Out of Banbridge: Matt Teggart leads Mark Downey at the Baby Giro during a fantastic day for their Team Wiggins squad.
Team Wiggins takes Baby Giro lead on stage 7
With just two stages remaining, Team Wiggins - Ireland's Mark Downey and Matt Teggart in its line-up - has seized the race lead at the Baby Giro.
Mark Donovan started Thursday's stage 7 in 2nd place overall, just 39 seconds down on Colombian Alejandro Osorio. Former race leader Stephen Williams (SEG Racing) was 3rd, at 2:14.
Williams would win the stage; claiming it by 26 seconds from Aleksandr Vlasov (Gazprom-RusVelo). Just two seconds later came a group of four; Donovan in it and finishing 5th on the day.
And because the race leader was back in 11th, some 53 seconds behind Donovan's group, the Team Wiggins man claimed the leader's jersey.
Williams went on the attack with 6km remaining on the 136.9km stage from Schio to Pian Delle Fugazze. Behind, pink jersey Osorio cracked in the final 2km.
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That saw Williams win the stage but Donovan took the leader's jersey. With lots of climbing on Friday's stage 7 to come, Williams looks like the danger man for Team Wiggins to cope with.
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Having ridden for their team mate, Teggart and Downey lost time on Thursday; finishing 41st and 94th at 6:18 and 12:51 respectively.
The other Irishman in the race, Daire Feeley of Union Cycliste de Monaco, finished in the same group as Teggart, in 43rd place.
Friday's stage 8 is up the Monte Grappa climb, which is 25km long and ascends to 1,300 metres.
Top down: Teggart finishes; him and Downey in the line behind race leader Alejandro Osorio of Colombia. Donovan pulls on the leader's jersey. Team presentation at stage start; Teggart far right, Downey third from right.
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