Overall leader Team Ineos rider Colombia's Egan Bernal celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the 16th stage of the Giro d'Italia 2021 cycling race, 153km between Sacile and Cortina d'Ampezzo on May 24, 2021. (Photo by Luca BETTINI / AFP) (Photo by LUCA BETTINI / AFP via Getty Images)
(CNN Spanish) -
Egan Bernal has done it again.
The Colombian is more leader than ever in the Giro d'Italia and his triumph in the queen stage of the 2021 edition clears the doubts that he is the clear favorite to stay with the pink jersey until next Sunday, May 30.
The captain of the Ineos team was crowned in the demanding climb to Cortina d'Ampezzo and incidentally got rid of one of his greatest rivals Simone Yates.
The Brit is now in fifth place overall at 4:20 behind Bernal.
The French Romain Bardet from the DSM team and the Italian Romano Carusso from Bahrain Victorius, were Bernal's escorts 27 seconds into the stage.
Caruso now ranks second overall.
Bernal added his second stage victory after winning the ninth, in another high mountain event, but he has left better sensations defending the leader's jersey and proof of this was the ascent to Monte Zoncolan last Saturday when he arrived in fourth place .
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The Colombian, winner of the Tour de France in 2019, is the leader of the Giro since the eighth stage and is intractable after having overcome 2020 with physical discomfort in his back that forced him to leave the gala round.
Bernal is looking for the second race of the three greats (Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España) and would be the third Latin American to achieve it in Italy, after the triumphs of the Colombian Nairo Quintana in 2014 and the Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz in 2019.
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Egan BernalGiro d'Italia