Czech to become the seventh Soudal Quick-Step rider to finish in the top ten at the Corsa Rosa.
Jan Hirt is just one day away from another top ten overall finish at the first Grand Tour of the season after three weeks of solid racing. The Czech, who came at the start in the Piedmont with a runner-up place achieved in the Tour of Oman – his first race of the season – was one of the most consistent riders of this edition, always there on the big climbs, driving his own tempo when the going got tough and making sure of not shipping too much time.
The last major test of the Giro d’Italia was the double ascent of the never-ending Monte Grappa, an 18.1km climb averaging 8.1% which came on the penultimate stage of the race, pouring led in the already fatigued legs of the riders. Just like he did on the previous days in the mountains, Hirt kept his composure when the GC men launched their moves, splitting the group, and driving a steady tempo which allowed him to crest the summit with a deficit of 40 seconds. More importantly, Hirt put time into some of the other riders vying for a top ten place in the overall standings, which gave him hopes of moving up in the ranking on the roads of Veneto.
On the long descent that followed, the 33-year-old was part of a strong chasing group that finished only a couple of minutes behind stage winner Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), and was handsomely rewarded for his effort with an impressive two-place jump in the GC, which made Jan one of the main beneficiaries of this final stage in the mountains.
“I felt very good today on an incredibly hard day. Monta Grappa was a tough ascent, you could really feel those steep gradients biting, especially as they came after three weeks, but I believed in myself and in keeping my place in the general classification. It wasn’t easy at all, but I am content with how things went for me and with this ride that vaulted me two positions in the standings. It’s a great result”, a smiling Jan said after the stage that sealed his second top 10 result in a Grand Tour.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
