Astana’s rider Izagirre 6th in Tour de France Stage 17

07:12, 25 July 2019

NUR-SULTAN. KAZINFORM - After Jakob Fuglsang and Luis Leon Sanchez left the Tour de France yesterday, the remaining Astana riders showed their fighting mentality today on stage 17, initially making it in the breakaway with three riders. Gorka Izagirre, Omar Fraile and Magnus Cort took off right from the start. Due to a puncture, Cort had to drop back to the peloton, but Fraile and Izagirre created a huge time gap with the pack together with the 31 other escapees, Kazinform has learnt from the club’s press service.

Many riders attacked in today’s final, with Gorka Izagirre making it in a select group. In the end, Matteo Trentin attacked and finished solo, taking the stage win. Gorka Izagirre finished sixth.

«It was a very hot and hard day and the start was very fast because when we tried to create the breakaway, some teams kept pulling in the peloton. But we made it and then I tried to go for a stage win together with Omar Fraile. Before the final climb, there were already some attacks, but when Matteo Trentin attacked, nobody was able to follow him. I think he was the strongest rider of today. Today was a good chance to fight for a stage win, but I’m sure there are more opportunities coming for our team in the final days of this Tour,» said Gorka Izagirre.

Matteo Trentin won stage 17 from Pont du Gard to Gap, covering 200 kilometers. Behind the breakaway, the pack finished 20 minutes behind Trentin. Julian Alaphilippe is still leading the race. Tomorrow’s stage 18 will start in Embrun to finish in Valloire after 208 kilometers, including four categorized climbs of which two HC categorized.

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