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Richard Carapaz is the first Ecuadorian to win a Grand Tour

Roglič salvages Giro d'Italia podium spot in time trial finale

June 2, 2019
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The 102nd Giro d’Italia concluded on Sunday in fair Verona, as Richard Carapaz was crowned the 2019 champion after a short time trial. Carapaz is the first Ecuadorian to win a Grand Tour, finishing 1:05 faster than Vincenzo Nibali. American Chad Haga scooped a stage win for Sunweb, some sort of consolation for the team after its GC man Tom Dumoulin had to withdraw from the race with crash injuries.

The Course

Sunday’s finale was a 17-km time trial with a 4.1 km, 4.8 percent climb in its middle. Carapaz wasn’t likely to ship 1:54 to Nibali and the Shark should have been able to keep second. Mikel Landa would have a very difficult time holding back Primoz Roglič from reclaiming the last podium spot, even with the 10-second time penalty given to the Slovenian for a long push by a fan on Saturday’s stage. There were several other top-10 battles to consider.

It wasn’t to be for Victor Campenaerts again. The Belgian one-hour record holder couldn’t keep the top time on the Stage 9 time trial, beaten by the last man to start, pink jersey holder Roglič, and on Sunday his time of 22:11 was eclipsed by Haga.

No one could touch Haga, which meant that the Sunweb rider became the fourth American to win an individual time trial in the Giro.

Roglič clawed back his podium spot from Mikel Landa, his first in a Grand Tour.

Winner of Stages 4 and 14, Carapaz built the foundation of his first Giro victory on Stage 9, as Nibali and Roglič were so engaged in their rivalry that the Ecuadorian was allowed to go up the road on the Ceresole Reale summit finish. Carapaz and Roglič had contrasting second halves of the race, with the Movistar rider getting stronger and the Slovenian getting weaker.

Vincenzo Nibali has now been on 11 Grand Tour podiums. His last runner-up spot was in the 2017 Vuelta a España.

Bauke Mollema was very consistent without catching the eye. Fifth place is his best Grand Tour result since fourth in the 2011 Vuelta.

Angel Lopez couldn’t hold his sixth position from Rafal Majka. Lopez was third in both last year’s Giro and Vuelta. Sixth is Majka’s best Grand Tour showing since fifth in the 2016 Giro.

Right now Nibali, Roglič, Landa, and Mollema are slated for the Tour de France, while Angel Lopez, Rafal Majka and Simon Yates are scheduled to race the Vuelta. There’s no word which additional 2019 Grand Tour Carapaz, Sivakov and Zakarin will race.


2019 Giro d’Italia Stage 21
1) Chad Haga (U.S.A./Sunweb) 22:07
2) Victor Campenaerts (Belgium/Lotto-Soudal) +0:04
3) Thomas De Gendt (Belgium/Lotto-Soudal) +0:06

2019 Giro d’Italia Final GC
1) Richard Carapaz (Ecuador/Movistar) 90:01:47
2) Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Bahrain-Merida) +1:05
3) Primož Roglič (Slovenia/Jumbo-Visma) +2:30
4) Mikel Landa (Spain/Movistar) +2:38
5) Bauke Mollema (The Netherlands/Trek-Segafredo) +5:43
6) Rafal Majka (Poland/Bora-Hansgrohe) +6:56
7) Angel Lopez (Colombia/Astana) +7:26
8) Simon Yates (Great Britain/Mitchelton-Scott) +7:49
9) Pavel Sivakov (Russia/Ineos) +8:56
10) Ilnur Zakarin (Russia/Katusha) +12:14

Points jersey: Pascal Ackermann (Germany/Bora-Hansgrohe)
Mountains jersey: Giulio Ciccone (Italy/Trek-Segafredo)
Young Rider jersey: Angel Lopez (Colombia/Astana)
Team competition: Movistar