21 May 2017

Jungels crowned in Italy's wonderland

The top GC riders challenge themselves until the very end. The Luxembourger wins a selected sprint in Bergamo.

Bob Jungels used the roads of the Il Lombardia to claim his first ever sprint victory in Bergamo, beating all the other GC contenders and including today’s runner-up Nairo Quintana who crashed earlier on but recovered and reduced his deficit to Tom Dumoulin by six seconds, the time bonus awarded to the second rider across the line of the legendary Pope John XXIII street.

STATISTICS

• First Grand Tour victory for Bob Jungels. He’s the second Luxembourger to win a stage at the Giro d’Italia. His predecessor Charly Gaul won 11 stages between 1956 and 1961.
• With Bob Jungels who is 24 years of age, more than half of the stages so far in the Giro 100 (8 out of 15) have been won by riders eligible for the under-26 white jersey classification.
• Riders from nine different nations – the same number as the whole of last year’s race – have won stages at this year’s Giro: Austria, Germany, Colombia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Australia, Spain, The Netherlands and Luxembourg.
• Stage 15 has been recorded as the 11th fastest stage (excluding time trials) in the history of the Giro d’Italia with an average speed of 46.486km/h. The record is stage 18 in 2012 from San Vito di Cadore to Vedelago (139km) won by Andrea Guardini at 49.429km/h.

FINAL RESULT

1 – Bob Jungels (Quick-Step Floors) – 199km in 4h16’51”, average speed 46.486km/h

2 – Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) s.t.

3 – Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) s.t.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

PRESS CONFERENCE

Today’s stage winner Bob Jungels said: “It’s never easy to plan an attack like mine today in a stage like this. It was very fast from the start, with a very high average speed. The race was hard until the end and the main favourites were left. It was more of a Classic than a Grand Tour stage. It’s what I needed to win a stage. I felt good so I tried. I was also a bit lucky to have a good position for the sprint. Sometimes winning is just a question of feeling. I’m proud to have finished off the work the guys did today. I hope my bad days are behind me and the coming stages in the mountains will be interesting with Tom Dumoulin in the lead.”

The Maglia Rosa Tom Dumoulin said: “It was a fast and stressful stage but a good day for me. In the finale it was all about timing in the sprint. I was just saving my Maglia Rosa, nothing else. I didn’t want to take time on Quintana when he crashed because it wasn’t the right way to do it. Sometimes, the race goes on but this was a good moment to wait for him. My legs felt good today but I’m always looking forward to a rest day.”

NEXT STAGE – TUESDAY 23rd

Stage 16 – Rovetta – Bormio – 222km – total elevation 5,500m