Tour de Savoie Mont Blanc, Stage 2: Geoghegan Hart Fifth

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By Sean Weide
17 Jun 16

Barby, France – Tao Geoghegan Hart was fifth on Friday's summit finish at the Tour de Savoie Mont Blanc to make a big move up the overall standings.

The Axeon Hagens Berman Cycling Team rider climbed from 13th to fifth overall with three stages of the four-day, five-stage race in France remaining. The 21-year-old winner from Great Britain is 32 seconds behind race leader Harm VanHoucke (Lotto-Soudal U23), who soloed to the stage win and into the overall lead.

Geoghegan Hart described his performance as "OK," but said he is looking forward to continuing his move up the standings.

"The climb didn't really suit me, with lots of flat and downhill sections over its 20km length," the winner of Trofeo Piva said. "So it wasn't really ever a constant pace, more on and off. That's how the Lotto guy (VanHoucke) slipped away with about 10 kilometers to go and rode his own tempo to eek out a nice advantage.

"The biggest GC (general classification) day is Sunday, so it is definitely all still to play for. But Saturday should also be interesting. I would like to try something for sure."

Axeon Hagens Berman's Eddie Dunbar, the Irish Under 23 national road champion, rode as part of a breakaway that eventually saw Geoghegan Hart and about a dozen others bridge up to it at the halfway point of the 118-kilometer race.

Dunbar went on to finish 32nd, 12:51 behind the stage winner. In the overall standings, Ruben Guerreiro (28th, 11:49 behind) is the team's best-placed rider after Geoghegan Hart.

(File photo of Geoghegan Hart by Davey Wilson.)

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