Bob Jungels and his Quick-Step Floors teammates celebrated their fifth stage of the 100th Giro d'Italia in Bergamo, exchanging hugs, cheers and high fives in the podium area.
It has been a successful two weeks for the Belgian team and especially for Jungels. He has worn the maglia rosa for five days and has now become the first Luxembourg rider to win a stage at the Giro d'Italia since the legendary climber Charly Gaul.
His Giro d'Italia has arguably been even better than last year, when he also wore pink, won the best young rider's white jersey and finished sixth overall. He is currently eighth overall after losing some time on the Blockhaus and Oropa mountain finishes but this year he has the advantage of the final time trial to Milan to make up for any losses in the mountains. He appears to be on a consistent career trajectory, carried along by Quick-Step Floors love for winning as much as possible.
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"If you come with a sprinter like Fernando to a Grand Tour, you expect to win one or two stages. But this was the 15 stage and our fifth win for us. One third [place] is not too bad…" Jungels said with some happy irony.
"In truth, it's an exception even for us. We have a great team spirit here and I'm super proud to finish off the work of the guys. I'm very proud to wear the colours of my country and my team on my shoulders. I think Luxembourg is going crazy again and I'm proud to be the reason for that."
Jungels is known for his time trialling ability but also enjoys mixing it in the Classics. Today's finale in the Bergamasco hills was very similar to recent editions of Il Lombardia. He rode the hectic finale with a cool mind and fast legs, attacking over the top and then timing his sprint perfectly on the fast, slightly downhill finish. Other riders in the select front group were perhaps faster in a sprint but he rode a perfect finish.
Comparisons with Indurain and Dumoulin
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