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Hmm. Four seconds down on Plapp at the first checkpoint, Armirail has shed a further 14 seconds by checkpoint 2. Barring major surprises, it looks like the Frenchman is moving out of the running for the stage win.
A DNS today…
Wow, but here comes Bruno Armirail (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale). The three times French National TT Champion was four seconds faster than Affini at the first checkpoint.
Edoardo Affini (Visma-Lease a Bike) new stage leader
Affini blasts past an earlier starter. It’s looking good.
Affini marks the best time at checkpoint 3, and is 21 seconds up on Plapp there. Could well be the best time at the finish too.
Another rider currently out of the course whose main goal will be to get round incident-free and unscathed is Lenny Martínez (Bahrain Victorious). Dead last on stage 1, Martínez bounced back with a vengeance on stage 4 and the French climber gets a lot of cheers as he heads towards the finish.
Green jersey Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) rolls out of the start. For the Italian sprinter today is likely simply a day to get through.
Current European TT Champ Edoardo Affini (Visma-Lease a Bike) is turning in a very strong time, closing in on Plapp to just four seconds at checkpoint 2. If he’s timed his effort right, he could be a threat to the top of the leaderboard.
A shot of the stage leader
Some words from Luke Plapp on Eurosport about his ride: “I flew a bit too close to the sun and got burned, I really just tried to attack it and go out really hard and see how long I could hold on….I just blew a bit towards the end.”
Nope, Plapp has shed a lot of time later on. Ten seconds faster than all the previous riders at CP2, but at the finish he’s 15 seconds down on Romeo, who remains the stage leader.
Plapp is into the last kilometre, but it’s going to be tight…
Sure…
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