Australian Chris Harper capped off a successful Giro d’Italia for Team Jayco AlUla on Stage 20, attacking on the steep slopes of the Colle delle Finestre and staying clear on the climb to Sestrière to win the final mountain stage of the prestigious Italian Grand Tour. That dramatic victory, the biggest of Harper’s career, followed a Stage 8 victory from Luke Plapp and a number of top-10 finishes by other riders throughout the three-week Grand Tour.
Both Harper and Plapp took their stage wins riding with the CADEX 50 Ultra WheelSystem and new CADEX Aero Cotton tires, along with the CADEX Amp saddle. Harper also chose the CADEX Race Integrated handlebar for his win on the penultimate stage.
Beyond the stage victories, five of the team's eight riders registered top-10 finishes. Grand Tour debutants Paul Double and Davide De Pretto were both in the mix in the early stages as they infiltrated breakaways, with the latter taking a top-10 in the Stage 3 sprint finish.
REDEMPTION RIDE
Plapp opened things up with a 45km solo victory on Stage 8, which marked a strong return to form for the Australian following an early season crash that resulted in a broken wrist. “I still can’t believe it to be honest,” Plapp said after that win. “I feel like it’s been a long time coming. Last year I got so close at the Giro so many times and for it to happen today is so, so special.”
Following an unfortunate crash in the Stage 2 time trial, Plapp turned his attention toward Stage 8. With four categorized climbs, it was set up to be a tough one, and the Australian made all the right moves from the start. After a series of attacks in the first 90 minutes, the winning break of about 20 riders finally formed and Plapp made the split.
“That was an unbelievable fight to get in the breakaway,” he said. “It just kept going and going. There was one point where I was falling out so many times I was almost dropped myself, and then I gave it one more chance just to try to get in there, and there was a massive group that made it.”
From there, Plapp made the winning move over the Category 1 Sassotetto climb. “I think the way the racing’s been going this year the long moves have been really successful, so that was sort of in the back of my mind,” he said. “The first one to make a move I think always has an advantage.”
He had his work cut out for him holding off a hard chase from behind. The three-time Australian time trial champion used his TT prowess to power across the hilly terrain in the final 20km, crossing the finish with his arms spread wide and 38 seconds to spare.
HARPER SOLOS TO THE SUMMIT
The defining feature of the 205km Stage 20 through Italy’s western Alps from Verrès to Sestrière was the infamous Finestre climb. An 18.5km grind, the top half unpaved, the Colle delle Finestre has an average gradient of 9.2% and takes top professionals over an hour to summit.
Harper was the sole Team Jayco AlUla rider to make it into the day’s breakaway, which went clear in the opening kilometers with 31 riders stretching out a maximum advantage of almost nine minutes. Once onto the lower slopes of the Finestre, Harper followed accelerations and waited for the right moment to attack. He jumped away with 15km of the climb remaining.
"I preferred to climb at my own pace," Harper said. "I kept my effort under control in order to not explode, so I would have enough left to go to the finish."
Behind Harper, Simon Yates had made his move to seize the GC. “My sport directors kept me updated so I knew Simon Yates had a decent gap,” Harper said. “I also knew when he had Wout van Aert with him, and I got a bit nervous knowing Van Aert was chasing me down on the valley.”
But no one would catch Harper. The smile on his face as he crossed the finish line said it all. The biggest victory of his six-year professional career was a long time coming.
“I felt quite good at the start [of the Giro d’Italia], but unfortunately on that second rest day I started to feel pretty bad and ended up on antibiotics,” Harper said. “Then the focus was these last mountain stages to try and get into a break and see if I could get a result. It means a lot [to win on the Finestre stage]. It’s such a famous climb and I’m proud to win the stage here. It’s a super challenging stage and I’m really happy I could pull it off.”
