Cycling: Rohan Dennis (BMC) won the 34,2-kilometer individual time trial on stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia. The Australian time trial champion finished 14 seconds ahead of German time trial champion Tony Martin (Katusha-Alpecin). Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) came in third, gaining time on leader Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), but still likely falling too far behind.
Pinot receives a bitter clap
Tony Martin (Katusha-Alpecin) sat in the hot seat for a long time in the finish town of Rovereto, but then Rohan Dennis (BMC) arrived. The Australian lived up to his favorite status and beat the German's time by 14 seconds. After that, nothing changed in the top two positions, as the highest-placed riders in the general classification couldn't match those times. The battle for the Maglia Rosa and a good starting position before the remaining mountain stages began. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) suffered a major setback in these ambitions. The Frenchman lost a full 3:19 minutes to the stage winner, thus ending all hopes of overall victory. Domenico Pozzovivo (Bahrain Merida), on the other hand, rode surprisingly well, gaining 59 seconds on his French rival and now sitting over a minute ahead in third place. Chris Froome (Sky) slotted in between them , finishing fifth on the stage, 35 seconds behind Rohan Dennis.
Giro d'Italia'nın Trento'da başlayıp Rovereto'da biten 16. etabında BMC'den Rohan Dennis finişi geçen ilk isim olurken genel klasman lideri Simon Yates pembe mayoyu korudu. #Giro #Giro101 pic.twitter.com/pByROjPDju
— Socrates (@SocratesDergi) May 22, 2018
Yates only loses 1:15 to Dumoulin
The big duel between Tom Dumoulin and Simon Yates came right at the end of the time trial . The reigning world time trial champion from the Netherlands started with a deficit of 2 minutes and 11 seconds. His fans hoped he could make up the time today and then simply defend his lead in the remaining stages. But Simon Yates was in excellent form again today. Finishing 22nd in the stage, he was only 1:15 behind Tom Dumoulin. He now leads the defending champion by 56 seconds. Barring a complete collapse, the Briton is unlikely to relinquish this lead. The other competitors are significantly further back. Domenico Pozzovivo is 3:11 behind, Christopher Froome 3:50, and Thibaut Pinot 4:19. However, far removed from the overall standings, a completely different rider caused a sensation. Fabio Aru (UAE Team Emirates) rode arguably the best time trial of his career. The Italian was only 37 seconds slower than Rohan Dennis and finished in sixth place.