MARMOLADA, Italy (Reuters) – Jai Hindley is on the brink of his first Giro d’Italia title after stealing the pink jersey on the twentieth and last mountainous stage, a 167-kilometre experience from Belluno to Marmolada, on Saturday, as native rider Alessandro Covi took the stage win.
Colombian Richard Carapaz, in search of his second Giro title, held a slender three-second lead within the normal classification over Hindley coming into the penultimate stage, with simply Sunday’s time trial left to determine the 2022 champion.
Spaniard Mikel Landa, third within the normal classification, stayed on the head of the peloton along with his Bahrain Victorious crew mates as they climbed the Passo Pordoi – the best level of the Giro.
With Covi of UAE Team Emirates nicely filter in entrance, Carapaz was trying comfy going into the gruelling last Passo Fedaia climb, as Ineos Grenadiers domestique Pavel Sivakov led the peloton with 4 kilometres to go, dragging Carapaz with him.
Hindley, who completed second within the Giro in 2020, knew he needed to make a transfer if he was to be in with an opportunity of changing into the first Australian Giro champion, pushing on with two kilometres to go, with Carapaz struggling to maintain tempo.
As Covi gained his first Grand Tour stage, Hindley of Bora–Hansgrohe left Carapaz for useless, to complete nicely clear of the 2019 champion to offer him a one minute and 25 second benefit going into Sunday’s 17.1-kilometere time trial in Verona the place, barring a catastrophe, Hindley could make historical past.
“I knew this is able to be the essential stage of the race, with the brutal end,” Hindley stated. “I knew in the event you had the legs you may make a distinction.
“We stayed affected person till at present, and it’s wonderful. We couldn’t have timed it higher. When I heard Carapaz was dropping down, I simply went all out. We will see the way it goes tomorrow, it’s at all times laborious to say how a time trial will go.”
(Reporting by Peter Hall; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
