[ad_1]
EFE · Road Competition · 11/10/2020
The Portuguese cyclist Ruben Guerreiro (Education First) has won the ninth stage of the 103rd edition of the Giro d’Italia, a mountain day and 208 kilometers with almost 4,500 meters of accumulated unevenness that linked the Italian towns of San Salvo and Roccaraso, in which the also Portuguese Joao Almeida (Deceunick-Quick Step) kept the pink jersey.
With a time of 5 hours, 41 minutes and 20 seconds, Guerreiro won the arrival at Roccaraso ahead of Spaniard Jonathan Castroviejo (Ineos), with whom he reached the finish line outstanding. Third, 58 seconds away, was Dan Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Emirates).
As on the previous day, the winner of the stage came out of the escape of the day, an adventure in which the Italian Giovanni Visconti (Vini Zab-KTM), the American Larry Warbasse (AG2R-La Mondiale), also embarked. the Swiss Kilian Frankiny (Groupama-FDJ), the Argentine Eduardo Seplveda (Movistar), the Australian Ben OConnor (NTT) and the British Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos).
In the general classification, Almeida managed to defend his pink jersey, 30 seconds ahead of the Dutch Wilco Kelderman (Sunweb), second, and the Spanish Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-McLAren), third.
After giving themselves a day of competition with softer rhythms this Saturday, the favorites faced this Sunday a highly demanding mountain test, with 4,000 meters of total difference in altitude, four ports and, all this, made difficult by the cold temperatures and the rain.
There was no lack of the usual initial breakaway, this time with eight runners, including Castroviejo, Guerreiro or the Argentine Eduardo Seplveda (Movistar), who attacked at 40 kilometers and reached a maximum advantage of six and a half minutes.
Seplveda paid for the energy drain and dropped 30 kilometers from the finish line while Guerreiro and Castroviejo followed in a group of five, completed by Warbasse, Bjerg, Frankiny and OConnor (NTT), who managed to stay in front until the Roccaraso climb. , with 9.6 kilometers with slopes of 5.7% and summits of 12%.
The peloton had a maximum delay of 6 and a half minutes and a little less than four minutes at the beginning of the final climb, with Nibali’s Trek Segafredo controlling the pace, with Almeida glued to the Italian’s wheel.
Castroviejo had strength in his legs, changed his rhythm six kilometers from the end and escaped pursued by Guerreiro, with whom he opened an intense final fight on the last climb, with slopes of 12%.
The Vizcano runner, five-time Spanish champion and European time trial champion of 2016, exchanged glances with Guerreiro in the last kilometer, waiting to open the decisive attack.
Finally it was the Portuguese who managed to prevail and crossed the finish line eight seconds ahead of Castroviejo, which gave him time to raise his arms to the sky.
Third place was Bjerg, who arrived 58 seconds behind, while, in the general classification, Almeida managed to hold on to the front after a highly demanding stage, with Kelderman attacking second position, ahead of Bilbao.
Domenico Pozzovivo (NTT), who placed fourth, 53 seconds behind Almeida, won two positions, while Nibali saw his lead over dans Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) reduced to just four seconds.
The Giro d’Italia peloton will enjoy their first day off on Monday to resume the competition on Tuesday with the dispute of the tenth stage, of 179 kilometers between Lanciano and Tortoreto Lido.
Classifications [Clasificaciones completas]
Stage classification:
1. Ruben Guerrero (POR / Education First) – 5:41:20
2. JONATHAN CASTROVIEJO (ESP / Ineos) at 0:08
3. Mikkel Bjerg (DEN / UAE Emirates) at 0:58
4. Kilian Frankiny (SUI / Groupama-FDJ) at 1:16 am
5. Larry Warbasse (USA / AG2R-La Mondiale) at 1:16 am
6. Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBR / Ineos) 1:19
7. Lucas Hamilton (AUS / Mitchelton-Scott) at 1:32
8. Wilco Kelderman (NED / Sunweb) at 1:38
9. Jakob Fuglsang (DEN / Astana) at 1:38 AM
10. Jai Hindley (AUS / Sunweb) at 1:38
General classification:
1. Joo Almeida (POR / Deceuninck-Quick Step) – 35:35:50
2. Wilco Kelderman (NED / Sunweb) at 0:30
3. PELLO BILBAO (ESP / Bahrein-McLaren) at 0:39
4. Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA / NTT) at 0:53
5. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA / Trek-Segafredo) at 0:57
6. Jakob Fuglsang (DEN / Astana) at 1:01 AM
7. Harm Vanhoucke (BEL / Lotto-Soudal) at 1:02
8. Patrick Konrad (AUT / Bora-Hansgrohe) at 1:11 AM
9. Jai Hindley (AUS / Sunweb) at 1:15
10. Rafal Majka (POL / Bora-Hansgrohe) at 1:17 AM
Next stage, 10 (Tuesday): Lanciano – Tortoreto Lido / 179 Km.
EFE – EFE Agency – All rights reserved. All types of reproduction are prohibited without the written authorization of the EFE S / A Agency.
