FOSSOMBRONE, Italy: Ben Healy of Education First pulled off a long-range breakaway to win stage eight of the Giro d’Italia on Saturday, as race favorite Remco Evenepoel came under pressure.
The 22-year-old Irishman dropped his three breakaway companions on the day’s hardest climb, the Monte Delle Cesane, to take his first ever world tour victory in style.
“I had great legs and nobody could follow me, so it was a great day,” said Healy, who has broken through this year coming second to Tadej Pogacar in April’s Amstel Gold Race.
Drama unfolded in the overall race as three-time Vuelta winner Primoz Roglic attacked Evenepoel around 5km from the line.
While Roglic managed to drop Evenepoel, Ineos pair Geraint Thomas and Tao Geoghegan Hart also skipped past the Belgian as the trio managed to trim his advantage in the standings by about 15 seconds.
While Evenepoel at first managed to keep pace with Roglic he soon stopped trying, almost certainly keeping his powder dry for his preferred time-trial flat terrain on Sunday’s stage nine.
World champion Evenepoel had come under criticism overnight for having returned to his hotel from an Apennine peak by helicopter after Friday’s six hour stage seven.
Norway’s Andreas Leknessund retained the overall lead eight seconds ahead of Evenepoel while Roglic climbed to third at 38 seconds.
Other fancied riders Joao Almeida and Damiano Caruso kept pace and Ineos pair Thomas and Hart seemed to have brushed off the overnight loss of teammate Filippo Ganna, who has Covid.
Leknessund is almost certain to lose his pink overall jersey on Sunday when the Giro stages its second of three individual time trials, a 35km run to Cesena.
The total length of the three individual time trials on this Giro is 73km, which is huge by any standards and lends Evenepoel enough advantage for the Quick Step rider to choose the Giro over the Tour de France this season.
The peloton gets its first rest day on Monday before two mountain and three hilly stages in week two with the race veering into Switzerland where the Crans Montana and the Col du Grand Saint Bernard at 2469m altitude await any pretender to this 106th Giro.
Ireland’s Healy solos to Giro triumph as Evenepoel wobbles
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Ireland’s Healy solos to Giro triumph as Evenepoel wobbles
- Drama unfolded in the overall race as three-time Vuelta winner Primoz Roglic attacked Evenepoel around 5km from the line
Chelsea paid for costly errors in Arsenal defeat, says Rosenior
LONDON: Liam Rosenior admitted Chelsea paid the price for costly mistakes after Arsenal took advantage of his side’s blunders to win 3-2 in the League Cup semifinal first leg on Wednesday.
Rosenior’s team face a tough task to set up a final against either Manchester City or Newcastle following their error-strewn display in their new manager’s first home match.
Chelsea were guilty of sloppy marking for Ben White’s early headed opener before goalkeeper Robert Sanchez gifted striker Viktor Gyokeres Arsenal’s second goal after half-time.
Alejandro Garnacho got one back for Chelsea but Martin Zubimendi then netted for Arsenal after more lacklustre defending from Rosenior’s men.
Substitute Garnacho’s second goal gave Chelsea a glimmer of hope heading into the second leg at the Emirates Stadium in February.
“Disappointed to concede from a corner. Disappointed with the third goal as well because we were right back in the game and we were on top at that moment,” Rosenior said.
“We switched off from a restart from a central free-kick but I can’t fault the players.
“We need to make sure we perform well individually and we don’t concede as many goals.”
Rosenior was without a host of key players, including Cole Palmer, Reece James and Liam Delap, due to injuries and illness.
‘It’s another step’
In his second game since replacing Enzo Maresca as Blues boss, the 41-year-old took heart from the way Chelsea kept fighting to find a way back into the tie.
“We’ve had illness in the squad, we’ve picked up a few knocks this week but what the squad has shown is that they are willing to run and fight for each other,” he said.
Rosenior, who oversaw a 5-1 FA Cup third-round win at Charlton in his debut last weekend, refused to condemn Sanchez for the latest in a long line of shaky performances.
“Rob’s a very good goalkeeper. He made an outstanding save at 3-1 to keep us in the tie, so for me load of things to improve but the overall attitude of the team I liked,” Rosenior said.
“Hopefully, we get a few bodies back for Brentford on Saturday.”
Arsenal are now unbeaten in 10 games in all competitions as they moved a step closer to their first silverware since the 2020 FA Cup.
The Gunners had lost their previous four semifinals across a variety of competitions, including the League Cup last year.
Mikel Arteta was impressed with Arsenal’s ability to subdue Chelsea for long periods, but he was left to rue their failure to kill off their London rivals.
“I have to praise the players for the performance against a really good opponents. It’s a really tough place to come. That’s why I really value what the team has done again,” Arteta said.
“We had two massive chances to score the fourth one and the result would have been very different. At that moment they created a chance and scored a goal. So it is a very different feeling. It’s game on.”
As well as leading the Premier League, Arsenal are also still chasing Champions League and FA Cup glory.
But after so many last-four failures in the recent past, Arteta won’t take anything for granted.
“It’s another step. It’s just half-time. We know the big fight we are going to have at the Emirates in a few weeks because they are a top side,” he said.
“What we’re doing every three days is impressive.”
