South African cyclist Louis Meintjes has been honored for the first time in seven years. The rider of the Belgian team Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux won the 83rd edition of the Giro dell’Appennino on Thursday. He crossed the finish line in Genoa alone after almost 192 kilometers. On the podium, Meintjes was flanked by Eritrean Natnaël Tesfatsion and his German teammate Georg Zimmermann.
The 30-year-old Meintjes already impressed on the last two climbs, where the peloton was thinned, and on the final, flat 15 kilometers he broke away from his remaining rivals, with support from Zimmermann. After a solo of 8 kilometers he was able to raise his arms in triumph for the first time since 2015.
“Georg encouraged me to give it my all and this way I rode solo to my first victory in seven years. This victory was unexpected and that’s why it tastes so sweet,” said the lucky winner.