Rogers puts a rough winter and an absent spring behind him to give us a solo winner (at last!) at the Giro

It wasn't quite the win from the early days break that I was looking for, but beggars can't be choosers in this day and age and so I had to make do with seeing veteran Australian Michael Rogers break clear on the descent of a climb that had reduced the peloton to 40 and hold them off to the line. A superbly timed attack and an incredible descent for a result that only enhances the idea that this race is quickly becoming Aussie-Giro.

With his victory, Australian cycling have seen their Orica Greenedge team take the opening stage team-time-trial, Michael Matthews move into Pink on stage two for six days, Cadel Evans take up that jersey for stage eight, and now Rogers take victory in stage 11. It doesn't go much better than that (except for Matthews abandoning the race after stage 10 following a nasty crash earlier in the day).

And it looked for a while as though the break of the day might well be one that stuck given it contained 14 riders including Nicolas Roche who had come into the Giro as a contender to win it only to get caught up on stage six's crash and lose an epic amount of time. But yet despite the numbers the group couldn't make it last and on that second category climb which peaked 28 kilometres of the from the finish of the 248 they would race, the last of them got swept up leaving Rogers to make his move.

It was the perfect opportunity: None of the sprinters were there, no team had their full collection of riders, the GC favorites wanted to conserve as much energy as possible for the following days time-trial, and so Rogers must have seen the chance to make a move and not find a concerted effort behind him trying to bring him back. He flew down the hill and quickly built a lead that hovered around 40 to 50 seconds and stuck that way until the road got flat with 4 kilometres remaining. The gap dropped to 12 seconds but it seemed apparent that BMC were trying to scupper any serious chase and it quickly went back out to 20 seconds allowing Rogers time to celebrate his win on the ride to the line.

BMC putting men on the front to slow things can only have been a Australian for an Australian thing from Evans to Rogers and perhaps with it in mind that Rogers might pull a favour or two in return come the mountains. Or maybe there was nothing to it and Evans put his team on the front, not to chase but to keep safe, unconcerned with the stage result.

Whatever it was, it was nice to see that kind of a result after what had been a rough winter for Rogers as he fought to clear his name from a positive test for Clenbutrol at the Tour of Japan late last season, a fight that kept him out of racing all year right up until Liège-Bastogne-Liège just before this Giro, but one that he won as it was accepted the product appeared in his system by way of tainted beef he ate in China days before.

Australia's Giro will look to continue tomorrow in the individual time-trial with Evans hoping for a big result that will see him cement his lead in this years race.

Result

1. Michael Rogers (Tinkoff-Saxo) in 5-48-07

2. Simon Geschke (Giant-Shimano) + 10 sec

3. Enrico Battaglin (Bardiani) + s.t.

4. Wilco Kelderman (Belkin) + s.t.

5. Gianluca Brambila (OPQS) + s.t.

6. Moreno Moser (Cannondale) + s.t.

Overall

1. Cadel Evans (BMC) in 48-39-04

2. Rigoberto Uran (OPQS) + 57 sec

3. Rafal Majka (Tinkoff-Saxo) + 1-10

4. Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R La Mondiale) + 1-20

5. Steve Morabito (BMC) + 1-31

6. Fabio Aru (Astana) + 1-39