Italian Paolo Tiralongo won the ninth stage of the Giro d’Italia on Sunday as his Astana team leader Fabio Aru snatched back one second on race leader Alberto Contador.
Veteran Tiralongo, 37, counterattacked out of a breakaway group of 10 riders 14km from the end to catch long-time lone leader Tom Jelte Slagter, who had escaped with 70km still to ride.
By that point the Cannondale-Garmin rider was spent and Sicilian Tiralongo left him in his wake to claim the victory at the end of 224km from Benevento to San Giorgio del Sannio, Italy.
Photo: Reuters
“I got into the breakaway, but the aim was to act as a bridge for Fabio on the last climb,” Tiralongo said. “But the team changed plans during the race, they gave me carte blanche to go for the stage win. I gave my all in the final kilometers. It’s a win that will add enthusiasm to the team for the remainder of the race.”
Dutchman Steven Kruisjwijk of Team LottoNL-Jumbo, who had come so close to a solo victory on Saturday, took second 21 seconds behind, with Simon Geschke of Germany heading the breakaway sprint finish a further 2 seconds back as Slagter faded to seventh.
Behind the breakaway riders, Aru had attacked out of the peloton and while Tinkoff-Saxo’s Contador and Team Sky’s Richie Porte matched his kick, Colombian Rigoberto Uran of Etixx-Quick Step could not and he lost about 45 seconds.
“I’m feeling better and better,” said Contador, 32, who crashed badly on Thursday, injuring his shoulder. “On the last climb, Aru put in a strong attack, but I managed to control the situation.”
The 2008 Giro winner and reigning Vuelta a Espana champion added: “Uran was behind and that was a chance to take some time out of him because he remains dangerous in the overall standings. It’s important to keep hold of the pink jersey.”
Sardinian Aru, 24, had attacked the peloton with 15km left on the final climb, but while Uran, second in the Giro the past two years, failed to respond, both Contador and Porte were able to glide into the Astana leader’s slipstream.
Aided by Aru’s teammate, Mikel Landa, who is fifth overall 46 seconds back, the four-man group put time into Uran as they came in just under a minute behind the winner.
Ahead of yesterday’s first rest day, Aru took 10th on the stage and cut his deficit to Contador and the maglia rosa from 4 seconds to 3 seconds, while Tasmanian Porte remains third, 22 seconds back.
“After all the hard work Landa had done, the least I could do was try to take back some time,” Aru said about his sprint finish. “I’m giving my all, as is the team.”
It was a successful day for the top three as Uran, who is the best time-triallist of the overall contenders, is now eighth, 2 minutes, 10 seconds off Contador.
“I lost some seconds again and now I am two minutes back. The gap is pretty important now, but, I’m a fighter and I know things can change, even in a moment in a three-week race like the Giro,” Uran said.
Today’s 10th stage is a pan-flat 200km ride from Civitanova Marche to Forli, Italy.
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