Dubai: It was a case of so near, yet so far for Rui Costa of UAE Team Emirates, who finished runner-up for the second time in the Giro d’Italia on Wednesday.
The Portuguese rider, who also came in second in the 11th stage, was behind Frenchman Pierre Rolland (Cannondale-Drapac Pro Cycling Team), who won the 219-km 17th stage between Tirano and Canazei, with Spanish Gorka Izagirre (Movistar Team) in third place.
UAE Team Emirates secured fourth podium position after one win and 13 top 10 finishes.
“Towards the end of the race there were a lot of attacks and it wasn’t possible to keep up with them all,” said Costa.
Team Emirates’ Slovenian rider Jan Polanc, who won stage four, is currently 10th in the general classification, eighth in the mountains classification and second in the youth classification (Maglia Bianca).
Polanc thanked his teammates and said that the next stage “will be a critical one as it decides what will most likely happen from then on in the Giro.”
Elsewhere, fellow UAE Team Emirates riders Simone Petilli is fifth in the youth classification and Robert Ferrari is ninth in the points classification.
The 18th stage will take place today from Moena to Ortisei and it features a rise and drop of approximately 4,000m. The 137-km route is three stages away from the final race, covering a total distance of 3,572.2km this year.
— The writer is an intern at Gulf News
