MILAN (AP) — Norwegian cyclist Fredrik Dversnes claimed the biggest victory of his career as he won the 15th stage of the Giro d’Italia on Sunday, while Jonas Vingegaard remained in the overall lead heading into the final week.
Dversnes won from a four-man breakaway that escaped early on the flat 157-kilometer (98-mile) route that started in Voghera and ended with four laps of the finishing circuit in Milan.
The Uno-X Mobility rider edged out his fellow escapees by almost a bicycle length, with Mirco Maestri finishing second and Martin Marcellusi third.
It is the first Giro for Dversnes and his team.
“Super good help from the other guys in the breakaway … They were really, really strong today,” Dversnes said. “I knew I had good opportunities because I’m pretty good at going in breakaways, so this was my big shot.
“I’ve been joking this year that I will try to trick the peloton in one of these sprint stages, so I really wanted to do that and prove that, so super glad to make it. It’s big. It’s a really big and incredible feeling.”
Vingegaard, who had seized control of the race on Saturday, finished safely in the peloton to maintain his overall advantage of 2:26 over Afonso Eulálio, with Felix Gall 24 seconds further back.
The race jury decided to neutralize Sunday’s stage for the last lap after several riders — including Vingegaard — complained about the road surface and the placing of the barriers. The overall times were taken at the last passage under the finish arch, before the start of the last lap.
“Maybe today was not the most safe road, so to speak, but we tried to speak with the organization and they really listened to us,” Vingegaard said. “So I want to thank the organization as well for listening to what we had to say today.”
Monday sees the Giro’s third and final rest day before Tuesday’s brutal 16th stage. The 113-kilometer route from Bellinzona includes five classified climbs, including the top-category slog to the finish in Carì.
The Giro ends on May 31 in Rome.
The women’s Giro from May 30-June 7 will be defended by Italian rider Elisa Longo Borghini.
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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling
