Twenty-two-year-old Steinhauser is starting the Grand Tour for the first time and celebrated his first professional victory after 159 kilometers. The member of the American EF Education-EasyPost team was first in the breakaway with the Eritrean Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier, and then he was on his way to the triumph of a lifetime alone. Riding solo, he also managed the final twelve-kilometer climb to Passo Brocon, where the cyclists climbed twice each time by a different route.
The group of biggest favorites did not strive for stage victory and rode together for a long time. It wasn’t until about two kilometers before the finish line that another debutant attacked Gira Pogačar and escaped his rivals without any problems. At that time, Steinhauser already had such a lead that it was clear that the undisputed best man of this year’s Giro would not add another triumph today after his fifth victory on Tuesday.
Pogačar crossed the finish line with a smile on his face 1:24 minutes after the winner. The five-member group of pursuers was led by the Italian Antonio Tiberi with a distance of 1:42, Hirt crossed the tape with a loss of 1:55 together with the Dutchman Thymen Arensman and Pogačar’s Polish assistant Rafael Majka.
Hirt drove actively in today’s stage and confirmed that he has a strong third week at big races. Around 50 km before the finish line, together with his star teammate Julian Alaphilippe from France, he tried to escape the peloton, but the four Ineos Grenadiers cyclists, who took care of the pace, did not let the pair of the Soudal-Quick Step team pass.
The Czech mountaineer thus still closes the top ten, he has already increased his lead over the eleventh Lorenzo Fortunat to almost two minutes. Hirt loses fifty-two seconds to the Italian Filippo Zana, who had a worse day today and dropped from eighth to ninth position.
Hirt is 14:44 minutes behind Pogačar. The leader of the Emirates team, who wants to win both the Giro and the Tour de France this year, has a lead of 7:42 minutes ahead of Colombian Daniel Martínez.
On Thursday, the favorites for the overall position will probably be able to rest a bit, as the 178 km long stage from the city of Fiera di Primiero to Padua will be undulating only at the beginning and then the flat will follow.
Giro d’Italia cycling stage race – 17th stage (Selva di Val Gardena – Passo del Brocon, 159 km). 1. Steinhauser (German/EF Education-EasyPost) 4:28:512. Pogačar (Slovenia/UAE Emirates) -1:243. Tiberi (It./Bahrain Victorious)4. Thomas (Brit./Ineos Grenadiers)5. Martínez (Col./Bora-hansgrohe)6. Rubio (Col./Movistar) all -1:429. HIRT (CZ/Soudal-Quick Step) -1:55 Current ranking: 1. Pogačar 63:31:182. Martínez -7:423. Thomas -8:044. O’Connor (Aust./Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale) -9:475. Tiberius -10:296. Arensman (Netherlands/Ineos Grenadiers) -11:1010. HIRT -14:44
2024-05-22 16:20:51
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