Froome wins on Monte Zoncolan

Froome wins on Monte Zoncolan
Team Sky (Italy) – Chris Froome claimed victory atop the Monte Zoncolan as stage 14 produced a thrilling finale at the Giro d’Italia.

The Team Sky leader was paced onto the famous climb by his team-mates, and after a strong tempo from Wout Poels he launched a big acceleration with 4.2 kilometres to go.

Quickly opening out a gap, Froome was then able to fend off a late charge from the maglia rosa Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), eventually crossing the line six seconds ahead to take a memorable win.

The result elevates Froome to fifth place overall, three minutes and 10 seconds back on Yates with seven stages remaining.

After crossing the line a thrilled Froome said: “It’s a really special feeling winning at the top of the climb today. It’s an amazing feeling on such a monumental climb on this year’s Giro d’Italia and such a monumental climb for the race in general. It’s just such a good feeling, especially after a really hard start to the Giro for me and the team.

“The team have been supporting me so well these last few weeks it’s so nice to get the victory today and it really means a lot.

“I felt like that (4km) was the moment that the race was really on the limit. I felt that was the moment for me to go. I’d obviously done the recon here and I knew the last few kilometres. The team had done a great job pulling me to that moment. Wout had done a big effort and made it really hard up until that point with 4km to go. Even right until the line Simon was just behind me. I kept on hearing 10 seconds, five seconds, 10 seconds. I didn’t know if he was going to catch me or not so it was such a relief to get into that last 100 metres and to hear that I was going to win the stage.”



Earlier Team Sky had hit the front to pace the bunch over the Avaglio climb, controlling the descent, and setting the tone for what was to come.

Froome had David de la Cruz, Poels and Sergio Henao for support in a reduced lead group at the foot of the final climb, with Poels shredding the group with a huge turn. The Dutchman crossed the line seventh on the day, 1:07 back on Froome.

After the stage Sport Director Nicolas Portal told Eurosport: "We've been working with Chris and he's been working really hard the last couple of days. As everyone knows the start was not perfect for him and for the team but we still believed in our chance. So we've tried to make the best of all the stages before Zoncolan, and tomorrow obviously. It was a big show and chapeau to him.

"Today was a day to show how the team is and how he is. Anything can happen in this Giro. The most important thing is that he is back and that he can climb with the best and he can drop then. It was a short gap but still it was something pretty exceptional. So let's hope for the best for the next days."



Stage 14 result:
1. Chris Froome (Team Sky) 5:25:31
2. Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) +6"
3. Domenico Pozzovivo (Bahrain Merida) +23"
4. Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) +25"
5. Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb) +37"
7. Wout Poels (Team Sky) +1:07"

Overall standings:
1. Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) 61:19:51
2. Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb) +1:24"
3. Domenico Pozzovivo (Bahrain Merida) +1:37"
4. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) +1:46"
5. Chris Froome (Team Sky) +3:10"

For more information about this article from INEOS Grenadiers click here.

Source link

Other articles from INEOS Grenadiers.

Interesting Links:
Looking for new Cycling Glasses, Jerseys, Bib Shorts, Jackets, Vests and More? Get the best prices online using the discount code BIKETODAY on all your purchases on Siroko online store at: https://srko.co/biketoday
Looking for Automation Solutions for your Processes? Visit AutomationInside.com to find Automation Suppliers, Product & Innovation News, Case Studies, Marketplace, etc.
Are you interested to advertise on BikeMarket.pt, the main online bike Marketplace in Portugal? Contact us!
Are you interested to include your Link here, visible on all BikeToday.news articles and marketplace product pages? Contact us!

© INEOS Grenadiers / BikeToday.news

Share this Article!

Interested? Submit your enquiry using the form below:

Only available for registered users. Sign In to your account or register here.

Bernal secures victory in California

Brilliant Bernal regains California lead