Vingegaard ready ahead of Giro's third summit finish: 'It would be nice to go for it'
Can anyone stop the Dane from landing a hat-trick of stage victories in an all-important stage for the GC contenders?
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) will naturally be the favourite for victory on stage 14 of the Giro d’Italia with a summit finish on the horizon.
The Dane will be aiming to make a huge leap in his quest to win the Giro on debut and become just the eighth rider to win all three Grand Tours.
Following the 42km individual time trial on stage 10, there has been a sense of calm before the storm among the GC contenders.
Beyond Afonso Eulálio gaining six bonus seconds at the Red Bull KM on stage 12, the last couple of days have seen a period of détente among those at the sharp end of the GC.
On stage 13, the peloton crossed the finish line in Verbania 13:06 behind stage winner Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana).
"That was a good day. We came through it in a good way. It was very warm,” Vingegaard told reporters, including CyclingProNet, at the finish. “But yeah, I think a lot of GC guys were thinking about tomorrow already. So not a lot of action there, but that's how it is.”
“I mean, we didn't want to attack today. We choose our days, and today we didn't want to go for it,” added Vingegaard.
As Vingegaard alluded to, the GC is likely to be shaken up on Saturday’s stage 14. In 133km of racing from Aosta to Pila, there are four categorised climbs, including the third summit finish of this year’s Giro.
Vingegaard remains in a strong position in the overall standings, 0:33 over Eulálio, and 1:30 ahead of Thymen Arensman (Netcompany-Ineos) in third.
Having won both summit finishes so far on Blockhaus and Corno alle Scale, Vingegaard hasn’t ruled out the prospect of launching another rocket on the final climb to Pila.
“Well, I mean it depends on how the legs are, obviously, but of course, if I feel good, it would be nice to go for it,” said Vingegaard.
"It would be fantastic to get the pink jersey, and the goal is to have it in Rome,” said Vingegaard. “I've always said that every day you wear a leader's jersey is an honour.”
Result: Giro d'Italia stage 13
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