Pieter Weening

Edoardo Zardini

Edoardo Zardini of Bardiani CSF, who grabbed the Point d’Appui at the end of Stage 2, returned to the middle at the end of the race and finished as the Point d’Appui for the 2015 Giro d’Italia.

During 2014, Zardini won stages in the Giro del Trentino and the Tour of Britain, finishing fourth overall in the latter.

Alberto Contador of Tinkoff-Saxo finished the Giro wearing the maglia rosa, and Marco Coledan of TrekRacing came in at 6 hours and 40 minutes behind Contador to win the Lanterne Rouge.

Simon Clarke of Orica GreenEdge finished in 3 hours, 20 minutes, 33 seconds – the time closest to the median time. Vasil Kiryienka, who won the Point d’Appui in the 2012 Tour de France was only two spots off the fulcum in the general classification.

The general classification for the Point d’Appui:

Stage 1 – Bertjan Lindeman.
Stage 2 – Edoardo Zardini.
Stage 3 – Daniele Colli.
Stage 4 – Fabio Sabatini.
Stage 5 – No fulcrum.
Stage 6 – Pieter Weening.
Stage 7 – Axel Domont.
Stage 8 – Brent Bookwalter.
Stage 9 – No fulcrum.
Stage 10 – Manuele Mori.
Stage 11 – Sonny Colbrelli.
Stage 12 – No fulcrum.
Stage 13 – No fulcrum.
Stage 14 – Luca Paolini. (Vasil Kiryienka of Team Sky, who won the overall Point d’Appui in the 2012 Tour de France, was the stage winner of this 59.2km time trial.)
Stage 15 – No fulcrum.
Stage 16 – No fulcrum.
Stage 17 – Simon Geschke.
Stage 18 – Davide Malacarne.
Stage 19 – No fulcrum.
Stage 20 – Edoardo Zardini.
Stage 21 – Edoardo Zardini.

Pieter Weening, out front on a break away during Stage 6 of the Vuelta a España

Pieter Weening of Orica-GreenEdge settled into the middle of the pack during Stage 20 and finished the 2012 Vuelta a España as the Point d’Appui, taking home the maillot gris. He came home 2 hours, 27 minutes and 56 seconds behind the race winner, Alberto Contador, and finished 2 hours, 4 minutes and 39 seconds ahead of Cheng Ji, who held on to become China’s first Lanterne Rouge in a grand tour.

Johan Van Summeren, the Belgian riding for Garmin-Sharp, had the time closest to the median.

On the stage, Ben Gastauer of AG2R La Mondiale came home at the fulcrum position.

The Point d’Appui changed hands nine times, and 10 stages ended without a fulcrum. Of note, Philippe Gilbert, who held the Point d’Appui early in the race, won Stages 9 and 19, thus obviating much chance that he would finish in the middle. For the record, Gilbert finished 59th in general classification. Grischa Niermann, who is retiring after 13 years of racing, held the Point d’Appui after Stage 15. And no race would be complete without a mention of Markel Irizar, winner of the Point d’Appui in the 2011 Tour de France and who briefly held the Vuelta’s middle spot after Stage 18.

Through the stages:

Stage 1 – No fulcrum
Stage 2 – Rémi Pauriol
Stage 3 – Philippe Gilbert
Stage 4 – No fulcrum
Stage 5 – No fulcrum
Stage 6 – No fulcrum
Stage 7 – No fulcrum
Stage 8 – No fulcrum
Stage 9 – No fulcrum
Stage 10 – Gregory Rast
Stage 11 – Arnaud Courteille
Stage 12 – No fulcrum
Stage 13 – No fulcrum
Stage 14 – Martijn Keizer
Stage 15 – Grischa Niermann
Stage 16 – Johannes Fröhlinger
Stage 17 – No fulcrum
Stage 18 – Markel Irizar
Stage 19 – Johannes Fröhlinger
Stage 20 – Pieter Weening
Stage 21 – Pieter Weening

Point d'Appui

Zardini Finishes on Fulcrum for 2015 Giro

Pieter Weening Claims 2012 Vuelta’s Point d’Appui