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
Gilgeous-Alexander leads Thunder in rout of Cavaliers
- Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander’s 30-point haul led the way, with center Chet Holmgren providing offensive support with 28 points and Luguentz Dort adding 18 points
Los Angeles: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder returned to winning ways with a 136-104 pummeling of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.
Two days after suffering an upset defeat by Miami on Saturday, the NBA champions ensured there would be no repeat against Cleveland as the league marked the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday with a packed slate of fixtures.
Apart from a brief spell at the start of the first quarter, Oklahoma City led throughout, building up a double-digit lead before accelerating away with a 45-point fourth quarter.
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander’s 30-point haul led the way, with center Chet Holmgren providing offensive support with 28 points and Luguentz Dort adding 18 points.
Isaiah Joe chipped in with 16 points from the bench while Aaron Wiggins finished with 12 as five Thunder players recorded double figures en route to a victory that sees Oklahoma City improve to 36-8 at the top of the Western Conference.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 19 points while four Cavs players — Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Jaylon Tyson and De’Andre Hunter — all finished with 16 points apiece.
In Monday’s other early game, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 21 points helped the Milwaukee Bucks hold off a late rally in a 112-110 road win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Milwaukee opened a 23-point lead midway through the third quarter but a stubborn Atlanta line-up chipped away at that advantage and grabbed a slender one-point lead with just over a minute remaining before the Bucks reasserted themselves to dig out victory.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker led Atlanta’s scoring with 32 points off the bench including seven three-pointers, with Jalen Johnson finishing with 28 points for the home side.
