Kämna made it into the well-manned escape group of the day on what Buchmann classified as the “most brutal stage”. Halfway through the stage on the dreaded Mortirolo, the North German was one of the strongest drivers. About 21 kilometers before the finish, Kämna pulled away from three escape companions, and was then overtaken by Hirt a few kilometers before the mountain classification on the last mountain, the Santa Cristina, which is particularly steep in the second part.
Buchmann cannot keep up with top speed
At the Santa Cristina, Buchmann had lost touch with the group of favorites. In the steepest section, the Spaniard Mikel Landa attacked, only Carapaz and Buchmann’s teammate Hindley followed the Spanish climbing specialist. Hindley made the strongest impression in the small group, which finally caught up with Kämna, and ultimately secured important bonus seconds in the sprint.
Source: sid/dpa/red