BLOCKHAUS, Italy (AP) — Australian cyclist Jai Hindley won Stage 9 of the Giro d’Italia atop the fearsome Blockhaus but Juan Pedro Lopez managed to keep hold of the leader’s pink jersey after the race’s toughest leg.
Hindley, who rides for Bora-Hansgrohe, edged out Romain Bardet and overall favorite Richard Carapaz in a sprint to the line at the end of an arduous day of climbing.
Mikel Landa and Joao Almeida also finished with the same time.
Lopez surprisingly kept hold of the maglia rosa as the Spaniard finished the 191-kilometer (119-mile) route from Isernia 1 minute, 46 seconds behind Hindley on a day in which several favorites lost time on the iconic final climb that had double-digit gradients along a series of hairpin bends leading to the line.
“This is wonderful for me, I don’t believe this moment,” the Trek-Segafredo rider said. “We need to enjoy every moment.”
Lopez is 12 seconds ahead of Almeida now and 14 ahead of Bardet, with Carapaz just a second further back.
As well as the Blockhaus, the route also included the top-category climb to Passo Lanciano and two other categorized ascents on a day with 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) of climbing.
A nine-man breakaway led the stage for most of the day but they were caught and the peloton started the final climb to Blockhaus together.
Simon Yates was one of the favorites dropped early on and the British rider crossed the line 11 minutes behind Hindley with his right knee heavily strapped. He had sustained the injury on the fourth stage climb up Etna.