The damage was considerable, even though stage 4 to Megeve was a reasonable start to the mountain sequence, even if the long, uneven climb to the Cernix proved difficult.
It was here that diminutive Italian climber Gaia Realini rose above the pack, even though she was chased down by a group that included the top three in the overall classification, starting with Germany’s Antonia Niedermaier, who defended dearly the CIC yellow jersey she has been wearing since her victory in the first time trial stage.
However, the German rider will have to try to overcome the Italian climber on the final stage, which presents a completely different level of difficulty, including the formidable Cormet de Roselend before plunging into the Haute-Tarentaise for the finale.
Gaia Realini put in a remarkable solo effort to hold off her pursuers over the sixteen kilometres between the summit of the main climb and the finish in Megeve, even if the lightly built Italian was only able to maintain a lead of around forty seconds on the nearly two minute advantage she had built up. Nonetheless, her display is very promising on the threshold of the big climbs that await her on the final stage, but for the moment at least, it’s not enough to dispossess Antonia Niedermaier, who has held on to her yellow jersey. The Italian climber had put in a very respectable time on the first day in Saint-Vallier, where she was 15th, but 1’17” behind the German, who had put in an impressive performance.
So the suspense remains, and paradoxically the gaps are very close, with the top three in the overall standings, which were curiously unchanged at its summit, all within 19 seconds of each other, while Gaia Realini is 33 seconds back, which seems far from irremediable given her abilities in the mountains.
Gaia Realini put in a remarkable solo effort to hold off her pursuers over the sixteen kilometres between the summit of the main climb and the finish in Megeve, even if the lightly built Italian was only able to maintain a lead of around forty seconds on the nearly two minute advantage she had built up. Nonetheless, her display is very promising on the threshold of the big climbs that await her on the final stage, but for the moment at least, it’s not enough to dispossess Antonia Niedermaier, who has held on to her yellow jersey. The Italian climber had put in a very respectable time on the first day in Saint-Vallier, where she was 15th, but 1’17” behind the German, who had put in an impressive performance.
So the suspense remains, and paradoxically the gaps are very close, with the top three in the overall standings, which were curiously unchanged at its summit, all within 19 seconds of each other, while Gaia Realini is 33 seconds back, which seems far from irremediable given her abilities in the mountains.
