Race Review: Wellens Wins Giro Stage 4, Froome Loses Time
Race Review: Wellens Wins Giro Stage 4, Froome Loses Time
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(AFP) – British race favourite Chris Froome's Giro d'Italia hopes suffered in Sicily on Monday as the four-time Tour de France champion lost time in a fourth stage won by Belgian Tim Wellens.
Froome's bid for a third straight Grand Tour victory took a hit on the final climb and the Team Sky star now trails Rohan Dennis by 55 seconds in the general classification.
On the Giro's arrival in Italy after starting in Jerusalem followed by two stages in Israel, Wellens won a sprint on an uphill finish, holding off Canadian Michael Woods and Italy's Enrico Battaglin following the 202km ride between Catania and Caltagirone.
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Australia's Dennis retained the overall leader's pink jersey after the first of three days on the Mediterranean island when crossing the line four seconds behind Wellens.
The BMC rider retained his one-second advantage over last year's winner Tom Dumoulin with Froome's fellow Briton Simon Yates -- fourth in the stage -- now in third overall at 17sec.
"It's great to keep the jersey for a bit longer. The guys did everything possible to put me in the right position," Dennis said.
"Everyone knows it's pretty common I've lost it (the leader's jersey) after one day in every other Grand Tour (the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana). Now I've kept it for two days. It's all thanks to my teammates -- they've been great around me."
The stage was built around a five-man breakaway -- Enrico Barbin, Jacopo Mosca, Quentin Jauregui, Maxim Belkov and Marco Frapporti -- who opened up a four-minute lead before being caught 13km from the line and the climb towards Caltagirone.
In the final push, Italy's Valerio Conti showed his ambitions up front but was reeled in with three kilometres to go.
For 26-year-old Lotto rider Wellens it was a second stage success in the Giro two years after his first.
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The Belgian has claimed one-day race wins such as the Montreal GP in 2015 and stage races including the Eneco Tour and the Tour of Poland.
"The finish suited me but it wasn't easy. After this whatever happens in this Giro will be a bonus," he said.
Wednesday's fifth stage will cover 153km between Agrigente and Santa Ninfa.