Two Riders in Top-10 on Demanding Giro d’Italia Stage!
Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team delivered another strong performance at the Giro d’Italia as both David De La Cruz and Mark Donovan finished inside the top-10 on Stage 17. De La Cruz crossed the line in eighth place, while Donovan secured tenth after a long and demanding day in the breakaway.
The 202 km stage from Cassano d’Adda to Andalo was raced aggressively from the start. An early breakaway group established itself quickly, but a chasing group soon formed behind them before a third attack was launched featuring David De La Cruz and Mark Donovan.
Eventually, the three groups merged to form a strong breakaway that would go on to fight for the stage victory. As the stage progressed, the front group was gradually reduced. In the final part of the stage, four riders broke clear to contest the win, with Michael Valgren as the winner. Behind them, David De La Cruz stayed strong in the chasing group for much of the finale and crossed the line in an impressive eighth place, while Mark Donovan completed another great ride to finish tenth.
The result underlines once again Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team’s ambition to race ambitiously and courageously throughout this year’s Giro d’Italia, consistently placing riders in the important moves of the race.
Following Stage 17, De La Cruz is now 13th overall in the GC, while Chris Harper is 14th.
Unfortunately, the team also suffered a setback early in the stage as Nick Zukowsky was forced to withdraw from the race due to physical issues. Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team now continues the Giro with four riders remaining in the race. The entire team wishes Nick a speedy recovery.
Fueling the Fight for the Breakaway
On a demanding stage like stage 17, nutrition and hydration plays a decisive role in the riders’ performance. For David De La Cruz, staying fueled was essential in maintaining power into the finale after spending hours racing in the breakaway.
The riders relied on both water and bottles of Turbo Drink from Amacx, with each bottle delivering 40 grams of carbohydrates. De La Cruz’s nutrition plan during the stage included one chew bar, eight gels, two energy bars from the Blue Line range, and a total intake of 200 milligrams of caffeine.
The goal throughout the stage was to consume around 120 grams of carbohydrates per hour while also staying hydrated in the heat. The riders aimed to drink two bottles an hour to avoid dehydration and stay energised.
