Marmolada (dpa) – The Australian professional cyclist Jai Hindley from the German Bora-hansgrohe team took over the pink jersey of the overall leader on the penultimate day of the 105th Giro d’Italia.
With an attack of a good two kilometers on the final climb on the Fedaia Pass, the 26-year-old Hindley was able to distance the previously leader Richard Carapaz from Ecuador and take the Maglia Rosa from the overall winner of 2019. Hindley has the chance to become the first Australian to win the Tour of Italy on Sunday after the final individual time trial in Verona.
The stage win of the 20th stage after 168 kilometers from Belluno to the mountain finish in Marmolada on the 2057 meter high Fedaia Pass was secured by the Italian Alessandro Covi as a soloist. The 23-year-old was able to break away from an originally 15-rider breakaway group that also included Lennard Kämna for a long time. On the fourth day of the Giro, the bora-Hansgrohe professional ensured the only German stage win of this year’s Giro and finished the stage 3:39 minutes behind Covi in tenth place. Emanuel Buchmann was 22nd, five and a half minutes behind, but defended his seventh place overall.
“Jai was so at the limit, he couldn’t react after my congratulations at the finish,” said Kämna after the rock-hard stage. 4490 meters of altitude had to be mastered on the way to the finish, including the 1918 meter high San Pellegrino Pass and the Pordoijoch (2239 meters). “I knew this was going to be the crucial stage. It was really brutal in the final,” said Hindley. With a lead of 1:25 minutes over Carapaz, the Australian goes into the final 17.4 kilometer individual time trial with start and finish in Verona. Third is Mikel Landa of Spain, 1:51 minutes behind.