Joe Dombrowski (Cannondale) desperately wanted to win the final mountain stage 20 of the Giro d'Italia. He has covered the mountain climb numerous times in long training rides up from his European base in Nice and was hoping to win in front of his parents, who had also ridden up the climb and reached the isolated group of buildings that cluster around the Sant'Anna di Vinadio monastery.
Dombrowski has tried several times to win a mountain stage in this year's race and showed his strength and ability with eighth place in the mountain time trial. On stage 20, he again went deep to get in the break of the day, going on the attack after just four kilometres of the Col de Vars and joining a select group of eight rides that would go on to fight for the stage victory.
The break stayed together on the Col de la Bonette but then Dombrowski attacked early on the Colle della Lombarda to split the group. Only Atapuma and Visconti could go with him but then Kangert and Taaramae caught them. He had struggled to get across but attacked three kilometres from the summit and the others were unable to go with him. It was the moment that decided the stage winner, with Taaramae becoming the first Estonian winner of a stage at the Giro d'Italia.
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Atapuma finished second at 52 seconds, with a disappointed Dombrowski third at 1:17.
"I felt like I could win and I've wanted to win a mountain stage in this Giro since the start of the year. And this was really the one because it I know all the roads, my family was there with a kilometre to go. I wanted to win really bad today but it doesn't always work out," Dombrowski said as he recovered from his effort.
"We came here riding for Rigo (Rigoberto Uran) and that was the main thing and then as a secondary thing, if I could go for a stage that's what I wanted to do: to try to win a mountain stage. But you know… on almost every mountain day I've been up in the front doing something or trying something. Today was the closest I came to actually taking a stage.
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