Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo) took his third consecutive top three placing on the steep finish to Hatta Dam at the Dubai Tour but refused to be disappointed at not raising his arms in victory, knowing he still has an excellent shot at overall victory when the race ends with a sprint stage on Saturday.
Nizzolo was unable to hold onto Juan Jose Lobato (Movistar), who won the stage by two seconds, but he secured the second spot to take a precious six-second time bonus. Overnight leader Elia Viviani (Sky) was dropped, but second-placed Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep) made a massive effort to finish sixth, just two seconds further back. However, the blue jersey went to Nizzolo who now leads Lobato by two seconds, with Kittel looming dangerously at six seconds.
Nizzolo has seemingly surpassed Peter Sagan in the best runner-up category, having been frustrated last year by his seventh successive second place in the Giro d'Italia. He began this season with two third places at the Tour Down Under, but he quickly dismissed any signs of frustration.
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“It’s another placing for me, but I’m satisfied because I’m in the leader’s jersey, and we’ve got a good chance of winning the overall. My consistency is a sign that I’ve worked hard this winter," Nizzolo said, proud of his performance on the 17% gradient up to the finish.
“I don’t want to get too obsessed about winning a race; I’ve just got to keep doing my best and see what happens. This time, I was second and people have quickly pointed that out, but on this kind of tough finish, I could easily have finished outside the top five or even top ten. I’m happy and take whatever comes my way.”
Carte Blanche alongside Cancellara
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