Three weeks of hard racing in Italy will mostly be remembered for bad weather and modified stages, the early exit of two big champions, aggressive and entertaining racing and an Italian that was just that little bit better than everybody else. Do the 23 participating teams have a reason to be satisfied with their performance? Did they live up to expectations? Or did they end up as pack fill in a historically large Giro peloton? CyclingQuotes.com takes the role as judge and evaluates the performances of the teams that 3 weeks ago lined up in Naples with great optimism and plenty of ambitions.

 

The late inclusion of Katusha in the ProTeam ranks had as a consequence that the Giro organizers RCS were forced to ask for an exemption from the rules to add an extra team to the originally planned 22-teams peloton as the Russian team had been overlooked when the wildcards were granted. There were, however, still only 21 stages - 20 after the cancellation of the mountain drama to Val Martello - and 4 jerseys to fight for, thus creating a much fiercer competition for the spoils in the 3 week Italian grand tour.

 

In these moments the teams are busy performing positive spin which justifies their efforts on the Italian roads, and even though some of them admit some kind of disappointment, most teams are apparently very satisfied with their results. However, CyclingQuotes.com is not venal for cheap marketing, and instead we make our own judgment of the performances.

 

Below we give a short assessment of the final 11 teams and hand out marks on a scale from 1 to 10. The number should reflect whether the teams have lived up to their own and the general expectations. Hence, the marks are not a direct evaluation of the results and thus not comparable. Instead, they reflect a weighing out of the performance against the expectations. For instance, Team Sky will have to deliver much better results than Bardiani to get a positive evaluation.

 

The judgement of the first 12 teams can be found here.

 

Lampre-Merida

Number of stage wins: 0

Best placing on general classification:  Number 4 (Michele Scarponi)

Best placing in a stage: 3 (Przemyslaw Niemiec on stage 15 and 16)

Number of top 10 finishes: 11 (TTT, Ferrari 3, Scarponi 3, Pozzato 2, Niemiec 2)

Number of wins in secondary rankings: 0

Rating: 5

 

A rating of 5 for a team, that finishes 4th and 6th overall may seem harsh, but the seemingly good results do not accurately reflect a Giro in which very little went right for Lampre-Merida. On the basis of some impressive spring results, expectations of a return to Scarponi’s former greatness were high, but the Italian never reached that level in the mountains.

Overall, Scarponi’s Giro was one big paradox. Early in the race Nibali pointed to him as the team’s strongest rider in the mountains, and it was obvious that the front runner had so much respect for Lampre’s captain that he never allowed him any leeway to go for glory. Not even when he was well behind in the overall classification. On the other hand, the Italian underperfomed on every mountain stage except the battle of Galibier, and it was a surprise performance in his usual weak discipline, the time trial, that secured him his 4th place finish.

Whereas the team – as well as Scarponi himself – were dissapointed with the captain, Przemyslaw Niemiec was the positive surprise. Strong performances last fall and in the spring had indicated that he might finish in the top 10. But that he would be fighting for top 5 (he would have finished 4th if he had not been asked to wait for his captain at Marina di Salvo and on Altopiano del Montasio) came as a surprise to most. He also came close to stage victory on both Galibier and in Ivrea and showed Scarponi-like initiative and aggression. The Pole in many ways salvaged the Giro for the home favourites.

When they are not rated higher, it has much to do with the rival teams. At the presentation Lampre appeared to be one of the strongest teams for the mountains. It was expected that they would be the ones to watch on the most challenging stages. But this never came to fruition. Neither Jose Serpa, Kristijan Durasek nor Mattia Cattaneo came close to their top levels, and after a great start Simone Stortoni simply fizzled out. Considering that sprinter Roberto Ferrari never came close to a stage victory, Filippo Pozzato did not show his attacking qualities, and the team was strangely absent in breakaways, it starts to make sense why a bitter aftertaste spoils the mood with Italy’s strongest Giro-team.

Lotto-Belisol

Number of stage wins: 1 (Adam Hansen on stage 7)

Best placing on general classification:  Number 21 (Francis De Greef)

Best placing in a stage: 1 (Adam Hansen on stage 7)

Number of top 10 finishes: 2 (Hansen 1, Dehaes 1)

Number of wins in secondary rankings: 0

Rating:  4

 

The assessment of Lotto-Belisol is a hard one. Rarely, a team has been so invisible and tame during most of a grand tour. On the other hand, of the team's riders delivered a fabulous performance on a single day to make sure that the team's main target was reached. Adam Hansen's ride through the rain on the roads near Pescara was one the race's most beautiful solo performances and so a team mostly made up of stage hunters could travel back to Belgium with the hoped-for stage win in their pockets.

 

Very often success comes much easier when the first victory has been secured - just look at Movistar - but in the Lotto case the opposite happened. The team failed completely in its key mission: to be present in the race's breakaways. Francis De Greef, Adam Hansen, Gert Dockx and Lars Bak were all on the offensive in the latter half of the race but at the same time the team was one of a select few to miss the big breakaway on the stage to Vajont and that should never be allowed to happen for a team with stage wins as their only real objective.

 

At the same time, it is strange that the team continues to invest so many resources in the De Greef's GC ambitions. Despite a big commitment from his team, the result was a modest 21st place. The Belgian should be praised for his attacking spirit and his strategy of moving into the top 10 by taking part on a big breakaway has often been a successful one. However, De Greef appears to lack the needed top level to fully realize his ambitions.

 

The team's sprinter Kenny Dehaes never managed to continue his good spring campaign and only sprinted to a top 10 finish on the last day in Brescia. It is suggestive that this performance was only the team's second top 10 result - more than 14 days after Hansen had taken the first one. And finally, the team delivered one of the most obscure decisions to start chase the break on the stage to Galibier with the unrealistic aim of seeing De Greef drop all the GC favourites on the French giant.

 

Movistar

Number of stage wins: 4 (Alex Dowset on stage 8, Giovanni Visconti on stage 15 and 17, Benat Intxausti on stage 16)

Best placing on general classification:  Number 8 (Benat Inxausti)

Best placing in a stage: 1 (Alex Dowset on stage 8, Giovanni Visconti on stage 15 and 17, Benat Intxausti on stage 16)

Number of top 10 finishes: 16 (TTT, Ventoso 3, Intxausti 5, Visconti 4, Dowsett 1, Herrada 1)

Number of wins in secondary rankings: 0

Rating:  10

 

It is an oft-documented fact, but seldom as clearly demonstarted as during this year’s Giro: Movistar pull out something special for the grand tours. In specatcular fashion, the team has won stages i all three-week stage races, since the Spanish telecommunications giant took over sponsorship for the 2011 season. The team’s main ambition was to keep that momentum. With four stage victories – three of which were consecutive – this goal was not only achieved, it surpassed even their wildest expectations.
 

Already at the Team Time Trial they showed class and proved that they are incomprehensibly undervalued in that discipline, when the eight riders (Juan Jose Cobo suffered a crash during warm-ups) were only bested by almighty Sky after having set the best intermediate time. Giovanni Visconti showed indications of a return to former greatness when he became the first holder of the mountains jersey and finished 3rd in Serra San Bruno and displayed great offensive qualities.
 

Things started moving when Alex Dowsett won the stage which only Bradley Wiggins could win and proved that he has taken yet another step in his promising direction. Benat Intxausti had secured the team an albeit short-lived encounter with the pink jersey, and the team's race was already a success. However, the fabulous stages 15, 16 and 17 really made the race unforgettable. It was testament to the a race where everything worked perfectly, that Giovanni Visconti could keep the world's best climbers at bay on the Galibier and that a "non-winner" like Benat Intxausti could raise his arms in Ivrea. And Giovanni Visconti demonstrated the talent that has been hidden during the last couple of seasons, by winning the stage to Vicenza in the terrain perfectly suited to his characteristics.

 

Finally the team fulfilled its second aim, taking an overall top 10 result with Intxausti who struggled in the mountains and was a huge disappointment in the time trials but at the same time was very consistent. The only fly in the ointment was Cobo's crash which took him out of GC contention early in the race, and it is only fitting to the fluctuating level of his performances that only a tame performance in the breakaway in the stage to Vajont proved that he had actually not abandoned the race.

 

Omega Pharma-Quick Step

Number of stage wins: 5 (Mark Cavendish on stages 1, 6, 12, 13 and 21)

Best placing on general classification:  Number 62 (Michal Golas)

Best placing in a stage: 1 (Mark Cavendish on stages 1, 6, 12, 13 and 21)

Number of top 10 finishes: 7 (Cavendish 5, Trentin 1, Pauwels 1)

Number of wins in secondary rankings: The red jersey (Mark Cavendish)

Rating:  9

 

It was always bound to happen again: a repeat of Cavendish's marvellous 2009 Tour performance where he was unbeaten in all the race's bunch sprints. 4 years later it happened again - this time on Italian roads - as the invincible cannonball crossed the line first whenever he was in the front group at the finish. Having also brought home the only grand tour points jersey still missing on his palmares - he was greatly benefited by the cancellation of stage 19 - the team's biggest name got more from the Italian grand tour than he had expected.

 

When the team's Giro was a fabulous success, it was also due to the confirmation of the fact that the team is strong enough to support the world's fastest sprinter. As usual the team had to take most of the responsibility to chase down early escapees, and riders like Serge Pauwels, Jerome Pineau, Julien Vermote, Iljo Keisse, Gianluca Brambilla and Michal Golas all did a formidable work on the days where Cavendish wanted to win - especially in the stage to Cherasco where few had expected the Briton to win. The team was only on its back foot in Treviso but a dedicated final effort made sure that the day's early escape was caught 500m from the finish line. At the same time Gert Steegmans returned to his former self as a fantastic lead-out man, and only a mechanical problem prevented him from doing his job perfectly on every occasion. And finally Matteo Trentin showed in the last stage that is ready to take over the role when needed.

 

The only fly in the ointment was the lost GC ambition. The team had hoped to see Brambilla approach the top 10 like last year but an early crash took him out of contention. Pauwels and Brambilla tried to attack at certain times in the mountains but in general the team was invisible whenever the terrains was too hard for Cavendish.

 

Orica-GreenEdge

Number of stage wins: 0

Best placing on general classification:  Number 38 (Pieter Weening)

Best placing in a stage: 3 (Matthew Goss on stage 6)

Number of top 10 finishes: 11 (TTT, Goss 2, Lancaster 3, Howard 1, Weening 2, Keukeleire 1, Durbridge 1)

Number of wins in secondary rankings: 0

Rating:  3

 

If our task had been to assess the performance of Pieter Weening, we had to use the upper part of our ranking scale but when it comes to his ambitious Australian team, this year's Giro is certainly the greatest disappointment among the 4 grand tours the team has so far contested since its foundation in 2012. The team turned up with their usual focus on stage wins which should first and foremost be taken in the sprints, but the Australians were never really close to anything in their most important stages.

 

The squad proved their fabulous lead-out strength in stage 1 in Naples but the sprint was just another confirmation of the fact that their biggest name, Matthew Goss, appears to lack his former speed. Luka Mezgec's crash in the stage to Matera denied the Australian the chance in the stage he had marked out as aim number 1 and since then illness saw him disappear into anonymity before his abandonment towards the end of the race.

 

A crash saw Godd final lead-out man, Leigh Howard, leave the race early, and instead Brett Lancaster stepped up to fill the role as sprinter in Goss' absence. The Australian showed once again that he has improved on the climbs and he took a couple of fine top 5 results - one of those in the tough stage to Cheraso - but was never really close to the win.

 

The broken sprint ambitions left the team in the unusual situation that their best performances came in the terrain where it was least expected. The Dutch one-man army was a constant aggressor who hit the key escapes in the stages to Jafferau and Galibier and he delivered a beautiful performance on Tre Cime Di Lavaredo on the penultimate day of racing. Had he not crashed on the Jafferau stage, he could very well have taken a big win on a day where a break of non-climbers came very close to the victory. And if that had happened, our assessment of the disappoint Australian team would probably have been a lot different.

 

Radioshack-Leopard-Trek

Number of stage wins: 0

Best placing on general classification:  Number 15 (Robert Kiserlovski)

Best placing in a stage: 2 (Giacomo Nizzolo on stage 13)

Number of top 10 finishes: 10 (Nizzolo 5, Hondo 2, Kiserlovski 3)                                                                                      

Number of wins in secondary rankings: 0

Rating:  4

 

Radioshack has plenty of stars but as usual the team is firmly focused on the Tour de France, thus travelling to Italy without their biggest names. Hence, the expectations to the Luxembourg squad were modest and a relatively anonymous performance came as no surprise.

 

The team's main focus point was Robert Kiserlovski who enjoyed his best moment when in 2010 he finished 10th in the Giro despite using most of his energy to support Ivan Basso. During the 2012 spring season he have solid indication of an improved level. As he also showed formidable condition in the Tour de Romandie, it was a reasonable decision to focus on a possible Croatian top 10 result.

 

Kiserlovski emerged as one of the strongest climbers in the first part of the race and despite his usual catastrophic time trial performance, he was in a good position at the entrance of the race's final week. However, he faded towards the end of the race and finished in a modest 15th place, meaning that the team's dedicated focus ended as a failure.

 

On the contrary Giacomo Nizzolo gave proof of his talent which has long marked him out as one of the most promising sprinters  - especially in harder finals. The Italian finished in the top 10 in all 5 bunch kicks and was even the rider to get closest to the invincible Cavendish. Had the finish line in the hard Cherasco stage been located just a few meters further up the road, Nizoolo could very well have celebrated his first grand tour win on Friday May 17.

 

Veteran Danilo Hondo once again showed that he is a fabulous lead ou-man and of the strongest climbers among the sprinters, and Nizzolo will get valuable support from the German in his future development. On the contrary, the rest of the team was totally invisible, and only Hondo and the out-of-form Yaroslav Popovych and Tiago Machado were involved in some of the race's breakaways. Furthermore, the time triallists Jesse Sergent and Nelson Oliveira disappointed in the long time trial, and the team owe a lot of their visibility to Nizzolo and Kiserlovski.

 

Sky Pro Cycling

Number of stage wins: 2 (TTT on stage 2 and Rigoberto Uran on stage 10)

Best placing on general classification:  Number 2 (Rigoberto Uran)

Best placing in a stage: 1 (TTT on stage 2 and Rigoberto Uran on stage 10)

Number of top 10 finishes: 15 (TTT, Wiggins 3, Uran 6, Henao 2, Puccio 2, Cataldo 1)                                               

Number of wins in secondary rankings: Teams classification

Rating:  8

 

Almost all teams would have signed immediately if they were offered two stage wins, an overall 2nd place, a win in the teams classification and a day in the maglia rosa as their haul from the Giro, but the mighty Team Sky travelled to Italy to achieve so much more. Nonetheless, it is unfair to regard the team's Giro as a failure as no one can control the rider's health, and when Bradley Wiggins was unable to stay in the wheels of his teammates on the flat roads near Treviso, it was evident that the Briton was not feeling well.

 

The Tour winner took the wise decision to leave the race and concentrate on the Tour but the race was not without long-term effects. It could be costly for Wiggins that an until now well-hidden weakness on wet descents were exposed to millions of TV viewers and there is little doubt that one or two sport directors have taken notice.

 

After Wiggins' collapse the team proved its depth in numbers by taking 2nd despite the absence of the captain and the fact that the team's second option, Sergio Henao, paid dearly for a hard spring season after a solid start. Rigoberto Uran performed much better than he has at any point so far in his career and the 2nd place was the best possible outcome of his consistent performance. The team's second encouragement was young Salvatore Puccio who showed off his talent by exploiting the freedom that was allowed by Wiggins' absence, and the Italian finished 4th and 6th in the stages to Vajont and Vicenza.

 

However, our assessment is not perfect and that is mostly due to the breakdown of the team that was expected to support the one-man army Uran. The team was by far the strongest in the early part of the race, crushing the opposition in the team time trial and demonstrating massive strength on Passo Cason di Lanza in stage 10. As soon as Wiggins has stepped onto the flight, the team collapsed, and besides the disappointing performance by Henao, solid climbers like Dario Cataldo and Kanstantsin Siutsou were nowhere to be seen in the third week. It is suggestive that it was the big men Christian Knees and Xabier Zandio who had to step up to save the win in the teams classification in the stage to Tre Cime Di Lavaredo. The team certainly has a reason the be a little worried when the usually strong squad could fade so dramatically at the end of a grand tour.

 

Team Argos-Shimano

Number of stage wins: 1 (John Degenkolb on stage 5)

Best placing on general classification: Number 53 (Thomas Damuseau)

Best placing in a stage: 1 (John Degenkolb on stage 5)

Number of top 10 finishes: 6 (Degenkolb 1, Ludvigsson 1, Mezgec 4)

Number of wins in secondary rankings: 0

Rating: 6

 

Team Argos-Shimano entered their first ever Giro d’Italia with a singular focus on stage wins and that mission was accomplished as early as stage 5 when the team’s undisputed leader, John Degenkolb, sprinted to victory. With their primary objective achieved, the debut must be describes as a success. However, two points should be made.

 

Degenkolb’s stage win was the result of sheer luck combined with his awesome power rather than strength when it comes to sprinting. When he tried his luck in two bunch sprints, Degenkolb was nowhere to be seen, and his two attempts made it painfully clear that he’s a long way from the devastating form that saw him take 5 stages at last year’s Vuelta and thus his performance in the Giro fits in perfectly with his poor showings in bunch sprints during the spring campaign. When the Tour de France comes around, the team should place its trust on Marcel Kittel in the bunch sprints and leave the more demanding finishes to Degenkolb.

 

In all other departments, the team was almost invisible. Young Tobias Ludvigsson took a splendid fourth in Florence and proved capable of joining the right breakaway attempts but lacked the power to finish the job. Patrick Gretsch demonstrated good climbing abilities and made it clear for all to see that he is much more than just a time trial specialist. Bert De Backer came agonizingly close to winning a stage in Treviso, where he was caught inside the final km. That, basically, was all the white-clad team was good for during the three weeks of racing.

 

The main encouragement for the team, evidently, was neo-pro Luka Mezgec who showed that his triple of 4ths in the Tour de Romandie was no fluke. Following Degenkolb’s return home, Mezgec in the top 3 three times and in the top 5 four times. Add to that the fact that he is one of the best climbers among the sprinters and you have a potential rider for the GC. Mezgec, beside Degenkolb’s stage win, is the main cause for optimism inside the Argos-Shimano camp when evaluating the Giro.

 

Team Saxo-Tinkoff

Number of stage wins: 0

Best placing on general classification: Number 7 (Rafal Majka)

Best placing in a stage: Number 4 (Rafal Majka on stage 15)

Number of top 10 finishes: 9 (Breschel 1, Boaro 1, Majka 5, Petrov 1, Bennati 1)

Number of wins in secondary rankings: 0

Rating: 7

 

Saxo-Tinkoff gambled by placing their GC ambitions squarely on the shoulders of a young Pole who had yet to demonstrate his endurance in a three week stage race, but Rafal Majka proved more than worthy of the trust placed upon him and finished 7th overall after proving that he was one of the best climbers in the race. Thus, the gamble paid off and the team management must take comfort in Majka’s potential as a coming rider for the Grand Tour GCs.

 

Prior to the start in Naples the team released a series of ambiguous and confusing statements regarding the objectives of the team. Ranging from stage wins to a top 15 overall for Majka, the team’s ambitions seemed as unpredictable as the Italian weather. However, the team soon focused exclusively on the latter target as many of the resources available to the team were spent protecting the interests of Majka, who never seemed to pose a clear and present danger to the top contenders in terms of taking a stage win.

 

The white jersey eluded Majka by a whisker and even though Majka himself appeared anxious to play down any sentiment of disappointment, the close call must have caused regret within the team. Betancur’s victory was more than deserved, though, and there’s no doubt that the best young rider wore the white jersey on the podium in Brescia. Majka’s 7th overall will no doubt have been a pleasant consolation for the team, however.

 

With regards to the rest of the team, they were invisible. Potential stage winners such as Matti Breschel, Daniele Bennati and Karsten Kroon all had troubles of some sorts but never looked to be anywhere near their peak condition. At times Bennati tried to get involved in the bunch sprints, but his tame efforts only confirmed what has been evident throughout the season so far; that he simply isn’t among the best sprinters in the peloton. An in-form Evgeny Petrov might have had more to show for himself during the last week of the race, but with Majka’s overall position at stake,

the Russian was asked to star in a supporting role for the Polish rider.

 

Vacansoleil-DCM

Number of stage wins: 0

Best placing on general classification: Number 29 (Rafael Valls Ferri)

Best placing in a stage: 9 (Grega Bole on stage 5)

Number of top 10 finishes:2 (TTT, Bole 1)

Number of wins in secondary rankings: 0

Rating: 2

 

Did anyone notice Vacansoleil in this year’s Giro? Even allowing for the fact that the Dutch team fielded a relatively inexperienced team, the performance at the Giro this year must rank amongst the measliest Grand Tour performances in the past decade. What a disappointment following Thomas De Gendt’s beautiful win on the Stelvio and 3rd place overall at last year’s Giro.

 

The team avoids a rock bottom mark because of the low pre-race expectations. Both Romain Feillu and Barry Markus were hit by injuries before the start in Naples and thus the team’s hopes in the bunch sprints were dashed. Furthermore, a strict anti-doping profile also hampered any chances of overall success as Jose Rujano was left out of the team roster in order to avoid any negative headlines as the team is on the search for a new sponsor.

 

As a consequence, the team was left with a number of riders on the lookout for stage wins, but they all failed. Having overcome injury, Marco Marcato, conqueror of last year’s Paris-Tours, never regained his former condition. Grega Bola, normally solid and dependable on the climbs, was struck by illness on some of the stages that might have offered him an opportunity to shine. Rafael Valls Ferri looked like a top 20 contender until a broken rib destroyed all such ambitions. Rob Ruijgh, another notable climber on the team roster, never looked likely to match his previous performances in the mountains.

 

The team’s best shot at glory came on stage 12 to Treviso which was almost certain to end in a bunch sprint. Maurits Lammertink and Marco Marcato were both part of the 5-man breakaway group which held out until the final kilometre and even though the chasing back included fast riders such as Felline and De Backer, they both possess a sprint which might have given the team a badly needed stage win. It was not to be, however, and their presence in the breakaway group was as good as it got for Vancansoleil in an entirely forgettable Giro.

 

Vini Fantini-Selle Italia

Number of stage wins: 1 (Mauro Santambrogio on stage 14)

Best placing on general classification: Number 9 (Mauro Santambrogio)

Best placing in a stage: 1 (Mauro Santambrogio on stage 14)

Number of top 10 finishes:11 (TTT, Santambrogio 6, Di Luca 4)

Number of wins in secondary rankings: 0

Rating: 8

 

Vini Fantini caused the biggest scandal of this year’s Giro when Danilo Di Luca – whose inclusion had been demanded by the sponsor against the team’s wishes – tested positive for EPO and left the race in disgrace. Some might feel this merits a rating of 0, but we will stick to the purely sports related facts, while ignoring the many results and displays of attacks that Di Luca contributed.

 

The team’s goal was a stage victory and a place in the top 10 for Mauro Santombrogio, who had been one of the revelations of the spring season but whose abilities a grand tour rider had not yet been put to the full test. Both goals were achieved and the stage victory coincided with one of the biggest stages of the race when Santombrogio was the only one who could match Nibali on the painfully steep Jafferau incline.

 

Many had expected Samtombrogio to get into trouble during the third week, and the fears turned out to be well-founded. The Italian was far from his former level after the second rest day, but managed to limit his losses and secure his goal of a top 10 finish. With a less demanding spring season he might have held on all the way to Brescia. The Italian climber has showed great potential and even avoided the expected disaster on the first time trial of the race.

 

Setting aside Santombrogio (and Di Luca) the team was rather disappointing. They were highly visible, but the other key riders never reached their supposed levels. Matteo Rabottini was far from his previous  year’s standard when he beat Joaquin Rodriguez on the Pian dei Resinelli and secured the mountain jersey. And while Stefano Garzelli had a fine swan song, he also proved that it was time to quit. Fancesco Chicchi abandoned with illness and Rafael Andriato was never able to take his place as a threat in the sprints. Alessandro Proni showed dedication as a supporting rider, but apart from Santambrogio there was no one to finish the job.