Bilbao takes Giro stage seven as Conti stays in the pink

Bilbao takes Giro stage seven as Conti stays in the pink
By Reuters
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button

L'AQUILA, Italy (Reuters) - Spain's Pello Bilbao claimed the seventh stage of the Giro d'Italia on Friday, a 185-km undulating ride from Vasto to L'Aquila.

The Astana rider attacked from a small group of breakaway riders 1.5km from the finish in the final punchy climb, holding off France's Tony Gallopin and Italian Davide Formolo, who were second and third respectively five seconds behind.

Italian Valerio Conti finished in the main pack, 1:07 off the pace, to retain the overall leader's pink jersey.

The overall favourites had an uneventful day in the peloton.

"It was a really important day for me today. It took a long time to get my first victory in a three-week race," said Bilbao.

"This was only possible with a big team like Astana. Thank you to all of the team."

Slovenian Primoz Roglic, one of the top favourites, lost one of his domestiques for the mountain stages when Laurens De Plus of Belgium abandoned after being sick for a few days.

Saturday's eighth stage is a 235-km ride from Tortoreto Lido to Pesaro ahead of a key time trial on Sunday.

(Writing by Julien Pretot; Editing by Keith Weir and Mark Potter)

Share this articleComments

You might also like

WATCH: What does the future of Asian football look like?

Judo-loving Tajikistan is victorious at its first-ever Grand Prix in Dushanbe

Uzbekistan's International Conference puts regional connectivity on the agenda