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Giro d’Italia 2017: Bob Jungels win in Bergamo as Nairo Quintana claws back time

Colombian claims valuable bonus seconds with surprise second place; Adam Yates finishes fourth

Bob Jungels (QuickStep Floors) claimed the first Grand Tour stage win of his career in Bergamo, as Nairo Quintana (Movistar) finished second to claw back some bonus seconds overall.

Jungels, in the white jersey, was quickest of the elite 12-man group which contested the finale, while Quintana – who had earlier crashed – claimed a surprise second place and six bonus seconds.

Tom Dumoulin, in the pink jersey – who called for the peloton to slow down when Quintana crashed – finished eighth, and so will carry a 2’41” lead into the final rest day.

Britain’s Adam Yates was also in the 12-man group, finishing fourth and just outside the bonus seconds, to move up to 11th overall, despite losing ten seconds to Jungels in the race for the white jersey.

Bob Jungels celebrates victory on stage 15 of the 2017 Giro d’Italia (pic – Sirotti)

With the final rest day awaiting, there was no let-up in the pace in what proved to be a frenetic stage to Bergamo.

A five-man break went away from the flag but, despite a stage profile which might have suited the breakaway, there were too many in the peloton keen to reel them in.

Jeremy Roy (FDJ), Dries Devenyns (QuickStep Floors), Moreno Hofland (Lotto-Soudal), Jan Barta (Bora-hansgrohe) and the ever-active Albanian champion Eugert Zhupa (Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia) were the five to go clear.

But the average speed behind was in excess of 50kph, with more than 100km cover in the first two hours of racing, and with 94km still to race it was gruppo compacto again.

The second breakaway to form was much bigger, with maglia ciclamino Fernando Gaviria (QuickStep Floors), Team Sky’s Philip Deignan and stage six winner Silvan Dillier (BMC Racing) among those present.

This time the leash was extended a little further, but by the first of the day’s two climbs the gap had already shrunk back to 45 seconds, and the Miragolo San Salvatore climb split the breakaway.

Only Rudy Molard (FDJ), Deignan and Jacques Janse van Rensburg (Dimension Data) remained at the head of affairs by the time the summit was crested.

Quintana crashed when team-mate Gorka Izaguirre over-cooked a corner on the descent – the Colombian taking a tumble as he braked to avoid the Spaniard – but he was up and riding again immediately.

Dumoulin took the sporting option to slow the peloton, though it was fortunate as the Movistar team car almost caused a big crash as it parked up to deal with Quintana with no regard for the other riders.

Tom Dumoulin called for the peloton to slow down when Nairo Quintana crashed – the Dutchman leads by 2’41” going into the final rest day (pic – Sirotti)

At the front of the race, Pierre Rolland (Cannondale-Drapac) had chased onto the leaders and crested the second summit – the Selvino – first, but the rapid and technical descent claimed some victims behind.

Davide Formolo (Cannondale-Drapac) was among those to crash, as was Kenny Elissonde (Team Sky), with the high tempo cutting the gap to the leaders to just 30 seconds.

More disaster struck as the 10km-to-go mark approached, with Astana’s GC man Tanel Kangert – so impressive at times during the second week – crashed out of the race after colliding with an unprotected road sign.

Rolland took off solo on a final, uncategorised climb on Bergamo’s cobblestone roads but it proved in vain as Jungels jumped across and caught him.

Dumoulin was initially wrong-footed as Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) led the GC men across the gap to the Luxembourg, but a group of 12 arrived together to contest the finish.

And it was Jungels who got his arms in the air, to ensure he now leads Yates by 2’25” in the youth classification.

Giro d’Italia 2017: stage 15 – report

1) Bob Jungels (LUX) – QuickStep Floors – 4.16.51hrs
2) Nairo Quintana (COL) – Movistar – ST
3) Thibaut Pinot (FRA) – FDJ
4) Adam Yates (GBR) – Orica-Scott
5) Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA) – Ag2r-La Mondiale
6) Patrick Konrad (AUT) – Bora-hansgrohe
7) Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) – Bahrain-Merida
8) Tom Dumoulin (NED) – Team Sunweb
9) Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) – Katusha-Alpecin
10) Bauke Mollema (NED) – Trek-Segafredo

General classification

1) Tom Dumoulin (NED) – Team Sunweb – 63.48.08hrs
2) Nairo Quintana (COL) – Movistar +2.41
3) Thibaut Pinot (FRA) – FDJ +3.21
4) Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) – Bahrain-Merida +3.40
5) Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) – Katusha-Alpecin +4.24
6) Bauke Mollema (NED) – Trek-Segafredo +4.32
7) Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA) – Ag2r-La Mondiale +4.59
8) Bob Jungels (LUX) – QuickStep Floors +5.18
9) Andrey Amador (CRC) – Movistar +6.01
10) Steven Kruijswijk (NED) – LottoNL-Jumbo +7.03
11) Adam Yates (GBR) – Orica-Scott +7.43

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