Andreas Leknessund defends 8th place on GC after battle in Dolomites

Andreas Leknessund managed to defend his 8th place on the GC in the Giro d’Italia on Thursday, as he crossed the finish line in 16th position after fireworks on the last climb in the mountains.

After the phenomenal win of Team DSM and Alberto Dainese on Wednesday in Caorle, the team awaited a tough mountain stage of 161 kilometres finishing in Val di Zoldo. After a fast start a group of seven riders made the jump into the breakaway, including GC-contenders Thibaut Pinot and Aurélien Paret-Peintre. This group would stay away for the whole stage. Shortly afterwards, Andreas Leknessund and Marius Mayrhofer attempted to join them, but were not let go by the peloton. A few teams at the front of the bunch then increased the pace considerably after which the group quickly thinned out.

As the reduced peloton approached the Forcella Cibiana with only 30 kilometres to go, some teams increased the pace and several riders dropped at the back. A fast descent followed after which the group of GC favourites started the finale of the stage by climbing the Coi and finishing atop the Val di Zoldo. After an attack from Roglic and Thomas, Leknessund initially managed to keep up with two riders of UAE. He kept up with them until deep into the finale and finished in a solid 16th position.

Leknessund’s massive efforts in the Italian Dolomites resulted in him staying 8th on GC as we head into the final three stages of the Giro d’Italia.

Speaking after the stage Leknessund said: “In the finale it went perfect when chasing Jay Vine. It would have been nice to stay in that group, but unfortunately, I cracked and just had to ride my own climb. It was hard, but also nice to try out. We’ve still three stages to go, so let’s see what we can do there!”

Team DSM coach Matt Winston added: “It was a tough day in the saddle for our sprinters, but they came through it in a good way. They supported Andreas as much as possible and in the end Andreas did a really good job by following the best guys of the race. Unfortunately, he went a little bit over his limit there after which is legs started pulling off in the end. But overall, he dug really deep and did a good job there so we can be really happy with that. We’re still in the top ten of the GC as we’re heading into the final three stages”.