Kelderman moves into Giro lead; Hindley wins ‘Queen stage’

LAGHI DI CANCANO, Italy (AP) — Wilco Kelderman moved into the overall lead of the Giro d’Italia by wresting the pink jersey from long-time wearer João Almeida on Thursday after navigating the iconic Stelvio climb on the race’s toughest stage.

Kelderman finished fifth on the 18th stage, 2 minutes, 17 seconds behind Team Sunweb teammate Jai Hindley, who earned his first victory in a Grand Tour by edging out Tao Geoghegan Hart on the line at the end of the so-called “Queen stage.”

Kelderman started the day second overall, 17 seconds behind Almeida. The Dutch rider now has a 12-second advantage over Hindley, who moved up to second place.

Geoghegan Hart is third overall, 15 seconds behind.

Almeida, who had worn the pink jersey since the end of Stage 3, finished seventh on the day and slipped to fifth overall, 2:16 behind Kelderman.

The riders knew the stage would be potentially decisive as it featured four classified climbs, three of which were the highest category, on the 207-kilometer (128.6-mile) route from Pinzolo to Laghi di Cancano.

One of those was the iconic Stelvio pass, which also has 48 hairpin turns, and snow piled high on its banks. And it was there that the general classification was shaken up.

Hindley and Geoghegan Hart were part of a trio of riders who went clear on the climb, along with Rohan Dennis.

Friday’s 19th stage is a mainly flat but lengthy route from Morbegno to Asti. At 258 kilometers (160.3 miles) it is the longest stage of this year’s race.

The Giro was rescheduled from its usual May slot because of the coronavirus pandemic. The race ends on Sunday with an individual time trial in Milan.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports