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100th Giro d’Italia Stage 15: Triumph for Bob Jungels in elite bunch sprint

Quintana and Pinot claw back a few seconds

May 21, 2017
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Quick Step’s Luxembourger Bob Jungels, having twice worn the pink jersey over the last two years and currently in the white jersey, showed his power Sunday in winning the 15th stage of the Giro d’Italia the day before the final rest day. He won a sprint among the 100th Giro’s cream of the crop, his first WorldTour victory. Tom Dumoulin was 8th and kept safe in the pink jersey.
https://twitter.com/wcstats/status/866302829530632192
The riders faced 199-km, of which the first two-thirds were pretty flat. Shoved close together at the 149-km mark were a Cat. 2 and Cat. 3. Then a steep little wall loomed up 4-km to the line, with a downhill to the finish in Bergamo.


A breakaway group of five had to work hard to retain a gap in the first hour as the peloton kept the pace very high. The quintet survived for 100-km dicey kilometres. Then a second move shuffled away. This was a larger group containing purple jersey holder and four-stage winner Fernando Gaviria.


South African Jacques Janse van Rensburg of Dimension Data took the maximum KOM points at the top of Cat. 2 Miragolo San Salvatore, the slope of which diminished the size of the breakaway. Nairo Quintana crashed on its descent. Five riders topped the Cat. 3 30-seconds ahead of the peloton, Pierre Rolland taking the KOM points.

So no moves were made on the categorized climbs, but would someone take a risk on the partially-cobbled kicker’s 500-metres of 9.8%? The day’s second breakaway was sopped up and the field began the climb.

Jungels put in a stiff attack. Vincenzo Nibali counterattacked and Domenico Pozzovivo made it an animated trio. The top three Dumoulin, Quintana and Pinot latched on at the top.

An elite group of ten would vie for the victory. Jungels outsprinted Quintana, who led out the proceedings and looked peeved when he didn’t win, and Pinot. All three would nab bonus seconds.

It was bad news for one of the top-10. Astana’s Tanel Kangert, seventh overnight, crashed and busted his elbow.

Michael Woods was 55th. He had to stop and help Davide Formolo when Cannondale’s leader got caught up in a Sky crash. Woods stays at 30th on GC.

Monday is the third and last rest day. When the race gets back underway on Tuesday, it’s the brutal day of one climb of Mortirolo and two climbs of the Stelvio. Rest up, lads.

2017 Giro d’Italia Stage 15
1) Bob Jungels (Luxembourg/Quick Step) 4:16:51
2) Nairo Quintana (Colombia/Movistar) s.t.
3) Thibaut Pinot (France/FDJ) s.t.
55) Michael Woods (Canada/Cannondale) +4:30

2017 Giro d’Italia GC
1) Tom Dumoulin (The Netherlands/Sunweb)
2) Nairo Quintana (Colombia/Movistar) +2:41
3) Thibaut Pinot (France/FDJ) +3:21
30) Michael Woods (Canada/Cannondale) +32:38