American Chad Haga tipped his hat to his Sunweb team-mate Tom Dumoulin, saying he did the best impression of the former world champion to win the Giro d'Italia's closing time trial in Verona.
The winner of the 2017 Giro d'Italia Dumoulin had to abandon the race after a crash in the first week.
Haga beat Hour Record holder Victor Campenaerts (Lotto-Soudal) and held off favourites including Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) in the 17km time trial.
>>> Five talking points from stage 21 of the Giro d’Italia 2019
"I'm glad I could pull this off," Haga explained. "I did my best Tom impression today. Everything I did, I thought, this is what Tom would be doing."
Dumoulin, winner the 2017 World Championship time trial, used that strength to finish second overall in both the Giro and the Tour de France.
He began the Giro as a favourite to repeat his 2017 win but fell in stage four and left shortly after stage five rolled out.
"My victory is a consolation prize, and it was a way to redeem our Giro. We came here in top form to support Tom, but unfortunately he was forced to leave," Haga said.
"Our Giro was not over, and we took our form and legs, and tried to shift it in other ways. I am glad I could make good on that."
Haga clocked 22-07 minutes over the course that finished at the Verona Arena. He topped Campenaerts by four seconds, those two held the top spots for the remaining hours while the overall favourites finished. No one came close.
"Today I felt like I was going extremely fast. When I went so well in stage nine, which didn't suit me as well, I thought that today could be a possibility. I never stopped believing that I could win," Haga added.
"I waited for the other time trial riders who are generally better than me for them to wear themselves out, and I had to be patient so I could be as strong as possible.
"It's very special to represent the USA in the Giro, and to win a stage. I take pride in showing the American flag in the bike races."
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
-
'It's not worth risking his long term health': DSM-Firmenich withdraw concussed Romain Bardet from Tour de FranceDSM-Firmenich enact their concussion protocol to withdraw the Frenchman from the race
-
'This is insane': Alberto Dainese comes back from illness to triumph in photo finish on Giro d'Italia stage 17 sprint
DSM rider finished last on Sunday's stage with a stomach bug, but bounced back to take win in his home region
-
‘It’s been nice rubbing shoulders with the big boys’ - Great Britain’s Max Poole shines at Tour of the Alps
20-year-old won the best young rider classification at five day stage race in Austria and north east Italy
-
Jumbo-Visma set to use adjustable tyre pressure systems at Paris-Roubaix
The Dutch team and DSM will both utilise different systems on the cobblestones of the ‘Hell of the North’
-
Pfeiffer Georgi relishes new leadership role at Team DSM
'I feel like I’m able to be more in the race,' says the in-form Brit
-
‘It was perfect being boxed in’ - Charlotte Kool doubles up on final day of UAE Tour
The Dutchwoman proved the fastest, while Elisa Longo Borghini toasts overall victory with ice cream
-
‘I’m excited to be in the game myself again’ - Charlotte Kool stuns world's best at UAE Tour
The Team DSM rider sprinted into the spotlight with victory on stage one
-
Meet Sean Flynn, the Edinburgh-born mountain biker moving to the WorldTour with DSM
The 22-year-old has stepped up to elite level after two years with development teams, and is looking to push on
