Riccardo Riccò wins queen stage in Tour of Austria

by Bjorn Haake at 12:00 PM EST

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Categories: Pro Cycling, Race Reports and Results

Italian extends lead in the overall classification to almost two minutes

Riccardo Riccò stormed away on the queen stage up to the Großglockner climb in the Tour of Austria in a convincing defense of his leader's jersey. The Italian put 41 seconds into the Carmiooro duo of Sergio Pardilla and Emanuele Sella on the final climb that ended in 2323m of altitude. In the overall, Riccò leads the same riders by 1'44.

Riccò, Sella, Pardilla and Artem Ovechkin went on the 16.5km-long final climb of the day, with Riccò dropping the trio two kilometers from the line. "I just feel really well in the mountains and I am very proud to have won my second stage at the Tour of Austria," Riccò said after the stage. He appreciated the time gains in the mountains with regards to the overall. "Now I have a good cushion ahead of the time trial," he said about the 26km race against the clock that will come in stage seven.

"Sella and Pardilla, who are 1'44 behind me, are dangerous, but not really that great in time trialing. Good time trialers like Gusev are already too far behind, I think."

Riccò, now crowned the Glocknerkönigs (king of the Glockner, the short name for the final climb), leads the overall, the mountains classification as well as the points classification. Only in the category of best Austrian the Italian doesn't stand a chance. Stefan Denifl leads that classification, but was unhappy with his 12th place today, 2'34 behind Riccò. "It was not my day today. I tried to attack at the beginning of the final climb, but I had no chance against those three. I also didn't feel 100% today."

Attacks came right after the start and a group of 13 riders was able to stay away until the sprint in Obervellach (km 76). Once caught, a new group of 12 riders went, but at the final climb the favorites showed their cards. When Riccò, Sella, Pardilla and Ovechkin attacked, nobody could follow. Riccò then showed he was the strongest.

Tomorrow's 150km stage from Bleiburg to Deutschlandsberg features a one kilometer climb at the end, which could once again prove pivotal in the GC fight.