(Reuters) -Colombian Egan Bernal won stage 16 of the Giro d’Italia on Monday to support his grip on the general leader’s Maglia Rosa, as terrible weather prerequisites forced the bustle from Sacile to Cortina d’Ampezzo to be shortened from 212km to 155km.
Cold, moist and snowy prerequisites resulted in the resolution to shorten the stage as two excessive-altitude climbs on the Fedaia and Pordoi passes had been lower from the bustle.
Nonetheless the Ineos Grenadiers rider battled towards the aspects to complete 27 seconds ahead of Frenchman Romain Bardet and Italy’s Damiano Caruso.
“I wished to place on a canopy. Here is the make of cycling I cherish, when it’s moist and cold and you’d like grit,” Bernal mentioned.
“I wished to complete one thing particular. It’s unhealthy however I believed I might perchance well pause it, and the group believed in me.”
Bernal now has a lead of two minutes and 24 seconds over second-positioned Caruso within the total classification rankings.
British Maglia Rosa hopeful Simon Yates lost two minutes and 36 seconds on Bernal within the Dolomites, finishing 11th within the stage to tumble from second to fifth overall, four minutes and 20 seconds unhurried the Colombian.
Bernal now has a lead of two minutes and 24 seconds over second-positioned Caruso within the total classification rankings.
Britain’s Hugh Carthy and Russia’s Aleksander Vlasov are third and fourth, with gaps of three minutes 40 seconds and four minutes 18 seconds respectively.
The miserable weather also impacted the tv coverage, because the airplane that transmits the signal used to be unable to device shut off and camera helicopters might perchance well now not waft.
Bernal’s descent from the 2,236-metre summit of the Passo Giau – the best likely point within the Giro – to the pause line attributable to this reality went unseen by those searching at from afar.
The 24-year-passe surged past Antonio Pedrero to device shut the lead with 21 kilometres to hurry and by the purpose he appeared in Cortina d’Ampezzo he used to be all alone.
He even took the time to eradicate his rain jacket and scream their very get praises the leader’s crimson jersey ahead of crossing the pause line.
There is a relaxation day on Tuesday ahead of stage 17 on Wednesday, a 193km run from Canazei to Sega di Ala.
(Reporting by Alasdair Mackenzie; Enhancing by Hugh Lawson)
