INEOS Grenadiers have a strong team and have put on a good performance in the queen stage of the Tour of the Alps. Tao Geoghegan Hart was put to the test but survived the attacks of stage winner Lennard Kämna and Jefferson Cepeda.
“You don't always have to be greedy, but sometimes you also have to race smartly. There are strong riders here. I would have liked to have won again and strengthened my lead. But if there are riders ahead with a lead of 15 or 20 seconds, then this final did not have the perfect steepness to lead," Hart said in a post-race interview.
Thymen Arensman, Geraint Thomas, Laurens de Plus and Pavel Sivakov all did their share of the work in the long 16-kilometer final ascent, but the legs on the day were good. The Briton, who had won the first two stages, had a nice lead in the race and INEOS took control in the final ascent. In the final 6 kilometers Kämna and Cepeda attacked, but not being in direct sight of the race lead, the team kept it's initial strategy.
"There was also some headwind, but if you have the leader's jersey, you sometimes have to opt for safety a bit more and not take any risks," Hart explains. "Because the most important thing was to remain leader after all the work of the team. The team is very strong today and they were there in the difficult moments."
As the group slowly lost riders Hart only found himself isolated in the final 1.5 kilometers to go, where he then led the GC group without asking for help from his rivals. His mission was to pace his way into the finish and prevent meaningful losses, and he's achieved that as Ka¨mna only gained four seconds on the road, and neither Hugh Carthy or Jack Haig - second and third in the GC - took any time on the Briton this afternoon.
“We still have two days to go. First we have to finish this Tour of the Alps and I don't think about anything else for the next 48 hours," Hart responded when asked about the Giro d'Italia, to which his buildup is looking very good.
"Lennard has won stages in two of the three Grand Tours, worn the leader's jersey in Tirreno-Adriatico this year, and I have a lot of respect for him," the race leader said about Kämna, who now sits sixth in the GC. “Don't give him too much time. That's why I tried to close that gap myself. He is a real time trialist and that effort suits him very well. He is also building well towards the Giro.”
It's a brilliant front-foot ride from @taogeoghegan to retain his overall lead at #TotA. The Grenadier took it up early, finishing fourth on the stage and taking crucial time back on the late escapees. Credit too to @PavelSivakov for a clutch turn there in the final kilometres.
