When Riccardo Ricco gets into the mountains in the Tour de France, he rides a natural high.
Ricco, a 24-year-old Italian, underlined his climbing prowess on Sunday with his second stage victory in three mountain stages.
The rider nicknamed “The Cobra” struck when his rivals appeared most vulnerable, bolting out of the pack in the steepest part of the final ascent on the 224km ride from Toulouse to Bagneres-de-Bigorre.
“Let’s say that this is really my turf, my domain,” Ricco said. “I went all out to the finish ... I was really fast today.”
Despite beginning the ninth stage with a sore right knee from a crash on Saturday, Ricco breezed past a few breakaway riders and finished 64 seconds ahead of his closest challenger — Vladimir Efimkov of Russia — and 77 ahead of race leader Kim Kirchen, Cadel Evans and most of the other would-be title contenders.
The Italian whittled his deficit to Kirchen to 2:35 from 3:52, and rose to 21st overall from 27th.
Ricco was regarded only as an outside shot for overall victory before the three-week race. He said he wasn’t even originally scheduled to race in the Tour — and had to convince his Saunier Duval team manager to let him take part.
Now, along with his victory in Stage 6 last Thursday in the Massif Central range, competitors are taking note.
Evans crashed on Sunday before getting back on his bike and finishing without losing any time despite cuts and bruises.
The Aussie finished the stage with blood seeping through the tears in his racing suit and his helmet was cracked in two places.
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