Soudal Quick-Step Devo enjoyed another solid day at one of the most important races of the season.
Henrique Bravo confirmed the expectations and finished in the top three on the first summit finish of the Giro Next Gen, the hard ascent to Monte Livata. The cherry on the cake of this Apennine stage, Monte Livata was 16km-long and featured a particularly steep section with gradients reaching a grueling 15% in the opening kilometers.
Attacks came as soon as the road went up, fragmenting the already depleted peloton, and Henrique Bravo was one of the few to join the select front group that formed on the hardest part of the ascent. Nine kilometers from the line, Lorenzo Finn (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe Rookies) opened a gap on Henrique, who continued to push a steady pace and claw back time together with Mateo Ramirez (UAE Team Emirates Gen Z) while at the same time increasing the gap over those behind.
Third across the line, the 20-year-old Brazilian - overall winner of the Tour of Antalya and Oberösterreich Rundfahrt this season - made a significant jump in the general classification, of ten places, and sits now on the last step of the podium ahead of the Piane Delle Mele uphill finish, which the race schedules on Saturday.
It was a hard stage with a difficult climb, where it was every man for himself, and I am content with my result.
“The team did a great job for me the entire day and I’m glad I could repay them with this top-three finish. To be there with some of the best climbers of this category gives me a huge morale-boost and I hope to go again for a good result also on the penultimate stage”, Henrique said after his sixth podium of the season.
