Cycling: Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott) won the tightest sprint of the 7th Giro d'Italia so far on Stage 100. The little Australian prevailed in the final meters of the tricky sprint from Alberobello in the photo finish. He was just a few millimeters ahead of Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) and Sam Bennett (Bora-hansgrohe). André Greipel was fourth.
Chanceless breakaway duo
After Silvan Dillier (BMC) successfully broke away on yesterday's Stage 6 of the 100th Giro d'Italia , the sprinters' teams were determined not to let their opportunity slip away today. Nevertheless, a breakaway duo formed, consisting of Giuseppe Fonzi (Willier-Selle Italia) and Dimitri Kozontchuk (Gasprom-RusVelo). The 224-kilometer route from Castrovillari to Alberobello took the riders northeast. Although the pair worked together very well, they never truly dared to dream of a successful escape, as the peloton only allowed them a few minutes' advantage. Quick-Step Floors, in particular, set a brisk pace. This is hardly surprising, given that they not only have the Maglia Rosa (pink jersey) in their ranks, but also, in Fernando Gaviria, arguably the best sprinter in the peloton. The Colombian has already won two stages at this Giro d'Italia. He won the 3rd stage and the 5th stage.
Three sprinters almost level
With 18 kilometers to go, the lead was only a few seconds. However, the peloton refused to bring about the merger. Eventually the two escapees gave up on their own. Kozontchuk and Fonzi thanked them with a handshake. Then they let the pack catch up with them. When it came to the last kilometer, it got tricky. The drivers could not see the finish line because of a right-left curve. Lukas Pöstlberger (Bora-hansgrohe) put on the sprint for his captain Sam Bennett. However, Caleb Ewan drove into the corner first. In the last 50 meters Fernando Gaviria appeared on his left and Sam Bennet on his right. All three sprinters tried to jump forward in the last few centimeters with a tiger leap. The live images made it difficult to tell who was able to win the stage. It wasn't until the photo finish that viewers could see Ewan winning ahead of Gaviria and Bennett.
The result of the 7st stage of the 100th Giro d'Italia 2017
| PLATZ | Driver | Country | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Caleb ewan | Australia | Orica Scott | 5:35:18 |
| 2. | Fernando Gaviria | Colombia | Quick Step Floors | st |
| 3. | Sam Bennett | Ireland | Bora, hansgrohe | st |
| 4. | André Greipel | Germany | Lotto Soudal | st |
| 5. | Jasper stuyven | Belgium | Trek-Segafredo | st |
| 6. | Ryan Gibbons | South Africa | Dimension Data | st |
| 7. | Enrico Battaglin | Italy | LottoNL Jumbo | + 0: 02 |
| 8. | Rüdiger Selig | Germany | Bora, hansgrohe | st |
| 9. | Alexey Tsatevich | Russia | Gazprom-RusVelo | st |
| 10. | Vincenzo Nibali | Italy | Bahrain Merida | st |
The general classification of the 100th Giro d'Italia 2017 after the 7th stage
| PLATZ | Driver | Country | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bob jungels | Luxembourg | Quick Step Floors | 33:56:07 |
| 2. | Geraint Thomas | Great Britain | Sky | + 0: 06 |
| 3. | Adam Yates | Great Britain | Orica Scott | + 0: 10 |
| 4. | Vincenzo Nibali | Italy | Bahrain Merida | st |
| 5. | Dominic Pozzo alive | Italy | Ag2r | st |
| 6. | Tom Dumoulin | Netherlands | Sunweb | st |
| 7. | Nairo Quintana | Colombia | Movistar | st |
| 8. | Build Mollema | Netherlands | Trek-Segafredo | st |
| 9. | Andrew Amador | Costa Rica | Movistar | st |
| 10. | Tejay Van Garderen | USA | BMC | st |