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Andreas Leknessund all-in for Giro d'Italia GC: "It would be stupid not to try in the situation I am in now"
CyclingMonday, 22 May 2023 at 13:01
In a Giro d'Italia which is seeing several revelations, Andreas Leknessund is definitely one of them. A very talented rider already, but his display of strength over the second week of the Giro now sees him as a legitimate contender for a high position in the overall classification.
"It is a surprise that I am now fifth. I didn't expect it. I didn't have the goal to ride a classification beforehand, but suddenly I'm fifth at the start of the last week. It's an interesting situation, I think, and super cool. I am certainly not going to lose time intentionally," Leknessund said after the second week of the race. "So far it is going better than expected and my legs are still very good. It's a good opportunity to see how far I can go. I didn't come for a classification and I don't want to call myself a classification rider yet, but it would be stupid not to try in the situation I am in now."
The Norwegian jumped into the race lead on stage 4 to Lago Laceno as he finished second in the day. It was evident that he was keen on keeping the jersey, but had little hopes to remain in contention for it. That is however what has been happening, as he thrived in the shortened stage 13, and yesterday in Bergamo directly responded to the attacks within the GC group - arriving with the best.
"I'm still good in the standings, but I have nothing to lose. Last week I never worried about my position in the standings. I just try to ride the best I can every day. It's just a really nice situation to be in. I'm looking forward to the high mountains, to be honest," he admits. "I don't know what to expect, I don't really expect anything. Anyway, it will be nice to see how I will do.”
Leknessund, leader of Team DSM, starts the final week of the Corsa Rosa in fifth place, 1.50 minutes behind Bruno Armirail. However, he is only 42 seconds behind Geraint Thomas, and in the summit finish to Crans-Montana the Norwegian lost only 7 seconds.
“That went super well. I think that was my best week ever on a bike. When I started this Giro, I hoped that the third week would go like this again, that I could take another step towards the last week. It would be nice if a comparable last week could now be ridden as in the Tour. Then it can become very interesting in terms of the result," he added.
The conservative racing has perhaps so far benefited him, however as his form seems to improve further and further deep into the race, Leknessund may aim higher as the race goes on - even if the stages will be substantially harder. Many GC contenders were forced to abandon the race, whilst Leknessund has hardly put a foot wrong in two weeks.
"I feel like we are still waiting for the big test. Of course there have been tough moments, but no stages where you ride at the limit for a long time. That also makes it difficult to know what to expect from the final week. On the other hand, it's good that I haven't really been tested yet, because that means the form is good."
“I am a bit surprised about that, but it also makes sense. In a ride like yesterday it's hard to make big differences. But there are also more reasons. Certain riders have left the race, leaving fewer cards to play. In addition, the third week will be super tough," he concluded.
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