Those big combos put a lot of strain on drivetrain components. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
The clouds threatened Monte Zoncolan all day but the rain held off until Chris Froome was well across the line. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Chaves had another tough day. After the stage, he took time for photos with kids, but it was clear the Zoncolan had taken its toll on him. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Chaves honors a loved one who passed on with some custom shoe artwork. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
You never know who you’ll see when you’re buying an espresso at the Giro. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Team mechanics hitched rides on the back of motorcycles for the final 11 kilometers of Stage 14. The road that leads to the Zoncolan summit is narrow even when it’s not choked with fans. So team cars peeled off early and left the support duties to mechanics toting spare bikes on their shoulders. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Carrying even the lightest bikes for 12 kilometers can be uncomfortable. So mechanics got creative with sponges and pads as cushions. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Tom Dumoulin lost seconds to Simon Yates on the Zoncolan. Yet he seemed positive after the stage. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Big gears were the order of the day. While specific gearing varied by rider, the lowest combinations were 34 tooth chainrings paired with 32-tooth cogs in the cassette. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Those big combos put a lot of strain on drivetrain components. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Chris Froome ran a Shimano Ultegra rear derailleur rather than his typical Dura-Ace. Ultegra rear derailleurs are designed to better handle large cogs, like the 32-tooth cog on his cassette.
Froome also ran a 34-tooth inner chainring to ease the burden of the Zoncolan’s steep slope. The 34-32 tooth combo explains his high cadence in the last few kilometers of the stage. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Fan bikes are often more interesting than the pros’ rigs. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Anyone know the vintage of this one? Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Trek-Segafredo’s Laurent Didier spent a lot of time on camera during his late-stage chase. He was on disc brakes. But He wasn’t the only one: Quick-Step’s Zdenek Stybar also ran disc brakes on his S-Works Tarmac. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Igor Anton sported some flashy hubs on his Enve wheels. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Several riders made the cruise down from the finish line to the team buses equipped with whistles to clear the fans out of the road. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Davide Formolo spins his legs after the stage and has a snack. Despite losing time to the race leaders, Formolo was in good spirits and happy to have the Zoncolan behind him. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Mitchelton-Scott’s strong man Svein Tuft remains popular outside the team buses during his last grand tour. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
His face says it all. Aru looked dejected and tired as he sat on the steps of the team bus, taking interviews. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Simon Yates finished close behind Chris Froome. For a moment on the steepest pitches of the final kilometer, it looked as though Yates might catch Froome, but Yates assured the crowd that he was pleased with his performance. Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
Photo: Dan Cavallari | VeloNews.com
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