Chris Froome: ‘Would be great to win last stage race in Team Sky colours’

ByAaron S. Lee

Published 24/04/2019 at 19:11 GMT

Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome hopes British WorldTour squad maintains overall lead at Tour of the Alps to conclude a decade of dominance under Sky as new era is all set to launch in Romandie as Team Ineos …

Russian Pavel Sivakov (Team Sky) continues to hold an eight-second lead in the general classification over Czech Jan Hirt (Astana) with two stages remaining at Tour of the Alps (UCI 2.HC) in Northern Italy.

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Pavel, who lifted the jersey from Sky teammate and opening stage winner Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBR) following his own victory a day later, finished seventh on Stage 3 won by Italian Fausto Masnada (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec) with Hart immediately in tow (eighth).

Tour of the Alps

Pavel Sivakov: ‘I was a bit stressed!’

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26/04/2019 at 16:44

“It'd be incredible if we could win this as the last stage race for us in Team Sky colours,” said captain Chris Froome (GBR), referring to the British WorldTour organisation’s switch to Team Ineos starting this weekend at Tour de Romandie. “It’d be really special if we could win this race.”

The 2018 Giro d’Italia winner entered the race formerly known as Giro del Trentino a heavy favourite, along with GC rivals Rafał Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe) and fellow Tour de France, Vuelta a España and Giro victor Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida).

Stage 3 highlights as Masnada takes victory

However, it’s been the performances of 21-year-old Sivakov and 24-year-old Geoghegan Hart that has the six-time Grand Tour winner ready to do whatever it takes to bring home the overall win for the team.

“I'm not feeling bad, yesterday I was just caught out on the descent but my legs don't feel too bad,” explained Froome, who is forgoing his Giro title defence to attempt a record-tying fifth Tour de France victory in July.

“Pavel and Tao have done a great job this week already, picking up a couple of stage wins. Pavel is obviously in a good place to defend the jersey.

“I'm going to turn myself inside out to help him.”

For full stage and race results, click here.

Tour of the Alps

Fausto Masnada wins in Bolzano

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26/04/2019 at 16:06

Tour of the Alps

Sivakov takes overall victory as Masnada wins final stage

26/04/2019 at 16:49