CASTELMONTE. Richard Carapaz held on to the pink jersey as Dutchman Koen Bouwman won stage 19 of the Giro d’Italia, a 178-kilometre hilly course from Marano Lagunare to Santuario di Castelmonte, in bizarre fashion on Friday.
Colombian Carapaz held a three-second lead over Jai Hindley in the general classification heading into Friday’s stage, and was joined by three Ineos Grenadiers team-mates in a packed peloton until the closing kilometres.
Third in the general classification ahead of a stage that ran through parts of Slovenia and needing to close the gap, Spaniard Mikel Landa made the first move when the top three riders were left alone as the leading pack neared the end of The phase.
Carapaz led Australia’s Hindley and Landa in that order before the final sprint, with the Colombian coming home in front of his rivals at the crucial moment to keep the pink jersey, with just one more mountainous stage to come on Saturday, before the Sunday. Time trial finish.
There had already been plenty of drama ahead of the overall leaders, as a bizarre finish for the five riders vying to win the stage saw three of them overshoot the final corner, allowing Bouwman to cruise to his second victory of the stage with ease. stage of this Giro of the year.
“I knew there was a left corner, but I didn’t know it was that tight,” Bouwman said. “I had to brake quite hard and I knew I had to take the inside [of the corner].
“Now, to win two stages at the Giro, I am so happy that I have no words.”
However, there was bad news for Carapaz on Friday as teammate Richie Porte withdrew from the Giro due to illness, leaving the race leader without a key domestic team for the final two stages this weekend.
The 20th and final hilly stage of the 2022 Giro is a 167-kilometre course from Belluno to Marmolada on Saturday.
Posted in Alba, May 28, 2022
Source: www.dawn.com