Florian Sénéchal takes fifth in Frascati, where the race returned after 12 years.
Final ten kilometers of Tuesday’s stage 4 of the Giro d’Italia were the most intense so far at this edition, with two pile-ups taking place on the narrow roads to the uphill finish in Frascati as soon as the pace ramped up and the teams began jostling for position. James Knox hit the deck and crashed on his right side with eight kilometers to go, but escaped without any major injuries and could complete the stage.
Two kilometers later, another massive crash destroyed the bunch, and this time Bob Jungels got caught up, but fortunately for the Luxembourg Champion, neo-pro Mikkel Honoré was there and gave him his bike. Bob remounted quickly and began a fierce chase, conceding just 18 seconds by the time he arrived in Frascati, where teammate Florian Sénéchal, who managed to slip through the carnage, took fifth place, two seconds behind Richard Carapaz (Movistar), who attacked in the closing stages and soloed to the win.
Deceuninck – Quick-Step sports director Klaas Lodewyck asserted the situation at the finish: “Last ten kilometers of the stage were really nervous and brought in play a lot of chaos. James hit the ground, then also Bob was involved, so things weren’t that good for us. Luckily, Mikkel was there at the right moment and could give his bike to Bob, who lost despite losing around 20 seconds, gained two places in the GC and slotted into ninth. Florian sprinted to a solid fifth on that hard finish, so overall we can be happy after today, especially as we escaped without too much damage.”
Photo credit: ©Justin Setterfield/ Getty Images
