Andrey Amador of Movistar assumed the overall lead and the maglia rosa from Etixx-QuickStep’s Bob Jungels, but it was Nieve who won the race’s first high-mountain stage, repeating the feat he achieved in 2011.
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Orica-GreenEDGE team director Matt White was unstinting in his praise for Chaves.
Nieve got into a breakaway and launched a solo attack on the third of four categorized climbs in Stage 13.
The Maglia Rosa said: “I’m delighted to have the Maglia Rosa”.
The Belgium-based team turned the last 15km of the 182km stage in the lowlands near Venice into a team time trial as the Red Express roared around the streets of Bibione.
“It’s an enormous satisfaction to take the pink jersey, especially in such a wonderful setting as the Dolomites”.
The Quick Step rider finished 50 seconds off the pace after being dropped on the final climb.
Jungels stayed with the other leaders for most of the day but was dropped on the way up to Porzus.
The victory comes as a welcome morale-boost for Team Sky following Mikel Landa’s early exit at stage 10 with a stomach bug on Tuesday. Andrey Amador (Movistar) had started the day second overall, just 24 seconds off pink. “It was a hard stage to plan for because everything can change on that kind of course but in the end it worked really well for us going into the final. Today it was possible and we tried full gas since the start”, said Nieve, who was joined in the initial break by team-mates Seb Henao and Christian Knees.
“We wanted to win stages and we are very happy to do it today”. It’s been nearly five years since I last won a stage at the Giro d’Italia.
Greipel will be among those seeking to win the Tour de France opening stage on July 2 and with it the yellow jersey, while October’s World Championships in Qatar will also be a target. But the decision seemed all the more freaky given Denifl’s strong sixth place finish on the stage, the 28-year-old arriving with the pack of favourites.
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Joy for Esteban Chavez at the victory, but the Giro d’Italia sneered down at the field of riders on stage 14 and dared them to match themselves against the toughest stage yet, with multiple heart-bursting mountain climbs. Sit tight, buckle in, and enjoy the ride.
