Development Jarno Widar triumphs in Giro Valle d'Aosta

Nothing was mandatory, everything was allowed, and winning a stage would be nice. That was the goal that sports director Wesley Van Speybroeck had in mind for this Giro Ciclistico della Valle d'Aosta-Mont Blanc. With only two riders left for the Lotto Dstny Development team, it was not an easy task, but today they succeeded in Italy. The peloton faced another day full of climbing: the trio of Col d’Arlaz (7.4 km at 8.7%), Col Tsecore (9.8 km at 7.9%) and Col de Joux (6.7 km at 6.9%) provided plenty of opportunities to make a difference.

"It was a particularly nerve-wracking stage; everyone wanted to fight to get into that early break," says a delighted Jarno Widar. "About 20 riders got away, including one of the men who were leading the general classification. Kamiel Eeman then took the lead for me. He dropped me off at the foot of the first climb, and then I started pushing myself. I kept riding at my own pace, and that was enough to catch up with the rest."

In the uphill final kilometer, Widar overtook the remaining breakaway riders to arrive solo. He finished 9 seconds ahead of the rest and became the new leader in the general classification. He took the leader's jersey from Ludovico Crescioli, who crossed the finish line more than four minutes later. "Yellow wasn't the goal, but we'll do everything we can to defend the jersey tomorrow. There are only two of us left, but we are both strong. The final climb is tough enough to make a difference."

Picture: Giro della Valle d'Aosta