With a series of stages going to the break or being decided in sprint finishes, the GC remained largely unchanged until the time trial on stage 14. In the largely flat race against the clock, Dani Martínez took fourteenth place, which saw him move to third in the GC. The Colombian was able to retain his podium place heading into the second rest day in Livigno, finishing the queen stage in the same time as the second-placed Geraint Thomas. He commences the third week of racing still on the GC podium, and is confident heading into the upcoming stages. As the Giro at first moves into the Alps following the final rest day, the team remains fully motivated and determined to take a top placing in Rome.
Dani Martínez:
I have to say, I'm feeling pretty good up until now. I'm excited and motivated for the last week. Of course the last week is going to be hard, when you look at the profile and also take into account that everyone will suffer from accumulated fatigue. But I'm feeling good, and the atmosphere in the team is positive.
Bernie Eisel, Sports Director:
The second week went really well for us. Dani is now in third place in the general classification, and we still have a chance at a podium finish. We have a really strong team here, and the squad is working very well together. We're always up front. Our domestiques are doing an extremely good job, and we're heading into the third week with confidence. Looking at the past week stage by stage, it's clear that everything was naturally focused on Tadej. Although we consistently tried with Danny van Poppel on the flat stages, our efforts weren't successful. But primarily, we've always backed Dani, and that has worked out well. We're looking forward to the third week and hope that everything goes according to plan.
Photos: Sprintcycling