Giro de Italia (18ª)

Courageous Ecuadorian -launched by Movistar Team's acceleration on final climb- attacks main GC contenders, finds stronger response from Miguel Ángel López. 'Richie' stays 9th overall as Yates loses 28" on Dumoulin.

He triumphs or loses terrain, but never stops offering some fireworks whenever possible. Richard Carapaz (Movistar Team) showed again his courage on Thursday’s opening of three decisive stages in the Alps: the finish up Pratonevoso (Cat-1), after 198km almost entirely flat until the foot of the decisive ascent.

Rubén Fernández and Carlos Betancur picked up the pace for the Blues’ GC contenders with 6km remaining in a climb whose tempo had been kept under control by MTS. After a brief ‘impasse’, with Groupama-FDJ in the lead, Carapaz went on the attack and built a slim gap on the favourites’ group, including a reaction from Miguel Ángel López (AST), who soon dropped back his main rival for the Maglia Bianca. The other main favourites waited until the final 2km to make their moves: an acceleration by Tom Dumoulin (SUN) and a subsequent counter from Chris Froome (SKY) made Simon Yates (MTS) crack and lose almost half a minute on the two, as well as Domenico Pozzovivo (TBM).

Between the pink jersey and his rivals finished Carapaz, who stays in 9th place overall, five seconds behind eighth -Bilbao (AST)- and 50″ after seventh -Dennis (BMC)-, yet now more than a minute behind the top under-26 competitor. The Carchí native will, nevertheless, have two big chances to bounce back and fight for white, starting with Friday’s ‘tappone’ (184km). The climbs to Lys (Cat-2), Finestre (Cima Coppi; final 8km on dirt roads), Sestriere (Cat-3) and the finish in the Jafferau (Cat-1) will surely make for an epic day and a big, penultimate hurdle before reaching Rome.

Picture (c): BettiniPhoto.net