Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Rigoberto Uran blew away all other times in the 41.9km Giro d'Italia Stage 12 ITT on Thursday, finishing with a time of 57'34" (43.984km/h), which was fastest by a minute and 17 seconds. He also became the first Colombian rider in the history of the Giro d'Italia to wear the Maglia Rosa, as his unbelievable time trial performance put him ahead of Cadel Evans by 37 seconds. Uran went into the stage 57" down on Evans in the overall classification.
"It's true, the real mountain stages are to come, but I was really counting on today's stage," Uran said. "I worked a lot for this stage. We came here two months ago to perform recon. We worked a lot with Specialized, including in the wind tunnel in California. I was very good at the time trial at the Tour de Romandie and carried my condition into the Giro. I kept receiving information about the times of Cadel Evans as I went along the course today. I think it made a difference. I was really hoping to win today and I'm happy I made it. But there is no one rival in the next days. There are many more. There's Quintana, Evans, Majka, just to name a few. There are still some tough stages waiting for us in the last week. But, we really aimed everything at this Giro. We're here, we're doing really well, we have a great team, so we are here to try and win the Giro and we will do our best to honor and protect the Maglia Rosa. I'm super proud. For me, it's something special, but it's also special for my country. I'm thrilled to be here and make my Colombian public proud with a victory and the pink jersey."
OPQS also finished with four riders in the top 10 of the time trial — from Barbaresco to Barolo — that favored those who can also climb. Gianluca Brambilla, Wout Poels, and Thomas De Gendt finished 5th, 6th, and 8th.
"De Gendt is really strong in the time trials and we all wanted to do well," Uran said. "Look at the bike themselves, our Specialized bikes. They're fast by themselves, right? Put these guys on those bikes and see what more can happen. Brambilla was 5th, Poels 6th, and De Gendt 8th. I don't have anything else to say. We have strong guys and really fast machines to ride on."
Uran's win is his first individual victory of the season, and the 32nd for OPQS, in three disciplines, in 2014.
OPQS looks next to a flat, 157km Stage 13 on Friday.
