2020 Giro d'Italia Stage 16 Results & Recap
Stage 16 of the 2020 Giro d'Italia is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
Tratnik wins stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia
Jan Tratnik (Bahrain McLaren) climbed victory on stage 26 of the Giro d'Italia after attacking Ben O'Connor on the final climb of the day toward San Daniele del Friuli. Enrico Battaglin (Bahrain McLaren) finished third out of a small chase group a minute and 14 seconds behind.
“I could not believe it when I crossed the finish line. It’s my first grand tour stage victory. It is very special feelings after a really long day. Also, it was a special day for me because today we are close to Slovenia. Many Slovenian fans are here including my girlfriend, my brother and my friends.”
“Behind, in the chasing group, the guys did not collaborate well, and we also have Enrico Battaglin among the chasers. As he took control of the rivals, I just went on my own tempo and I dropped Manuele Boaro. On the last climb, I knew what I need is to go full gas, or there could be better climbers.”
“In the end, I think I made perfect tactics and I had really good legs. The climb before the finish suits me perfectly. When Ben O’Connor attacked and I saw that was not fast enough, I went solo until the finish line. I believed in myself, otherwise I could not win.”
With the peloton coming in 14 minutes behind the initial chase group of 28 riders, JoĂŁo Almeida (DQT) took an opportunity to attack on the final rise toward the line. He was successful in gaining two seconds on Wilco Kelderman (SUN) with a sneaky move.
“It wasn’t the plan to attack, but sometimes the best way to defend yourself is by going on the offensive and today was one of these days. The feeling was good, so I just went, especially as the explosive finale was to my liking. I know I took only two seconds, which don’t change much, but it was an important move for my morale. The team was great today All the time around me, then setting a tempo that prevented attacks on the final climb and doing a perfect job in the last kilometers. I know that another difficulty awaits on Wednesday, but I am ready to continue fighting and hopefully I will have the same good legs.”
Tomorrow is a huge day, with three Cat. 1 climbs over 203 km on the menu. The stage, from Bassano del Grappa to Madonna di Campiglio, begins at 10:20 a.m. CEST.
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