Team Qhubeka Assos rider Victor Campenaerts said that his team on Sunday went “all in” to help him win the 15th stage of the Giro d’Italia, while Team Ineos Grenadiers rider Egan Bernal took the leader’s pink jersey.
Campenaerts, 29, finished ahead of breakaway companion Oscar Riesebeek of Team Alpecin-Fenix on the 147km stage, which crossed into Slovenia.
Team DSM rider Nikias Arndt finished third, seven seconds behind the leading pair, on a road made slippery by heavy rain late in the day.
Photo: AFP
Bernal, the 2019 Tour de France winner, finished 21st, more than 15 minutes off the winner, but holds a 1 minute, 33 second overall race lead on UCI World Team rider Simon Yates before the mountainous 16th stage in the Dolomites.
“It was just an amazing day for the team,” Campenaerts said. “As we don’t have climbers for the next few stages in the mountains, we decided to go all in today. We rode as one.”
For time-trial specialist Campenaerts, it was a first Grand Tour win, and third for his South African outfit this year, after Swiss Mauro Schmid and Italian Giacomo Nizzolo in the past week.
“Now we have three victories in the Giro, which is simply fantastic for a team that struggled to stay alive,” Campenaerts said.
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