A solid display on the hard roads of Tuscany from James Knox as the race enters the first rest day.
One of the most anticipated days of this year’s edition, stage 9 marked the end of the first week of the Corsa Rosa and had the riders face five sectors of Strade Bianche’s famous gravel roads, covering a total of 29.6 kilometers, before the spectacular finale on the steep gradients of Via Santa Caterina that led to the iconic Piazza del Campo, one of Italy’s most stunning landmarks.
Soudal Quick-Step animated the first part of the race with Luke Lampaerti, the young American attacking in the opening kilometers and booking a place in a six-man breakaway that remained off the front of the race until the last 60 kilometers, when their advantage was erased by the peloton. Soon after, the race exploded following a combination of flat tires, crashes and attacks, many of the GC riders finding themselves behind and chasing to rejoin the leaders or reduce the gap.
With around 50 kilometers to go, James Knox was in the second chasing group and rode a strong race on the challenging roads of Tuscany, where he had competed only once before Sunday, at the 2021 edition of the Giro d’Italia. The 29-year-old remained attentive the whole time and showed good form as he finished in Siena part of an important group featuring many of the race contenders. Following this stage, Knox made a leap of six places in the overall rankings at the end of a tough day that reshaped the GC before the second individual time trial of this edition, scheduled Tuesday, in the same region.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
