Fausto Masnada of the Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec secured his second stage victory at the 2019 Tour of the Alps today, but it was not enough to take over the dominance of Team Sky’s Pavel Sivakov, who went home with the overall win.
Sivakov’s rivals made sure he had to earn every bit of the win, ending Team Sky’s legacy in stage races on the highest possible note.
The biggest threat to finalize his dream was an unexpected one: Masnada did much more than just secure a second stage victory with a gutty attack from distance but also ran as virtual leader of the race well into the final 20 km of the closing stage.
A 18-man break got away in the early race before splitting into two as the Collalbo/Klobenstein ascent started hitting hard on the legs of the escapees. The rain in the first half of the race induced Team Sky to a more cautious approach, that eventually led a 9-man selected group – Cataldo, Stalnov, Masnada, Cuadros Morata, Thalmann, Quintero, Bizkarra, Velasco and Vuillermoz – to gain over 7 minutes, giving Masnada (back 3.37 at the start) a virtual 3.30 advantage in GC over Sivakov. Masnada himself attacked and left the company along with Colombian Quintero.
That’s when Team Sky had to pull out a joker, and they found it once again in Chris Froome. The four-time Tour de France leader pulled the leaders’ group through the whole San Genesio/Jenesien climb, cutting down the gap to 4 minutes. There again, it was Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) who pulled the trigger and attacked twice, and only Sivakov remained in his wake. Tao Geoghegan Hart, Cattaneo (Androni-Sidermec) and Vuillermoz (Ag2R-La Mondiale) got back on the two rivals, but the gap was already back under the risk threshold, and the quintet eventually remained together until the finish. At the front, Masnada used a late attack with 1 km to go to distance Quintero and take a second stage victory. Velasco (Neri-Selle Italia) was third at 1.30, whilst Nibali and Sivakov’s group ended at 2.14. The final podium was a mix of talent, perspective and class: Sivakov 1st, Geoghegan Hart 2nd and Vincenzo Nibali 3rd.
“That’s incredible,” said Pavel Sivakov, “I must say I feel this like a team victory rather than mine. My teammates were amazing throughout the week, and helped me hugely once again today, when we were put under big pressure. Even when we were seven minutes down, I just remained confident that we would have made it back, not contesting the stage maybe but enough to defend this victory. I am delighted to have won this great race: I enjoyed it very much, though it was full-gas really from start to finish. That’s a success that rewards me of every effort.” Sivakov was the first ever Russian to win the Tour of the Alps, and even one of the youngest at 22 years of age, that meant he also won the Youth Classification’s white jersey. Spaniard Sergio Samiguer (Euskadi-Murias) won the best climber’s classification, whilst Felbermayr-Simplon-Wels Austrian Matthias Krizek was the finner of the Intermediate Sprints’ red jersey.
From his side, Masnada was rightfully delighted with his second win of the week: “I am very happy that the stage went exactly to plan for me. I hoped to be in a big breakaway, and I found the right one. Even when I knew we had a big gap, I still thought that the GC would probably be still out of reach, so I focused only on the stage victory. Now I am heading to the Giro with increased confidence – both for a GC placement and a stage win.”
Once again, the Tour of the Alps succeeded in bringing five days of great cycling show, powered by the top names in the sport, on the Euregio roads: “We are delighted by the feedbacks we are receiving from the territorial boards of Tirol, Südtirol and Trentino, the key partners of this experience along with the Euregio,” GS Alto Garda President Giacomo Santini said. “In the years, the Tour of the Alps is getting more and more recognized for its identity, and that’s big for us. We are incredibly proud of the way the greatest champions in cycling come here to compete at the best of their possibilities, as the likes of Nibali and Froome showed also today, and that huge talents like Pavel Sivakov and Tao Geoghegan Hart keep revealing themselves on our roads.”
“I really wish to credit and thank all the elements of this great organizational group, from the board of directors to all the volunteer that help us making this race safer, better and more beautiful. This edition has been another success – now we switch focus to number 44.”
Stage 5 Brief Results:
- Fausto Masnada (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec) at 4h02’06”
- Carlos Julian Quintero Noreña (Manzana Postobon) at 7″
- Simone Velasco (Neri Sottoli–Selle Italia–KTM) at 1’31”
- Dario Cataldo (Ita) Astana Pro Team s.t.
- Roland Thalmann (Team Vorarlberg Santic) at 1’33”
- Alexis Vuillermoz (AG2R La Mondiale) at 2’14”
- Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) s.t.
- Mattia Cattaneo (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec) s.t.
- Tao Geoghegan Hart (Team Sky) s.t.
- Pavel Sivakov (Team Sky) s.t.
Final General Classification:
- Pavel Sivakov (Team Sky) at 18h58’00”
- Tao Geoghegan Hart (Team Sky) at 27″
- Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) 33″
- Mattia Cattaneo (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec) at 1’03”
- Fausto Masnada (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec) at 1’13”
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