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Chris Froome wins the Giro d'Italia

Team Sky star seals Grand Tour hat-trick as Sam Bennett takes final stage

Chris Froome has become just the third rider in history to hold the title of champion of each of cycling’s three Grand Tours at the same time, sealing his victory in the 101st edition of the Giro d’Italia in Rome this afternoon, with the 21st and concluding stage won by Sam Bennett.

This afternoon’s 114-kilometre stage comprising 10 laps of a circuit in the heart of the Italian capital threatened to descend into farce as riders made their feelings clear about the perceived danger of the course, effectively neutralising the race.

As a result, organisers RCS Sport decided to take the final time for the general classification with seven laps of today’s stage still remaining.

The decision effectively split the race in two as the sprinters and their leadout trains came to the front while the riders at the top of the general classification sacked off the pace and took a relatively leisurely ride through the Eternal City.

Froome, who celebrated his 33rd birthday during the three-week race, was among the final riders to cross the line, side by side with his Team Sky colleagues, more than a quarter of an hour after Bennett had won the stage.

He joins Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault in being the reigning champion of the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana, and the only one to have done so since the Spanish race was moved from the Spring to its current late-season slot on the calendar.

He is also the first rider since the late Marco Pantani in 1998 to have won both the overall title and the mountains competition at the Giro d’Italia.

With his salbutamol case resulting from an adverse analytical finding for twice the permitted level of the anti-asthma drug salbutamol unlikely to be resolved before July, Froome will head to the Tour de France hoping to emulate another of the Italian’s achievements that year, when he became the last rider to win both races in the same year.

“It's great to soak up the atmosphere here in Rome. I was surely not disappointed by the crowd and the monuments. I need a bit of time to reflect but this race has been incredible,” he said after finishing today’s stage.

“For any cyclist, it's a dream to have all three Grand Tour leader's jerseys. I'm still pinching myself. I can't believe I'm here in the Maglia Rosa.”

There was one significant change to the general classification today, however, with Thibaut Pinot of Groupama-FDJ, third overall after yesterday’s stage, spending the night in hospital in Aosta with suspected pneumonia.

He has since been released from hospital and will now spend a period of rest, with Astana’s Miguel Angel Lopez, winner of the best young rider’s classification, completing the overall podium behind Froome and runner-up Tom Dumoulin of Team Sunweb.

At the front of the race, Quick Step Floors, looking to set up Elia Viviani for his fifth stage win and Bora-Hansgrohe, working for Irish sprinter Bennett, ensured that the day’s attacks were kept in check.

In the final sprint, Bennett followed Viviani’s wheel – nudging the Bahrain-Merida sprinter Niccolo Bonifacio aside in the process – before coming round the Italian to clinch victory, although it is the Quick Step Floors rider who wins the points competition.

After his third victory of the race, Bennett said: “I don't know how I managed to beat Elia Viviani. I suffered so much over the past few days in the mountains, but my team did a fantastic job to bring the last breakaway back today.

“It's fantastic to have won three stages in the Giro but I'll have to get up tomorrow and focus on further goals, possibly the Irish championship as I'd love to show the national colours on the world stage.”

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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11 comments

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kil0ran | 6 years ago
2 likes

Sadly, can't celebrate this as much as I'd like with the hearing pending. Which is gutting because that ride on Friday should be seen as one of the truly great, iconic performances in any sport. Can't help but feel a Yates win (even given his own doping issues) or a Dumoulin double would have been better all round. 

I recall how two years ago loads of people were slagging off Nibali with his "miraculous" 3rd week performance on return from a rest day, seem curiously absent when it's Froome. I'd imagine things are different on the Italian & French versions of road.cc  1

Avatar
CXR94Di2 | 6 years ago
5 likes

Greatest cyclist of current generation

Avatar
madcarew replied to CXR94Di2 | 6 years ago
2 likes

CXR94Di2 wrote:

Greatest cyclist of current generation

Maybe greatest tour rider of current generation? but I really think Sagan is the greatest rider of the current generation for all round ability.

Avatar
CXR94Di2 replied to madcarew | 6 years ago
5 likes
madcarew wrote:

CXR94Di2 wrote:

Greatest cyclist of current generation

Maybe greatest tour rider of current generation? but I really think Sagan is the greatest rider of the current generation for all round ability.

it's a good argument, Froome can climb with the best, TT, descend and even put up a decent sprint. Sagan can sprint with the best, descend, half decent TT and climber.

Horses for courses, but equally great in their own sphere of racing

Avatar
kil0ran replied to CXR94Di2 | 6 years ago
0 likes

CXR94Di2 wrote:
madcarew wrote:

CXR94Di2 wrote:

Greatest cyclist of current generation

Maybe greatest tour rider of current generation? but I really think Sagan is the greatest rider of the current generation for all round ability.

it's a good argument, Froome can climb with the best, TT, descend and even put up a decent sprint. Sagan can sprint with the best, descend, half decent TT and climber. Horses for courses, but equally great in their own sphere of racing

The only chink in his armour appears to be short punchy 15%+ climbs, he's lost time on those in the last three GTs (obvs not to any great detriment as he still won the overall). 

Still prefer to watch Sagan, mainly because Froome looks like he's pedalling squares all the time. Reminds me of Paula Radcliffe's running style compared to the stylish metronomic approach of Kenyan runners. 

Avatar
StraelGuy | 6 years ago
3 likes

Wow, massive chapeau Chris! Merckx and Hinault, exalted company indeed smiley. The Cannibal, the Badger and the ..?

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BehindTheBikesheds replied to StraelGuy | 6 years ago
4 likes

StraelGuy wrote:

Wow, massive chapeau Chris! Merckx and Hinault, exalted company indeed smiley. The Cannibal, the Badger and the ..?

and the 'Keenyan' 'froomster', 'froomedog' 'froomey', 'The Inhaler'

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BehindTheBikesheds | 6 years ago
2 likes

So glad for Bennett, he was gutted the other day about not being able to get through and has bagged three stage wins in one tour, very impressive. Dunno if he's down for the tour but if he is could deffo be in with a shout with the big boys.

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don simon fbpe | 6 years ago
3 likes

Literally incredible!

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Leviathan replied to don simon fbpe | 6 years ago
3 likes

don simon wrote:

Literally incredible!

Don, I am having trouble teasing out the meaning in your statement. Do you mean literally as in literally, or literally as in not literally? And do you mean incredible as in amazing, or incredible as in not credible. Please can you parse this for us as I think you were a little too subtle?

Avatar
don simon fbpe replied to Leviathan | 6 years ago
5 likes

Leviathan wrote:

don simon wrote:

Literally incredible!

Don, I am having trouble teasing out the meaning in your statement. Do you mean literally as in literally, or literally as in not literally? And do you mean incredible as in amazing, or incredible as in not credible. Please can you parse this for us as I think you were a little too subtle?

It's exactly what I said. Don't over analyse, you'll confuse yourself.

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