Geoghegan Hart leaps into Giro contention

Brit’s former coach says he could follow stage win with overall victory, reports Vern Pitt

- Vern Pitt

Twenty-five year old British rider Tao Geoghegan Hart was at a “career defining” moment as the Giro d’Italia entered its second rest day after he hauled himself into general classification contention with his first ever Grand Tour stage win on Sunday.

The Londoner, who rides for Ineos Grenadiers, put in an impressive and patient display shadowing Sunweb leader Wilco Kelderman and his domestique Jai Hindley all the way up the climb of Piancavallo before outsprinting them both for the line.

Averaging 410 watts over the final 3km of the climb, he took his maiden Grand Tour victory in his fourth three-week race. “It’s definitely my biggest win, nothing comes close,” he said.

Early promise

After two weeks of racing he found himself 2.57 off the lead of João Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick Step) and one second off the podium in a race that looks poised to see big swings in its final week.

Stuart Blunt, who coached Geoghegan Hart as a junior and still coaches the junior ranks at British Cycling said: “I think he’s good enough to win the overall. I’ve thought he was good enough to win a Grand Tour from the first time I saw him riding around Crystal Palace.