Cycling: Mixed emotions for Sam Bewley on chaotic day at Giro

Stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia wasn’t meant to descend into a mad dash through the countryside, but that’s exactly what happened, with New Zealander Sam Bewley right in the thick of it.

His Mitchelton-Scott team-mate Esteban Chaves started the day second in the general classification, but fell off the pace on the opening climb on the day.

That forced Bewley, one of the team’s key domestiques, to drop back and try to haul the Colombian back to the peloton.

Kiwi Bennett improves as Chaves falters on Giro

“We had to commit pretty hard for a long time," he told Newshub. "We chased for three to four hours and we got it close at one point, but unfortunately we weren’t able to close that gap.” 

Precious seconds turned into minutes and it wasn’t long before Chaves’ top-10 hopes slipped through his grasp.

“It was a drag race for about 160km and then, in the end, we just ran out of legs.”

Bewley’s team have started the Italian Grand Tour in dominant fashion, with the leader’s pink jersey sticking to Simon Yates like glue and Chaves lighting up the race in the mountains.

The team dynamics now change following the latest stage, with Yates the clear leader and Chaves a very handy option to help out in the hills.

After another brutal day on the road, the disappointment from Chaves rubbed off on the team.  

“When you finish these stages, even if they go well, you sort of feel down, because you’re so tired after nearly seven hours on the bike.

"When you have a little bit of disappointment on top of that, you feel a little bit deflated, but it’s important that we don’t feel like that for too long and we won’t.”

Yates has been the most impressive rider in the race to date, looking at ease, despite the difficult climbs. While Chaves has dipped out, there’s still plenty left to do to ensure the Englishman gets to stand on top of the podium. 

“Simon’s looking awesome and he’s got a good chance of winning. It’s important we go back to work, just like we have been doing for the last 10 days, and look after Simon and hope we deliver him to Rome in the pink jersey.”

Bewley’s flogged himself through the race so far, grinding away on the front of the peloton and providing the backbone to the team’s success. On Stage Nine alone, he managed more than 4000 climbing metres in nearly six-and-a-half hours on the bike, burning 6787 kilojoules.

He’s hoping to conserve a bit of energy before the race re-enters the mountains, but he knows anything can happen in the Giro. With Yates wearing the 'maglia rosa', Bewley’s workload shows no sign of easing up.

Instead, he’s tasked with setting the pace at the front of the bunch and dealing with whatever the race throws at him.

He’s also been keeping a close eye on the other Kiwis in the race. Tom Scully impressed in the opening time trial and featured in the breakaway this morning, while George Bennett’s continued his steady climb up the general classification.

The Nelson rider’s survived the fluctuations in the field around him, moving up to sixth, 96 seconds behind Yates.

“Yeah, he’s flying," said Bewley. "He’s one of my best mates as well, so even though we’re on different teams, I’m hoping he’ll do some really cool stuff over the next 10 days.

"He’s showing he’s one of the best guys in this race, so hopefully, all going well, he could maybe finish on the podium or certainly a top five.

"I’ll be more than happy to have a beer with him after the race. He has to pay for it, obviously, but I’d be more than happy to have one with him.” 

Newshub.