Giro di Sicilia: Caruso seals overall victory on Mount Etna

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Damiano Caruso (Italy) secured overall victory on his home roads at the Giro di Sicilia, controlling his rivals and especially former Vincenzo Nibali (Astana Qazaqstan) for much of the climb on Mount Etna, before finally distancing them all with 1.5km to race.

Caruso finished five seconds ahead of Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert), with Jefferson Cepeda (Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli) third at 10 seconds.

Nibali finished fourth at 17 seconds and so slipped down the overall classification to fourth overall at 31 seconds. Cepeda took second overall at 29 seconds, with Meintjes third in the same time.

Caruso won stage 2 of the Giro di Sicilia to Caltanissetta and then defended the race lead with help from his Italian national team. He is expected to ride the Tour de France for Bahrain Victorious rather than return to the Giro d’Italia where he finished second overall last year.

The 34-year-old from Ragusa recently spent time training at altitude on Mount Etna to be at his best for the Giro di Sicilia. It was only his sixth career win and his first ride at the Giro di Sicilia.

“I’m really happy. It’s a dream come true. I’d never raced in Sicily as a pro and do not nwo, while wearing the Italian national team jersey is really special,” Caruso said after celebrating with his family and friends just beyond the finish line.

“I have to thank my trade team that allowed me to ride the Giro di Sicilia. I did everything I could to be in good shape for this race and so we reaped what we sowed.

“I knew the final climb pretty well and was aware that the last two kilometres were especially tough. I knew that this was the right moment to attack and to try to win.”

The final 140km stage from Ragalna to Mount Etna was always about the climb to the finish on the barren slopes of the active volcano.

A number of breaks got away but were pulled back on the lower slopes and the long loop around Etna. A move of 16 riders eventually got away but they were kept in check before the 38km of climbing in the final part of the stage up to Contrada Giuliana and then up to the finish area at an altitude of 1800m at Piano Provenzana.

Domenico Pozzovivo (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) was a surprise abandon but the high pace continued with the Italian team leading the chase of Rafael Pineda and German Dario Gomez (Colombia Tierra de Atletas), the last two to survive out front.

Stage 3 winner and race leader Fran Miholjevic was dropped as the lava landscape came into view and Caruso appeared in control of his rivals. He upped the pace several times, only for riders to come back to him. However when he accelerated hard with 1.5km to go, nobody could match his pace.