Arnau Gilabert, in the provisional top 15 of the Giro Next Gen

Swiss Jan Christen (Axeon) won on the Pian del Cansiglio, the finish of the penultimate stage of a Giro Next Gen in which Norwegian Johannes Staune-Mittet (Jumbo-Visma), second, further sealed his maglia rosa. Arnau Gilabert, one of the tenants of the group of illustrious riders, finished the day sixteenth (3’47” behind the winner) and jumps to the provisional fifteenth position in the general classification.

It was a stage with almost 4,000 metres of accumulated elevation gain, without any major mountain passes in terms of fame or renown, but with a lot of toughness. A breakaway of twelve riders would consolidate in the lead and would be selected until the climb to Nevegal, where the race regrouped to give way to an offensive by Gil Gelders that crystallised in a trio with him, Jan Christen and Luca Cretti. Their advantage, 2’30” over the leader’s group and Gilabert, was eventually wiped out by a series of attacks on the hardest ramps, with Staune-Mitter coming out on top.

Arnau Gilabert: “It was a tremendous stage, very hard, with a lot of wear and tear. We started off calmly, but when we got to the climbs it was a very hard ride. The important thing was to keep saving, in the end after seven days a stage of 180 kilometres is not only hard because of the hardness, but also because of the duration and the distance. We have been crowning with the frontrunners and in the end it was a question of pushing as far as it would go”. The Corsa Rosa U23 closes this Sunday with a 135 kilometre ride between Tavagnacco and Trieste.

[? La Presse / Giro Next Gen]