Colombian cyclist Carlos Alberto Betancur on Sunday became the best young rider of the Giro d’Italia and will start Tuesday’s stage wearing the white jersey.
Betancur was able to finish second in the brutal mountain stage, clocking in only 15, 24 seconds after winner Giovanni Visconte from Italy.
The Colombian AG2R rider climbed to the seventh place in the general classification, leaving him 5:15 behind the leader, Italian Vincenzo Nibali, who finished with most top players in a group 54 seconds behind Visconte.
Another impressive performance was given by Fabio Duarte, who had been able to stay ahead of Nibili’s stop group finishing only five seconds after his compatriot.
Rigoberto Uran, Colombia’s best performing cyclist in the Giro, maintained his 3rd spot in the general qualification. The Sky rider, who had become team leader after Bradley Wiggins fell ill, continues to be 2:46″ behind on Nibali as he stuck to the leader as super glue, not even losing one second.
If Betancur is able to hold his position in the last six stages of the Giro, he will be the second Colombian in a row to take the white jersey home; in 2012, Uran was the first Colombian ever to bring the jersey back to Colombia.