Next generation steals Tour of the Alps spotlight from Nibali and Froome
Sivakov and Geogh🐻egan Hart win opening two stages after aggressive racing
168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Vincenzo Nibali (168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Bahrain-Merida) and 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Chris Froome (Team Sky) were billed as the big-name rivals for this year's 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tour of the Alps, but they've so far been outshone by Team Sky's next generation – 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Pavel Sivakov and 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tao Geoghegan Hart&nbs𒉰p;– who have won the openi𝓰ng two stages after some aggressive racing.
Nibali is seeking a confirmation of his form as the Giro d'Italia approaches, while Froome is looking for his best form after an illness-hit spring, but their reputations have counted for little so far at the Tour 𓆏of the Alps.
Nibali tried an attack on 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Monday’s stage but was joined by Sivakov and Geoghegan Hart before Astana chased them down. 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:On Tuesday, Nibali got his Bahrain-Merida team to set the pace for much of the 15km, 2000m-high Passo di Monte Giovo, but then Sivakov got away in an📖 attack in the valley and was never seen again on the short, steep climb to the finish. The 22-year-old Russian won the stage and opened a 39-second lead on Nibali, Rafal Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe) and the other overall contenders.
Froome finished 1:34 back. He was in the select group of😼 20 or so riders that reached the summit of the Passo di Monte Giovo, but then he eased up on the fast and oft🐎en wet descent, preferring not to take any major risks.
Niba꧑li went deep to try to limit his time loss, but any chance of overall victory seems to 🌠have slipped his grasp.
"I was there and wanted to give it a go, but there were lots of attacks in the valley after the long climb, and it was impossible to go with all of them," Nibali explained. "I decided to mark Pello Bilbao [Astana] and Tao Geoghegan Hart, but then the others got away. We worked wi🔯th Majka to try to get back on, but it was impoꦦssible."
Despite losing time, Nibali was upbeat about hiไs and his team's performance.
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"We worked hard on 🔯the long climb, and we'll be paid back for it sooner or later. It was good training for the Giro d'Italia. We were outnumbered in the final, buꦫt that's because we did a lot of work," Nibali pointed out.
"I felt good, and my legs were g💦ood, and so that's why I pushed hard on the climb to the finish to take time on the other riders. I can't be happy with the result, but I'm happy with my performance."
Stephen is one of the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.