Sestriere (Italy) (AFP)
The Briton Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos) won the 20th and penultimate stage of the Giro on Saturday in Sestriere, ahead of the Australian Jai Hindley (Sunweb), new pink jersey.
The two men are tied for time at the top of the general classification, before the last stage, a 15.7 km time trial in Milan.
If Hindley has dethroned his Dutch teammate Wilco Kelderman from command, Geoghegan Hart, reputed to be the best rider, is in the best position to win the Giro.
Kelderman faltered on the second of three climbs in Sestriere, 30 kilometers from the finish of this 190 kilometer stage.
In a carbon copy of the Stelvio stage on Thursday, Australian Rohan Dennis blew up the group and kept only Geoghegan Hart, his leader, and Hindley with him.
Kelderman, already struggling in the Stelvio on Thursday when he took power, limited the loss of time to around 40 seconds at the top.
But the gap then widened by another minute at the foot of the third and final ascent.
In the final climb (6.9 km at 7.2%), Kelderman got closer to one minute in a group including the Portuguese Joao Almeida, the more leggy.
Before losing time again when Hindley went on the attack several times from the last 2300 meters, without managing to take down Geoghegan Hart.
The 25-year-old Briton won the sprint to take away his second stage success, six days after Piancavallo's.
Hindley, 24, wears the pink jersey for the first time in her career.
In the general classification, Kelderman fell to third place, at 1 min 32 sec.
© 2020 AFP