The first mountain stage at Tirreno-Adriatico saw also a shake-up in the general classification today. Again, an early break was caught already before the finale, where the bunch had to cover 3 laps on a demanding finishing circuit in Tortoreto. A nasty 3-kliometer-long climb was a perfect launchpad for attacks. Still, a small bunch was sprinting for victory in the end. BORA – hansgrohe was represented strongly with the likes of Vlasov, Hindley and Kämna in this bunch and Aleks crossed the line in ninth place. P. Roglic proved to be the strongest today while Lennard was struggling on the last 500m, but still managed to take the overall race lead six seconds ahead of Roglic.
Results
01 P. Roglic 5:00:04
02 J. Alaphilippe + 0:00
03 A. Yates + 0:00
From the finish line
“To be honest I didn’t think about the jersey because I underestimated the stage. When we went the first time over the climb, I knew there is a chance, but I also had to work really hard today. In the last corner the guy in front of me opened a little gap and I wasn’t able anymore to close that. I was really on the limit, but I made it. I am super happy because this is my first leader jersey at a stage race. The climb tomorrow should suit me better than the explosive finale today, but for now I just want to enjoy the moment.” – Lennard Kämna
“We had a clear plan for today and the boys executed it very well. CeCe, Gampi, Jordi and Nico positioned our climbers ahead of the final lap. Then Aleks and Jai should cover attacks and with Lenni we just wanted to stay there. The race was quite hard and fast, but still there was a group in the end. Lenni had to suffer a lot, but he made it and now we go the jersey. We will enjoy this moment together and just take it day by day from tomorrow onwards.” – Enrico Gasparotto, Sports Director
