Another mountain stage awaited the riders today at Settimana Coppi e Bartali. Ben Zwiehoff attacked with 17 riders already on the first climb of the day and was virtually leading the race for some time during the day. When A. Guerini decided to make a move far out from the finish, Ben decided to stay with the big group to save some energy for the finale. With about 50km from the line the peloton was able to catch up with the group of Ben and on the last climb five riders attacked from a small first bunch. In the end Guerini just managed to just stay away and take the stage win while Ben Zwiehoff finished in the first bunch. A brave ride that didn’t pay off in the end.
Results
01 A. Guerini 4:05:29
02 M. Schmid + 0:03
03 J. Shaw + 0:03
11 Ben Zwiehoff + 0:17
From the finish line
„I took the chance when there was the opportunity to join that big break. But of course, I was on the radar from the other teams, and it was difficult to turn that move into success. Also, in the group the cooperation was not ideal as all had an eye on me because I was virtually the race leader. I tried to ride smart then and not invest all I got, but nevertheless this ride did cost some energy. Therefore, I just couldn’t follow the last attack from Schmid as I also was too far back in the group that moment. A big thanks to Lipo, he did an amazing job when the first bunch rejoined our group.“ – Ben Zwiehoff
„We really tried today to go for the jersey. But everybody was looking to Ben in the break, and they did never really work together. We decided to manage our effort then in order to be ready when the big guns rejoin. Florian road an amazing race and did a lot of work when that happened. At the first selection both made the split but on the last climb we missed again a little bit. That’s a pity but we can be proud how we rode today and presented outselves.“ – Jens Zemke, Sports Director