Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
With race leader Jonas Vingegaard enjoying a relatively easy day in the bunch, fellow Dane Michael Valgren chose his moment perfectly to win stage 17 of the Giro d’Italia.
The 34-year-old EF Education-EasyPost rider hung on grimly alongside Movistar’s Einer Rubio in the latter stages of a hilly 202-km trek from Cassano d’Adda dominated by a large breakaway.
Australia’s Chris Harper (Pinarello–Q36.5), who came close to a stage win on Tuesday, was 5:15 adrift, as was compatriot Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), the 2022 Giro winner who had moved into fourth overall after taking third on Tuesday.
Hindley remained fourth in the overall classification, with the next best-placed Aussie Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) retaining his seventh spot. Ben O’Connor (Team Jayco-Alula) lies 10th. Harper is 14th but the Aussie contingent are still awaiting their first stage win.
After Wednesday’s two leaders were joined by a small group of chasers inside the final two kilometres, Valgren showed his superior sprinting skill to go alone and cross the line three seconds ahead of Norway’s Andreas Leknessund. Italian Damiano Caruso was third.
“When I have good legs I’m pretty good at it,” Valgren said after winning his first Grand Tour stage.
Fellow Dane Vingegaard finished safely in the main peloton to preserve his big lead in the general classification.
He will take a lead of 4:03 into Thursday’s 171-km stage from Fai della Paganella to Pieve di Soligo.
It was an emotional victory for Valgren who four years ago suffered career-threatening injuries when he crashed over a guard rail into a ravine at La Route d’Occitanie.
He was part of a large breakaway group of 28 riders who formed early in the stage and was never far from the front.
As the group began to splinter, he and Colombia’s Rubio pulled clear with Valgren close to breaking point at times.
But when a group of six formed at the front near the end of the final 5-km climb to the finish, Valgren took matters into his own hands and no one could stay with him.
“This was missing from my resume,” he said. “I think I deserved this. I think I’ve always said, my career has been pretty good, but I needed this Grand Tour stage win.”
While the GC battle took a day off, the Maglia Ciclamino (points jersey) changed hands with Ecuador’s Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates XRG) grabbing it from France’s Paul Magnier.
In Thursday’s 18th stage, riders will stay in Italy to face an undulating route from start to finish. The Giro ends on Sunday in Rome. The women’s Giro is from May 30 to June 7.
