YATES SOLOS TO SECOND GIRO STAGE WIN!

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2022

Team BikeExchange-Jayco rider Simon Yates scored his second stage win at the Giro d’Italia, making a solo attack late in a thrilling Stage 14 to earn a hard-fought victory in Turin. It was a big day for the team, which also saw sprinter Dylan Groenewegen win the Veenendaal-Veenendall Classic in the Netherlands.

Yates, riding his TCR Advanced SL Disc team bike with a CADEX WheelSystem, made the decisive move with about 5km to go, just before the final descent into Turin. The 147km stage featured five categorized climbs totaling about 3000m of climbing and saw plenty of attacks from riders focused on the general classification or gunning for the stage win. The team worked to put Yates in contention in the final kilometers, and the 29-year-old Brit took it from there.
 
“I tried a few times in the beginning but it wasn’t possible,” said Yates, who wore the Giant Rev Pro helmet and Surge Pro shoes to take the win. “So we had to change tactics and go after the stage normally.”
 
It was the second stage win of the 2022 Giro for Yates, who also captured the Stage 2 time trial during the opening week in Hungary. It was his sixth career stage win at the Giro. The Brit came into the race with high hopes for the general classification, but a crash in the first week left him with a sore knee that caused him to fall out of contention on the pivotal Stage 9 that featured a summit finish at Blockhaus.
 
The Stage 14 win offered some redemption, and it showed that Yates is still in good form heading into the final week of the three-week grand tour. Team BikeExchange-Jayco head sports director Matt White said the stage win showed the character of Yates and his teammates.
 
“It was a big win,” White said. “A very nice turnaround by the team and Simon as well. Things hadn’t gone as planned but a true test of someone’s character is how they can turn things around. Simon had a very, very impressive ride today.”
 
Groenewegen Wins Again
 
While Yates was winning in Italy, the team also had a squad in the Netherlands to support sprinter Dylan Groenewegen at the Veenendaal-Veenendaal Classic. The 28-year-old Dutch speedster delivered a dominant performance to win the 195km race, beating Gerben Thijssen (second) and Arnaud de Lie (third) in a bunch sprint after a strong showing by his teammates.
 
“We were here with a young group of riders,” said Groenewegen, who rode his Propel Advanced SL Disc team bike with a CADEX WheelSystem to earn his fourth win of the year. “We positioned well all day long, and especially in the last corner I was in the perfect spot. I am happy because everything went as planned. We are on the right track.”
 
Groenewegen, who wore the Giant Pursuit helmet for the win, next turns his attention to the Rund um Köln, a 198km race in Germany scheduled for the following day. He is riding a wave of momentum after a long training block followed by a win last week at the Tour de Hongrie.
 
“It’s never easy to come back into races after an off period, but now we have an intense period of races,” Groenewegen said. “And this will be really helpful to get back on the right track for our big goals of the season.”

Source:

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/global/news/yates-solos-to-second-giro-stage-win/26959