photo carders @ ATOC, Quick-Step Floors and Team Movistar
Promising young Colombian Egan Bernal (Team Sky) has claimed his first overall victory in the Amgen Tour of California after winning the two toughest stages.
Bernal first moved into the lead with a triumph on the Gibraltar Road summit finish before being ousted from the top spot overall by Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing Team) two days later in the mid-race time trial. But the Colombian bounced back on the mountainous stage to South Lake Tahoe, finally winning overall ahead of Van Garderen and compatriot Dani Martinez (Team EF-Education First p/b Cannondale).
It was an excellent race for Colombia: apart from securing first and third overall with Bernal and Martínez, sprinter Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) won three stages and the points classification.
Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) continued to go from strength to strength in the second week of the Giro d’Italia, winning two more stages to boost his overall lead. The Briton now leads by 2:11 over 2017 winner Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb) and 2:28 over third placed Domenico Pozzovivo (Bahrain-Merida).
In the lead since Mount Etna on stage six, and victorious both on the Gran Sasso d’Italia and again at the short but punchy stage of Osimo, Yates was forced on the defensive on the race’s toughest summit finish of Monte Zoncolan on stage 14, won by Chris Froome (Team Sky).
But the Giro leader bounced back in style at Sappada, breaking away to take his third stage victory of the race.
“I’m happy with the gap I have now but it’s far from over,” Yates said afterwards.
Giro d’Italia: Friday May 4 – Sunday May 27
Richard Carapaz (Team Movistar) has made history not once but twice this year. In April, the 25-year-old became the first rider from Ecuador to win a professional race in Europe, thanks to his victories in both a stage and the overall in the Vuelta a Asturias in Spain. In the Giro d’Italia, Carapaz continues to blaze a trail for his country with a summit-finish stage win in Montevergine di Mercogliano: his country’s first victory in any Grand Tour.
Lying sixth overall in the Giro d’Italia on the race’s second rest day, this second-year professional may well continue to hit the heights in the third week… and later this season.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
