Conti does UAE proud at Giro d’Italia

dubai — UAE Team Emirates’ Valerio Conti was one of the team’s success stories of this year’s Giro d’Italia, as the Italian finished fourth in the final Youth Standings and also managed a top ten finish in the King of the Mountain (KoM) standings, according to a press release.

His efforts contributed to the overall team’s position, coming ninth in the Team Classification after 21 days of racing.

Conti, now in his second season with UAE Team Emirates, got his tour off to a bright start, surprising many on Stage one’s Individual Time Trial, recording a time that saw the 25 year old finish in twelfth place.

It was during Stage five where Conti shone again, crossing the line with General Classification (GC) contenders and battling it out with Maximillian Schachmann (Quick-Step Floors) for first place in the Youth Standings. The youngster waited patiently until the latter stages of the tour to make his move, securing vital seconds over his rivals to climb up the standings and finish impressively in fourth place.

Commenting on his Giro achievements, Conti said: “It was a good experience to compete in my third Giro d’Italia and I am satisfied with the overall result. The quality of riders at this year’s race was extremely high, with a number of young riders also competing for the General Classification — so it was always going to be a difficult jersey to win.

“I’m hoping to learn from this tour and deliver the results for the team and our sponsors.”