17 May 2016, Sestola (ITA)
Darwin Atapuma put his climbing legs to the test on Stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia to cross the line in third place on the summit finish in Sestola.
After the first categorized climb of the day, a three-rider breakaway established and were later joined by a chasing group of ten riders, including Atapuma.
Attacks ensued on the second-to-last climb of the day, which broke the thirteen-rider group apart, and saw various groups form to chase down the leaders on the summit finish. Guilio Ciccone (Bardiani-CSF) took the solo win, followed by Ivan Rovny (Tinkoff) in second, and Atapuma in third, 1’02 behind Ciccone.
Quotes of the Day
Darwin Atapuma:
“I felt really good today and had good legs on the climbs. I was lacking a little bit when the last attack of three riders happened but I was able to slowly make my way back on the final climb. I’m really happy with third place because I didn’t have anything left when I crossed the line, so I know I tried my best today.”
“It was good to get the chance to get in the breakaway and test my legs on the climbs. I’/m hoping there will be some more stages that are suited to me, and I can get stronger and stronger with each stage.”
Max Sciandri, Sports Director:
“We wanted to get a rider in the breakaway today and we thought that Darwin was our best shot. They all went full gas on the first climb and Visconti launched a big attack. We were expecting a large breakaway of ten or fifteen guys to form, not just three riders. They slowly established a gap of two minutes but it wasn’t really getting too far, so I told Darwin to attack on the next climb. And he went. We knew there would be a lot of teams who wanted to be in the breakaway so this was a good opportunity for that chase group to form.”
“There were a lot of tactics from Baridani-CSF towards the end and they had a bit more manpower in the break. At the end it doesn’t always turn out like you plan, but for us it was really good to see Darwin up there and showing what he can do. I think it’s the start of a good second part of the Giro d’Italia for us and Darwin. He and Manuel Senni can really try something on the climbs. We’re not looking for a top result on the General Classification, but rather taking those opportunities like the one we had today.”
Race Profile
Giro d’Italia (2.UWT)
Stage 10 Campi BIsenzio – Sestola (219km)
Top 3: Guilio Ciccone (Bardiani-CSF), Ivan Rovny (Tinkoff), Darwin Atapuma (BMC Racing Team)
BMC Racing Team Top 3:
3. Darwin Atapuma
47. Manuel Senni
80. Stefan Küng
