Giro d'Italia: Primoz Roglic overtakes Geraint Thomas for lead prior to last stage

1 year ago 31

Primoz Roglic rides done a flurry of Slovenian flags connected signifier 20 of the Giro d'Italia

Geraint Thomas' hopes of winning the Giro d'Italia look to person ended successful agonising manner arsenic Primoz Roglic won the penultimate signifier connected Saturday.

Roglic won a brutal upland clip proceedings by 40 seconds from Thomas to instrumentality a 14-second pb into Sunday's last stage.

"I could consciousness my legs going astatine astir 1.5km from the apical of that climb," said 37-year-old Welshman Thomas.

"I conjecture it's bully to suffer by that overmuch alternatively than a 2nd oregon 2 - astatine slightest helium smashed me."

Slovenian Roglic won the 18.6km signifier contempt having to woody with a mechanical issue.

"It's conscionable thing amazing," said the 33-year-old.

"I dropped the chain. It's portion of it. I enactment it backmost and started [again].

"For sure, you don't privation these things to hap but I enactment the concatenation backmost connected and restarted."

Stage 20 betwixt Tarvisio and the apical of Monte Lussari successful northbound eastbound Italy took spot conscionable a fewer miles from the borderline with Roglic's location state of Slovenia.

And helium said his fans provided him with "extra watts" arsenic helium finished successful 42 minutes and 20 seconds.

Roglic's triumph helped easiness the memories of erstwhile helium was the beaten rider successful different melodramatic Grand Tour clip trial.

He went into signifier 20 of the 2020 Tour de France with a 57-second vantage implicit Tadej Pogacar, lone for the younger Slovenian to overhaul him with a devastating thrust to triumph the yellowish jersey.

The Giro concludes connected Sunday with a processional 135km signifier astir Rome during which, by precedent, the wide classification person volition not beryllium challenged for the wide victory.

"One much time to go. I deliberation the thigh is rather hard and technical. It's not implicit until it is finished but it looks good," added Roglic.

A generous Thomas said: "To beryllium honest, Primoz deserves that. He had a mechanical arsenic well.

"If you would person told maine this backmost successful February oregon March, I would've bitten your manus disconnected but present I'm devastated.

"With the play I've had up until now, I tin beryllium arrogant of that. I'm conscionable gutted for the boys arsenic good arsenic they worked truthful hard."