GEOGHEGAN HART RULES 15TH STAGE
It was a very hard stage
PIANCAVALLO, Italy (AFP) — Portuguese pink jersey wearer Joao Almeida survived a stiff challenge to his overall race lead from Dutch title rival Wilco Kelderman who closed in on the leader after Sunday’s Giro d’Italia 15th stage.
Team Sunweb’s Kelderman finished the stage in second position behind British winner Tao Geoghegan Hart to flex his muscles going into the final week of racing.
Geoghegan Hart soloed to victory after a tough final climb to the summit of the Piancavallo ski resort in north-eastern Italy to give his Team Ineos a fifth stage win.
Almeida, mouth open on the final climb as he gasped for breath, battled to fourth, 37sec adrift of the Englishman, to keep the pink jersey he has worn since Stage 3.
But Kelderman closed to just 15 seconds behind the Deceuninck-Quick Step rider, who had had a lead of nearly one-minute going into the stage, with the race finishing in Milan on 25 October.
“It was a very hard stage, the three riders on the front on the final climb were too fast for me,” Almeida said.
“I know my body and my limits, so I had to drop back. I’m happy to have managed to save the Maglia Rosa, once again thanks to my team.”
The Giro returned to altitude after leaving the Rivolto Air Base in Udine, covering 185km before the final gruelling climb to Piancavallo in the Friulian Dolomites.
It was the third stage win in four days for Ineos after losing Welsh team leader Geraint Thomas after stage four with a broken pelvis.
Geoghegan Hart crossed the line alone two seconds ahead of Team Sunweb duo Kelderman and Australian Jai Hindley, who had set the pace in the final kilometers, third at four seasons.
“I can’t believe it, we have had a really tough Giro to date after losing Geraint Thomas, but this team is extraordinary and we are all showing what we’re capable of stage by stage,” the 25-year-old from London said.