Team News – Stage win at Giro for Rogers

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Aussie Michael Rogers wins the final mountain stage of the 2014 Tour of Italy on top of the mythical uphill finish at Monte Zoncolan

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Team News – Stage win at Giro for Rogers

Team Press Release
The final mountain stage saw the final chance for breakaway riders to make it to the finish line as today’s parade to Trieste probably will end up in a bunch sprint. The 167 kilometer long 20th stage from Maniaco to the mythical uphill finish in Monte Zoncolan contained three climbs with plenty of opportunities to attack.

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Photos: PelotonPhotos.com

Both of Tinkoff-Saxobank’s Michael Rogers and Nicolas Roche decided to do so and were in the big break of 20 riders. However on the first descent, Rogers had a mechanical and was distanced for a while but the tough Aussie made his way back on the following climb. The front group kept getting smaller as the gradient took the best out of the tired legs after three weeks of hard riding. Movistar were in control of the pace and seemingly unworried and as the gap rose to more than 6 minutes, Europcar took over the reigns of the field.

But suddenly, Pierre Rolland created a gap on the group of favorites accompanied by Domenico Pozzovivo (ALM) and Tinkoff-Saxo’s Rafal Majka. But Movistar slowly and surely closed the gap before the top of the penultimate climb and they kept on the pressure on the final descent of this year’s Giro d’Italia.

At the bottom of the Zoncolan, the Rogers/Roche group had a lead of almost eight minutes and when the peloton hit the slopes it was like watching a full-blooded bunch sprint for position. Up the road, the front group was reduced to only seven riders including both Rogers and Roche with 6 kilometers to go but the hardest bit to come.

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Photos: PelotonPhotos.com

As the the gradient kicked up and Rogers pulled the group to pieces and was only followed Francesco Bongiorno (Bardiani) and Franco Pellizotti (Androni). First Pellizotti cracked, and then a spectator decided to give a supporting push at the back of Bongiorno but it made the Italian brake avoiding crashing in to Rogers.

The Tinkoff-Saxo Aussie was now on his way to his second stage win and he took it in convincing style while teammate, Nicolas Roche finished 4th.

Rogers says after crossing the finish line “It was such a hard climb and I was battling myself a number of times. But on the final bit of the slope when I was riding with Bongiorno, I believed it was possible to pull it off and when I discovered I was alone, there was no other way to go but head down, full speed. I’m really honoured to win here on this legendary climb in these fantastic surroundings. We knew this was our final chance of winning and we pulled it off,” said a very happy Michael Rogers.

DS, Lars Michaelsen was in awe of his road captain “During the morning meeting, we planned that Mick and Nico should be aiming for the big break targeting a stage win and they both did a fantastic job out there executing the plan to perfection.”

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Photos: PelotonPhotos.com

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