Kenyan born Brit Chris Froome (Barloworld) went close to stage victory in the Giro d'Italia on Saturday but could not hold onto Simon Gerran?s wheel in the final kilometre of the climb to the finish at San Luca.
Froome had not specifically targeted the first stage in the Apennines but followed his instinct when the break formed after just 12km of the 172km stage.
"I'm happy that I was up there, but I?m a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to finish it off,? Froome told Cycling Weekly.
"We hadn't planned to try and win the stage beforehand and we hadn't talked about going for it with the directeur sportifs or with team manager Claudio Corti. I decided to go with the break because I felt good and it was a good chance to try and win a stage. It was an ideal stage because I liked the route. It was tough but I felt good."
"In the finale I really thought could get the stage win but the second kick up on the climb finished me off and I didn't have legs to get up it. I needed a extra gear, maybe a 27 cog, to spin more. It felt like my legs just seized up."
"I actually felt great before that moment and was planning to go again to try and get away from Simon. Instead I just stopped and started going backwards. At least that's what it felt like."
Froome's only consolation was that his performance showed that he is coming onto form. With more stages in the Apennines in the next few days and with the forecast for more torrid weather conditions, he could have other chances to land a stage win.
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"I'm feeling tired and I hope everybody else is too but at the same time I can feel that my form is improving. I always seem to ride into an event and get my legs going. The heat isn't a problem for me because I used to train in worse conditions in Africa when I was younger and know how to handle it mentally and physically."
"Hopefully, I'll get another chance to go for a stage win. Breaks don't often make it but the way the Giro is playing out overall means there's a chance for breaks to get away. When I've recovered from this effort I'll have another go."
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Giro d'Italia 2009 links
Stage reports
Stage 14: Gerrans solos to win
Stage 13: Cavendish takes his third Giro win and prepares to head home
Stage 12: Menchov storms to Giro TT win and race lead
Stage 11: Cavendish romps to second Giro stage win
Stage 10: Di Luca lays down the gauntlet
Giro rest day review (May 18)
Stage nine: Cavendish blitzes rivals to win in Milan
Stage eight: Siutsou makes it two in a row for Columbia-Highroad
Richard is digital editor of Cycling Weekly. Joining the team in 2013, Richard became editor of the website in 2014 and coordinates site content and strategy, leading the news team in coverage of the world's biggest races and working with the tech editor to deliver comprehensive buying guides, reviews, and the latest product news.
An occasional racer, Richard spends most of his time preparing for long-distance touring rides these days, or getting out to the Surrey Hills on the weekend on his Specialized Tarmac SL6 (with an obligatory pub stop of course).
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