Jai Hindley (Bora), an Australian, defeated Richard Carapaz (Ecuador) in Saturday’s Tour of Italy. It was the 20th and penultimate stages won by Alessandro Covi of the UAE at Passo Fedaia. Carapaz lost almost a minute and half on Hindley during the final three kilometers of the Dolomites’ great stage.
The Australian will be at the start time trial in Verona on Sunday with a 1 minute 25 second lead over Olympic champion, who has worn the pink jersey since stage 14. Covi was 32 seconds ahead of Domen Novak, a Slovenian cyclist, and 37 seconds ahead of Giulio Ciccone, an Italian cyclist. Covi, who was 53 km from the finish in the Pordoi breakaway, reached Fedaia’s final ascent (14 km at 7.6%) more than two minutes ahead of a counterattack group. He also had six minutes to spare on the pack of favorite riders.
In the San Pellegrino and Pordoi, which were the first two passes of today, the candidates for the podium stayed together, following the Spaniard Mikel landa’s teammates. They waited until the Passo Fedaia’s steepest slopes were completed to make their points.
Hindley began at 3.5 km and bent Carapaz 2800m from the finish. Landa, the pink jersey’s wearer, even took the victory lap and finished 1 minute 28 seconds ahead of the Australian. Hindley, 26 years old, finished second at the 2020 Giro. He had worn the pink jersey that year on the eve the finish, but lost it in Milan’s final time trial. He had approached the finish line in the same time as the Briton Tao Geoghegan Hart, but he was not able to keep up with him.
Covi, a 23 year-old Piedmontese won the Giro for first time. He finished 2nd in the Montalcino stage on the “white trails” of Tuscany and 3rd at Monte Zoncolan.
The final 17.4-kilometer time trial will take place on Sunday at the Torricelle circuit, Verona. This circuit was used in the 1999 and 2004 Worlds. Carapaz won the 2019 Giro. Then came the identical finish, with the arrival at the famous bullring. It was here that Francesco Moser beat Laurent Fignon in a remarkable edition of 1984.
