Carapaz back to best form at Sappada thriller (5th)
20 May 2018

Giro de Italia (st. 15)

Ecuadorian rider from Movistar Team back on the attack within Giro contenders, climbs up to sixth overall. Ill-timed puncture delays Betancur (19th).

Following a very demanding Zoncolan climb, where he wasn’t able to exploit the magnificent form he had been showing for the past two weeks, Richard Carapaz (Movistar Team) showed himself strong again on Sunday during stage 15 of the Giro d’Italia -176km between Tolmezzo and Sappada; four rated ascents-, finishing in 5th place after going on the attack and showing his excellent level to remain within the top ten riders overall.

Dayer Quintana’s long, well-fought early breakaway (25 riders), where he resisted until 35km before the finish, was an early show of the Blues’ strength before ‘Richie’ and Carlos Betancur came to the four at the last categorized climb, Costalissoio (Cat-2), where the Ecuadorian got into the leading group while the Colombian joined a second echelon including Chris Froome (SKY).

The attack by race leader Simon Yates (MTS), 2km from the top, put the Briton into advantage over a five-man pursuit featuring López (AST), Pozzovivo (TBM), Pinot (FDJ), Dumoulin (SUN) and Carapaz, who waited until the last 4km to try and go solo, breaking Dumoulin’s pace in the process yet unable to ultimately drop the Dutchman (+41″). Betancur, hampered by an ill-timed puncture with less than 3km to go, did not finish with Froome -1’20” back-, rather than behind, 2′ down in 19th place.

Carapaz is now in 6th place overall, 4’47” after Yates -with Betancur in 14º, 8’00” down-, in the eve of the third, final rest day on Monday. After that, the ‘race of truth’ will come: a 34km ITT from Trento to Rovereto, where the two Blue climbers will try to limit losses before the final trio of brutal mountain stages on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Picture (c): BettiniPhoto.net