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Joaquin Rodriguez won the tough 17th stage of the Giro d'Italia onWednesday in Cortina d Ampezzo, Italy, to keep his grip on theoverall lead. Rodriguez led a group of Giro favourites over the line in fivehours 24 minutes and 41 seconds, to claim his second stage victoryof this year's race. Two-time Giro winner Ivan Basso was second, with Ryder Hesjedalthird, both with the same time. The Canadian remains 30 secondsbehind Rodriguez in the race for the pink jersey, which theSpaniard will wear for a seventh day on Thursday. Rodriguez said Hesjedal is now his main rival for the title. "Now, I think Ryder Hesjedal is the great favourite," the Spaniardsaid. "Today he was able not to lose any seconds, and if the gapsstay like this, Scarponi, Basso and I won..t have any chanceagainst him in the Milan individual time trial. So, we have toattack him and try to make him drop, otherwise he will win thiscompetition for sure." Defending champion Michele Scarponi struggled with cramps on thedescent from the Passo Giau which looked to prove costly, but herode powerfully to catch up with the group and finished fifth. Hemoved up to fourth in the standings, 1:36 behind Rodriguez. The main contenders were expected to be at the front of Wednesday'sstage in the Dolomites, with four tough climbs along the186-kilometre (115.58 mile) route from Falzes before the finaldescent into Cortina d'Ampezzo. Rodriguez dedicated the win to Xavi Tondo, a Spanish cyclist whodied a year ago to the day in an accident at his home. "Today for me was a special day," Rodriguez said. "A year ago, XaviTondo, a great friend of mine, died. I knew him not only from ourprofessional career, but since I was a child. So, today I reallywanted to win and in the end I did, and obviously it's dedicated tohim." 6-minute lead The first break of the day came 44 km (27 miles) in and BranislauSamoilau, Matteo Rabottini, Kevin Seeldraeyers, Jose Serpa andMatteo Montaguti swiftly established a lead of six minutes. However, the Euskaltel team rode hard at the front of the pelotonto cut the advantage, with Liquigas then coming forward to help outafter the escapees' lead was cut to just under two minutes. Mikel Nieve broke clear of the peloton with a third of the stage togo and caught the leaders on the descent of the second major climbof the day -- the Passo Duran. The breakaway riders were caught 40kilometres (25 miles) from the finish. The tough final climb up the Passo Giau took its toll and Basso,Scarponi, Hesjedal, Rodriguez, Domenico Pozzovivo and RigobertoUran pulled ahead on the 10-km (six-mile) climb, which has anaverage gradient of 9.3 per cent, rising to 14 per cent. Basso oncefamously likened the Passo Giau to "a slap in the face." Basso, Pozzovivo, Rodriguez and Hesjedal crested the summittogether, with Scarponi and Uran just behind as the group startedthe 18-kilometre (11-mile) descent. Scarponi then had to shake off cramps and was 29 seconds backhalfway down the descent, but an impressive recovery saw the Lamprecyclist catch the others just over a mile from the finish. The six riders sprinted to the line and Rodriguez just edged hisrivals. "It was a very hard stage," Rodriguez said. "Every single day isdangerous for us. Today, just like many of the others, I had crampsin my leg, so I don't think we can handle this pace during the nextstages." Roman Kreuziger saw his hopes of a first Grand Tour victory all butevaporate as he struggled up the Passo Giau. The Czech cyclistfinished 11:26 behind and has now slipped to 20th in the overallstandings, almost 13 minutes behind Rodriguez. Daryl Impey, Theo Bos, Peter Kennaugh, Gaetan Bille and ThomasVaitkus withdrew from the race. Thursday's 18th stage is a mainly flat and descending 149-kilometre(93-mile) route from San Vito di Cadore to Vedelago. The Giro ends May 27 in Milan. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Silicone Watch Bracelet , Healthy Wristbands Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Negative Ion Wristband today!
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