambilla.
"It could be important for the GC because after about an an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and 20 minutes of time trialing, time differences can be pretty significant."
The course starts with 30km of flat road before encountering several punchy climbs leading to the finish. Etixx-QuickStep trainer Koen Pelgrim said the changing nature of the course can make a riders’ effort hard to gauge.
"If you start too fast you can lose a lot of time in the second part, which is more difficult with some tough climbs," Pelgrim said. "Technically it isn’t super hard, but it will certainly be a tough time trial with a primary focus on keeping the effort balanced."
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Brambilla said the route will be a nice time trial for the specialists.
"It’s really linear, with a long stretch where you have to always stay in good aerodynamic position and push hard often in the big ring," Brambilla said. “The first part will be important to then see what is left in the energy reserves for the last part. The last part can make the difference and will show who properly shared the workload to avoid problems in the final kilometers."
The diverse parcours will make it hard to foresee how the riders will perform, because a quick early start can cost a rider in the finale. Nevertheless, Uran remains confident in his ability to do well there.
"It’s a completely different chrono if you compare it with the time trial I won last year, but I am confident," he said. "I like the parcours a lot. It suits me perfectly and I worked hard so far on my Specialized Shiv in preparation for the time trials. I am the Colombian National Champion, so I would like to do well in the time trial and represent my country and my team well."
