It’s been the case of matching each other pedal stroke for pedal stroke in recent stages of the Giro d’Italia, with Aussie Jai Hindley (BORA-hansgrohe) facing a tough fight to unseat Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) at the top of the standings. With Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victoious) also showing his form as one of the top climbers in recent stages, he’s also impossible to count out, despite being less of a threat at a minute down on the general classification.
After Stage 19’s conservative approach to racing, with only the final climb seeing sporadic attacking action, Carapaz said he believes that the impasse will be broken when they reach the final ramps of the Marmolada/Passo Fedaia on Saturday afternoon.
“Tomorrow, the last climb is so hard, the final five kilometres are going to be decisive,” said Carapaz.
“I don’t think that we were going to get to the finish together. We’ll all try to go all-out for the win.”
The stage to Santuario di Castelmonte was one where BORA-hansgrohe took the lead from early on in the race, before pulling off in the final kilometres, with INEOS Grenadiers taking over and forcing the pace on the final climb.
“We expended a lot of energy,” said Carapaz. “We tried today again. But in the end, we were on the same level as the others, but I have a good feeling for tomorrow.”
Carapaz’s family have arrived from Ecuador to share in the moment with the national star, their presence key for Carapaz.
“It’s important to be here with my family,” said Carapaz. “It’s a special moment, especially for us, the South Americans, because we spend so much time in Europe.”
The Giro d'Italia continues tonight with a decisive stage in the overall battle for the pink jersey, with a monstrous day of climbing set to see the top climbers in the race battle it out. Watch the full stage from 8.05pm AEST on SBS On Demand with the SBS coverage starting at 10.30pm AEST. WA viewers can watch from 8.30pm AWST.
