Basisphilosophie » his runner-up finish in last years Tour de

TRIESTE, Italy -- Nairo Quintana showed why hes considered as cyclings next star by winning the Giro dItalia on Sunday to follow his runner-up finish in last years Tour de France. The 24-year-old climbing specialist with the Movistar team won two stages and finished with a 2 minute, 58 second advantage over fellow Colombian Rigoberto Uran for his first Grand Tour victory. "Its really emotional," Quintana said. "I didnt think there would be so many Colombians here today. It was incredible seeing how much support and how many banners there were." One such banner held aloft during the podium celebration with the Colombian flag on it read, "The Giro is ours. Gracias muchachos." Fabio Aru, a 23-year-old Italian who is also considered a top rider for the future, finished third overall, 4:04 back. Quintana took the pink jersey by winning the grueling 16th stage over the Gavia and Stelvio climbs then also took the 19th leg, a mountain time trial. Quintana finished second to Chris Froome in last years Tour. While he isnt planning to enter the French race this year, he has designs on winning it next year. "We need to look at our plans carefully," Quintana said. Slovenias Luca Mezgec won the final stage in a mass sprint. The Giant-Shimano rider clocked 4 hours, 23 minutes, 58 seconds over the mostly flat 172-kilometre (107-mile) leg from Gemona del Friuli to Trieste, which concluded with eight laps of a city circuit. "It couldnt be a better day than this. Were close to Slovenia," Mezgec said. Giacomo Nizzolo of Italy finished second and Tyler Farrar of the United States was third, both with the same time as Mezgec. Dressed entirely in pink, Quintana finished safely in the middle of the pack and pumped his fist as he crossed the line then hugged his teammates when he got off his bike. "I can finally say Ive won the Giro," Quintana said. "I have to thank my teammates and my family here supporting me." During the playing of the Colombian anthem, Quintana held his pink-clad daughter Mariana, who was born in February. Quintana faced controversy after the 16th stage, in which he attacked on the descent from the Stelvio then powered up the final climb in the lead. There had been some confusion over whether the descent on a wet road was going to be neutralized but race officials declared afterward that his victory was legitimate. Quintana is the first Colombian to win the race -- and with Uran, it was a sweep of the top two spots. Another Colombian, Julian Arredondo, won the mountains classification. Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos travelled to Quintanas hometown of Combita to watch the final stage with dozens of friends and neighbours of the cyclist, who was raised in the high Andean town of 16,000 by a family of peasant farmers. Dressed in the pink colour of the tour leaders jersey and surrounded by fans holding signs like "Nairo: all of Colombia loves and thanks you," Santos said the Quintanas victory was an inspiration to millions of Colombians. "I feel like the entire country is supporting me," Quintana said numerous times during the three-week race. Cheap MLB Jerseys . -- Among the 31 players at the Montreal Canadiens rookie camp, none feels closer to cracking the NHL roster than right winger Aaron Palushaj. Cheap Ferguson Jenkins Jersey . - Joao Plata scored twice in the final 24 minutes, including the winner in stoppage time, to help Real Salt Lake remain unbeaten with a 3-2 victory over the winless Chicago Fire on Saturday night. http://www.cheaptexasrangersjerseys.com/ . In the late match, Shinji Okazaki scored two goals to pace Mainz to a 3-2 victory at Werder Bremen. 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The redshirt freshman finished the regular season with nearly 3,500 passing yards, and 35 touchdowns with another three on the ground while leading the Seminoles to the top of the BCS Rankings.KITZBUEHEL, Austria - On Saturday, Hannes Reichelt will only focus on winning one of the most important races of the World Cup season.A year ago, the Austrian skier was balancing between winning the downhill in Kitzbuehel and suffering a potentially career-ending injury.Reichelt triumphed on the Streif course despite a herniated disk, which became so acute during the race that he needed surgery two days later and ended up missing the Sochi Olympics.Having recovered from his back problems, Reichelt won the downhill in Wengen last Sunday.He can now become the first skier since Switzerlands Didier Defago in 2009 to win both classic races within a week, and the first Austrian since Peter Wirnsberger in 1986 to win Kitzbuehel twice in a row.Over 40,000 fans are expected for Saturdays race, which is the pinnacle of the season for ski-mad Austria.In July people were still congratulating me on the win from January. That doesnt happen with any other victory, the 34-year-old Reichelt said Wednesday, adding hes aware of the expectations from his home crowd.I feel no pressure anymore that I must win Kitzbuehel. I am now in the position that I want to win it, he said. Winning in Wengen has made me a bit more relaxed. I am full of confidence and that makes racing a little easier.Twelve months ago, nothing was easy.Reichelt had been skiing all season with an aching back, and his condition worsened few weeks before the Olympics in February.The pain was almost unbearable on the morning of the downhill in Kitzbuehel, and Reichelt considered pulling out of the race shortly before the start.But only briefly.You dont leave the start gate of the Streif backward, he said. Somehow, I managed to get it out of my mind.Reichelt sped down the demanding 3.3-kilometre course and finished ahead of pre-race favourites Aksel Lund Svindal and Bode Milller to become the first Austrian win on the Streif since Michael Walchhofers triumph in 2006.dddddddddddd.In the finish area, however, Reichelt could barely stand straight up.I dont want to talk too much about my back problems, he told reporters. If you win a race, it cant be too bad.However, it was far worse than he thought.Reichelt even competed in a super-G the following day — and placed 68th — but he couldnt neglect the pain any longer.He underwent surgery the day after and had to end his season prematurely.Only months later, doctors told him how dangerous skiing on with his injury really had been.I have been very, very lucky nothing happened, Reichelt said. Due to the herniated disk, I could have easily lost control of my right leg while racing at 130 kph.Reichelt has returned without any pain in his back, and apart from specific mobility exercises and additional physiotherapy, his training schedule is back to normal.I am totally free of pain now, thats nice, he said.A former giant slalom and super-G specialist, Reichelt developed into a top downhill racer in the same year Walchhofer retired — 2011.Reichelt started the race in Kitzbuehel that year with bib 44 but ended the race in 19th.That was the first step to becoming a real downhill racer, he said.Having competed in the discipline since 2005, Reichelt got his first downhill podium at Lake Louise, Alberta in November 2011, and his first win — shared with Dominik Paris — in Bormio, Italy, 13 months later.Since the 2011-12 season, Reichelt has been on the podium 12 times in 30 downhills, including three wins.And hes eager for more, not just in Kitzbuehel but also at next months world championships in Beaver Creek, Colorado.I am not yet thinking about the worlds, Reichelt said. But there is still room in my trophy cabinet and I am hungry for more. 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