Tao Geoghegan Hart won the first dolomitic stage of the Giro d'Italia at the top of Piancavallo. It was an impressive comeback after losing team leader Geraint Thomas on stage 3 on Mount Etna, but the British team showed no signs of letting up as the race entered its final week. [Filippo Ganna, Jonathan Narvaez, and now Geoghegan Hart, what they have accomplished since landing on the mainland 12 days ago is an amazing feat.

They held all the jerseys at one point thanks to Ganna's success and now lead the teeming class. Geoghegan Hart's victory is just the latest success story, the biggest win of his career and the salvation race for the team, following his two victories in the Tour de l'Alps last season.

"It's the last race of the season and I want to enjoy it to the max," he said. There are a lot of guys on the team that are thinking the same way." This year has been crazy, not just for cycling, but for everyone. For the sponsors, the staff, and ourselves, we have to make the most of this last week and not rest on our laurels.

"We have to keep pushing and keep racing. I have enjoyed it so much and there is no reason to stop now. I will keep pushing aggressively and continue to do what I have been doing.

At 25, he was the strongest man atop Piacavallo, behind Marco Pantani and Mikel Landa.

He, along with Sunweb's Jai Hindley and Wilco Kelderman, were on a mission to take the pink jersey from Detunink-Quickstep's Joao Almeida. While celebrating his victory, he pointed to the sky in honor of former sports director Nicholas Portal, who died earlier this year.

"I've been feeling consistently good in this Giro and today was no different," he said. 'I felt good on the climbs. It was a pretty long climb, so I was super patient, kept up with the wheels, took my time, and waited for the last 100 meters. Looking back, it was really cool.

"Definitely my biggest win. Nothing compares to that. When it was just the three of us, once I started thinking I had a chance, I just tried to focus on the job at hand. I was thinking about everyone on the team, my teammates, Matteo Tosatto and Ollie Cookson in the car behind me, and in the last five kilometers I was thinking a little bit about Nico Portal.

"I've always dreamed of dedicating the second half of the 2020 season to him to win. That's all I've been thinking about for the last few months."

"It's really special to meet all the staff and I think I can say we've done a great job so far with the way we've approached this Giro, especially after the disappointing result, and everyone has stuck together and reset.

Clearly the team will continue to fight for more stage wins, but what about Geoghegan Hart's own ambition to fulfill what Thomas came to Milan for? He currently sits in fourth place overall, 2:57 behind Almeida, with three summit finishes and a time trial remaining.

Astana coach Giuseppe Martinelli, a six-time Giro winner, told La Gazzetta dello Sport, "If I had to pick a winner of this race, I would pick the rider who won today.

"It's not something I care about at all right now," Geoghegan Hart said at the post-race press conference. I want to see my teammates tonight and celebrate with them. It's a special day for me."

"Nothing has changed. We are here to race. We came here with a clear plan to finish the Giro. It was a really tough day in Sicily, especially with Gelant's crash in the neutral zone. So we had to reset.

"We tried to make the most of this race. Honestly, it's been a crazy year and I've had incredible reactions and support the whole time. There is only one week left in the crazy 2020 season and I know all the players and staff want to do their best.