🇮🇹🇦🇹 #TotA 📰 A brave effort from @jackhaig93 on the opening stage of @Tourof_TheAlps saw him caught in the final kilometre. He took 10th place, just behind his teammate @SantiagoBS26. #RideAsOne #LiveUphill 📸 @SprintCycling
"My attack on the penultimate climb was not really planned" - Jack Haig shows good form and almost benefits from aggressive Tour of the Alps opener
CyclingTuesday, 18 April 2023 at 10:36
Jack Haig is building towards the Giro d'Italia and on the opening day of the Tour of the Alps he showed his work is bringing the results. He was the most decisive attacker on the finale of the opening day but saw his chances fade inside the difficult final kilometer into Alpbach.
As INEOS Grenadiers tried to keep several riders after the main climb of the day the pace slowed down and Haig went on the attack. As Santiago Buitrago sat on the wheels behind, the Australian built a gap of around 25 seconds, was briefly joined by Jefferson Cepeda but made most of the effort alone. “I tried to manage my effort and save some energy for the final climb. I didn't want to give everything in the flat before the final climb," Haig said in a post-race interview.
"My attack on the penultimate climb was not really planned, but I saw four more INEOS Grenadiers riders in the first group. I had to try something so they couldn't take advantage of an overage situation," he explained. "I was actually hoping for the company of two or three riders so that we could help each other in the valley, but I was now completely on my own.”
The 29-year old's effort was strong but not enough to take the stage win, as his rivals soared up the final kilometer as he held on for life. He crossed the line tenth 14 seconds down on Tao Geoghegan Hart but takes motivation from his gutsy ride. “We now have to take it day by day. The plan is to race aggressively. If I have good legs, I'll compete for the GC. If that is not the case, I will still leave this round with a good feeling," he concluded.
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