Returning to the U23 race calendar for the first time since 2012, the Baby Giro lived up to expectation with Russian Pavel Sivakov holding off Mitchelton Scott's Australian duo Jai Hindley and Lucas Hamilton to claim the overall victory on the final day.
Sivakov (BMC Development Team) adds his name to a list of previous winners that includes Francesco Moser, Piotr Ugrumov, Marco Pantani, Gilberto Simoni, Davide Frattini, Dario Cataldo and Carlos Betancur.
The 19-year-old moved into the pink jersey after stage 3, holding off all challengers to secure consecutive GC wins after his Ronde de l'Isard success. Sivakov claimed the overall nine seconds ahead of Hamilton and 17 second ahead of Hindley.
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"I feel incredible. I can't believe it. I hoped I could win but I never thought I would be able to win the Giro d'Italia U23 this year. It was really tough at the end but the guys did a really good job. They have been amazing all week and this victory is as much the team's as it is mine," said Sivakov. "This is one of the biggest races in the U23 calendar so it is a big win for me and the team. It's an amazing feeling and it gives me a lot of confidence as I continue to look ahead."
Mitchelton-Scott put the Russian under pressure on the climb Francavilla al Mare with Hindley and Hamilton securing a one-two finish. However, the three-second advantage over Sivakov wasn't enough for the Australia to improve upon their podium positions.
"It was a pretty good stage for us overall. The guys controlled the race in the valley before Patrick Müller pulled hard for around 20km before dropping me off at the front of the race with 5km to go," Sivakov said. "From there, it was up to me to defend the jersey and win the race for the team. I lost a little bit of time when the two Mitchelton - Scott riders attacked but I was able to hold onto their wheel until the final meters."
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