Stage 14 took the riders from Cittadella to Monte Zoncolan (205km). Fortunato only made the Giro team a week before. This is his first success as a professional. Contador is thrilled.
Lorenzo Fortunato put his name to it, but the signature was a group one. A signature of a whole project, with twenty cyclists and many people working to assist them, which was born a few months ago in the ProTeam category. Lorenzo Fortunato won this Saturday on the summit of the Monte Zoncolan, he released the palmares of the EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team and certified the fulfilment of a dream for a structure that faces the Corsa Rosa after the invitation of his organization. That invitation was a responsibility. And the ambitious objective was to win a stage. A difficult undertaking, very complicated, because winning is always difficult. But the goal was clear and they had worked hard to achieve it. Lorenzo Fortunato realised that desire and unleashed the euphoria.
Vincenzo Nibali says goodbye to any ambition for the podium in Milan. Before the start Hindley retires (second, surprisingly, in last year’s Giro but never in the standings in this edition) Groenewegen and Dekker. They are joined by Edet, with the Cofidis transalpine crash in the first kilometers and forced to forfeit.
THE “LITIGA” GROUP – They set a pace over 60 km/h and the group was unable to put up a well-organized comeback. Escapees were caught when Movistar riders took off alone without coordinating with the other teams. After 40 km Sagan convinces everyone to lower the pace. The eschappes arrive with almost 9′ advantage at the foot of Mount Rest, the first real climb of the day, 70 km from the finish.
THE ASTANA ACTION— Along the descent from Monte Rest here is in fact the great action of the Kazakh team, which winds the group and isolates Bernal, found himself for a few kilometers alone with Castroviejo in the middle of Vlasov and his companions. Still in difficulty at the Evenepoel brow, with the Belgian and the other big players forced to force to plug the hole. From there the plain to reach the flying finish line of Arta Terme (cut in the head by a monumental Affini), on the slopes of the Zoncolan.
Bernal first remains close to Yates then in the last 500 meters he burns him and crosses the finish line fourth, gaining on all the other big names: 11 “on Yates himself, 39” on Ciccone and Caruso, 46 “on Buchmann, 54” on Carthy, 1’12 “on Vlasov and 1’30” on Evenepoel.
Giro d’Italia Stage 14 results
- Lorenzo Fortunato (Eolo-Kometa) 5:17:22
- Jan Tratnik (Bahrain-Victorious) +26’’
- 3.Alessandro Covi (UAE Team Emirates) +59’’
Giro d’Italia General Classification after stage 14
1.Egan Bernal (Ineos-Grenadiers) 53:11:4
2.Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana) +45’’
2.3.Damiano Caruso (Bahrain-Victorious) +1’12’’
