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After a single day racing in pink, 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Marcel Kittel (168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Etixx-QuickStep) may have lost the maglia rosa of 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Giro d’Italia leader to Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin), but the maglia rossa of Giro points leader remains firmly in the German&rsqꦗuo;s grasp.

With back-to-back stage wins in the Netherlands and 106 points to his name, Kittel is already a whopping 26 points ahead Dutchman Maarten Tjallingi (LottoNL-Jumbo),🦋 whilst Elia Viviani (Team Sky) is a distant thirdﷺ at 53.

The maglia rosa, though, is no longer in theꦇ German sprinter’s power, and unlike Dumoulin, Kittel has no chance of a second spell in lead this year, giv🌟en he lost over eight minutes by the finish of stage 4.

Already in trouble on the first of Tuesday’s two🧔 third category climbs, Kittel told reporters that he had relinquished his hold on the overall lead for good, some 25 kilometres from the line.

When the third, unclassified climb with its viciously tough final ramps hove into view, therefore, Kittel instantly o💟pted to𒀰 take things calmly rather than engage in a futile battle for what was already clearly lost.

The maglia rossa of points leadeဣr, though already Kittel’s since stage 2, remains the German’s. And at the stage 4 finish, the German looked tired when he crosseꦑd the line, but by no means out for the count. As Kittel said alter, there could well be more victories in the days to come.

More on this story:
168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Giro d'Italia: Ulissi wins stage 4
168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Giro d'Ita💎lia stage 4: Finish line qu🐓otes

“When the other teams really started to go all out in the last part of the stage, my legs were already on the limit,” Kittel said. “Everybodyꦺ knew that there was a steep climb coming up and my decision was clear.

“I’m just not made for those sorts of climbs, they are too har🔯d for me. But I was very happy to be able to wear pink for at least one day, and in Italy too.”

Alth𓆉ough Friday’s stage 7 certainly looks like it could end in a bunch sprint, Kittel was wary about over-stating his chances on Wednesday’s long grind northwards through terr🌊ain the Giro’s route book cheerfully describes as “constantly undulating up to the last 30 kilometres.”

✃Given the stage is the second longest of the entire race, at 233 kilometres, and the final kilometre is slightly uphill and has some cobbled sections, Kittel’s caution about taking a 14th stage win of his career and fifth in the Giro d’Italia to celebrate his birthday on Wednesday is perhaps undersꦅtandable.

“The first part of the stage is not so difficult, but it could be a very tough final,” Kittel said. “We’ll have to see what the wind direction is like, and how the other teams are handling the racing. It could bꦿe a surprisingly tough day.

“Today [stage four] was too hard for me, but I was really happy to be💮 able to enjoy the lead for one day. Now I’ve got red.&rdq༒uo;

Although it remains unclear whether Kittel will race all the way to Tu❀rin, there is certainly a recent historical precedent for success with the points jersey for a Quick Step sprinter in the Giro d’Italia. Back in 2013, Mark Cavendish completed his ‘set’ of Grand Tour points victories by taking the Giro’s maglia rossa for the Belgian squad.