Astana on attack in Giro d'Italia Stage 12

NUR-SULTAN. KAZINFORM - After a half of the race has been done already, the Giro d'Italia, finally, reached the real mountains. And, immediately, it was the Kazakh team Astana, who attacked to put all rivals under the pressure, Kazinform has learnt from the club's press service.

Today, at stage 12 from Cuneo to Pinerolo with a very hard 1st category climb Montoso (9 km, 9.3%) 30 km far from the finish, Miguel Angel Lopez supported by his teammates, launched a powerful attack, finally, breaking away clear from the GC favorites group together with the Spaniard Mikel Landa. On the descent and later, on the flat part Lopez and Landa found a good help in their teammates - Manuele Boaro and Dario Cataldo for Astana Pro Team and Jasha Sutterlin for Movistar. In the end of the day, Miguel Angel Lopez and Mikel Landa won 28 seconds on other GC contenders.

"We planned this attack. I felt quite good and the team worked really well, preparing my attack. But, of course, we had a bad luck, when I got a flat tire with just 5 km to the bottom of the climb. My teammates did their best to bring me back to the group in a right moment. On the climb, I went away with Landa and we worked pretty well together. Later, I've got a big help from Manuele Boaro and Dario Cataldo. I want to thank them and also the whole team for today," said Miguel Angel Lopez.

"We knew the climb of Montoso will be a hard one, so it was our plan to attack there. We have a good team to try it. But, when Miguel Angel got a flat tire with just 5 km to the climb, we had to spend a lot of energy to bring him back to the group. I am sure, without this we could get another result in the stage. Anyway, after coming back to the group, Miguel Angel still had enough power to attack. It was a good move and, generally, we can be happy seeing him attacking on the first real climb of the Giro. From now the race really starts, still many very difficult stages are waiting for us. We are ready to do our best for the best possible result," said Giuseppe Martinelli.

Stage 12 (158 km) started with many attacks and, finally, a big group of riders went away with two representatives of Astana Pro Team, Dario Cataldo and Manuele Boaro. Both riders worked well in the group, which, in a moment took a solid gap of 15 minutes. However, on the slopes of Montosa the break split away in parts. A group of riders attacked from the break and, later, have played the stage victory, taken by the Italian Cesare Benedetti.
Behind the breakaway, close to Montosa the peloton began its preparation for the first big climb of the Giro d'Italia 2019. In that moment, the leader of Astana Pro Team Miguel Angel Lopez had a puncture. The team immediately dropped back from the peloton to help Lopez to come back in the group.
Shortly after the climb started, the Astana's leader launched an attack, but was caught back by the others. After another attack Miguel Angel Lopez broke away and only Mikel Landa could follow him. Both riders, later supported by their teammates from the daily breakaway, could stay clear in front of the GC contenders group and, finally, won 28 seconds. The pink jersey group lost too much today and, thus, Jan Polanc, a rider from a successful breakaway, took the lead in the general classification of the race, having 4 minutes 7 seconds on Primož Roglič, currently second in the GC.

Thanks to today's attack Miguel Angel Lopez moved up to 16th position, 8 minutes 8 seconds behind the pink jersey.

Much harder stage 13 will be held tomorrow: the riders will pass 196 km from Pinerolo to Ceresole Reale (Lago Serrù) with a monstrous final climb of 34 km with an average of 4.8%