Bormio, May 23rd – Team BAHRAIN MERIDA captain Vincenzo Nibali wins the Queen Stage of the Giro d’Italia (ST16 Rovetta-Bormio, 222 km), outsprinting Mikel Landa in a two-up sprint to the line. Nairo Quintana finished third (+12”). In the GC The Shark moves into third place (+1’12”).
What a memorable day for Team BAHRAIN MERIDA at the 100th edition of the Giro d’Italia. Our leader Vincenzo Nibali takes the first win for our Team at this Grand Tour and the first Italian win of this year’s Corsa Rosa.
“Too bad that I couldn’t raise my arms to celebrate at the finish” smiles Vincenzo after his victory in stage 16 “I believe It was a spectacular stage for the fans of cycling and my fans too of course. I would like to thank all of them, because they are always supporting me. I worked well together with Landa and I pushed really hard in the descent. It was hard to do the final sprint, but I succeeded to win it and I’m really happy”.
In the Queen Stage (222km stage from Rovetta to Bormio) - featuring the Mortirolo climb and a double pass over the Stelvio for a total elevation of 5.500m – the Shark showed all his power. With an attack with 20 km to go to chase the leader of the race Landa and then giving a masterclass lesson in the downhill towards the finish in Bormio, where he outsprinted him in a two-up sprint to the line. Quintana tried to resist to Nibali’s attack, but he was forced to loose time in the descent too, finishing third, 12” behind Vincenzo.
It was a dramatic day for Tom Dumoulin. The Dutch rider keeps the Pink Jersey, with an heroic performance after he suffered from a stomach problem. In the GC now he reduces his advantage, with Quintana 30” behind and Nibali that moves into third (+1’12”).
Speaking after the race Sports Director Gorazd Stangelj comments: “It was a very strange day, with an early breakaway with a lot of important riders. At the end it was important not to loose nerve and be cold-blooded. We kept calm and maybe with a little luck we were rewarded”.
(All pictures attached can be used for editorial and non commercial usages only and are copyright protected – © Team Bahrain-Merida/ @BettiniPhoto)
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