Simon Carr wins stage 5 solo for EF Education-EasyPost(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Simon Carr of EF Education-EasyPost fights on his solo breakaway to victory(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers) confirms the GC title is his at the end of stage 5 in Brunico, Italy (Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Ineos teammates Geraint Thomas (left) and overall winner Tao Geoghegan Hart react after the 46th Tour of the Alps 2023(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Riders in the breakaway climbing to the Mühlbach/Rio Molino(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Simon Carr (EF Education-EasyPost) attacks in the breakaway(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Race leader Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers) rides stage 5 in the Green Leader Jersey (Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Georg Steinhauser of EF Education-EasyPost leads the breakaway during the 144.5km mountainous stage 5(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
The peloton climbing to the snowy and mountainous pass of the Passo Lavaz(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
The peloton encountered fresh snow on the mountainous pass of the Passo Lavaz in the opening 10km of the stage(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Ineos Grenadiers setting the pace for race leader Tao Geoghegan Hart(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
A general view of the peloton climbing the snowy Passo Lavaz(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Laurens De Plus, Geraint Thomas congratulate Ineos Grenadiers teammate Tao Geoghegan Hart for GC victory at Tour of the Alps(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers) celebrates the Green Leader Jersey and GC trophy at podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Final GC podium (L to R): second-placed Hugh Carthy (EF Education-EasyPost), race winner Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers) in Green Leader Jersey and third-placed Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers) holds the GC trophy on the podium after stage 5(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Sergio Samitier of Movistar Team celebrates as Blue Mountain Jersey winner (Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Max Poole of Team DSM celebrates as the White Best Young Rider(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Simon Carr (EF Education-EasyPost) scored a solo win to close out the Tour of the Alps, soloing away from the breakaway 26.5km from the end of the finale in Brunico.
It was a day of double triumph for British riders as Tao Geoghegan Hart secured the overall race victory, his Ineos Grenadiers squad controlling the peloton to see him home in the green leader’s jersey at 22 seconds up on EF Education-EasyPost's Hugh Carthy.
Up front, Carr had been part of a large breakaway group which fractured on the final climb of Mühlbach, starting some 30km from the line.
As Uno-X led the way at the front, Carr was the first to make a move, going midway up the ascent and building a gap which reached 40 seconds at the top.
Carr extended his lead to an unassailable 1:30 on the plateau and start of the descent towards the finish, ensuring that he’d race to the finish alone and celebrate his first victory since 2020.
His third breakaway ride of the week concluded with Carr rolling home 53 seconds clear of his chasers, with EF teammate Tobias Steinhauser winning the sprint for second place ahead of Bora-Hansgrohe duo Matteo Fabbro and Florian Lipowitz.
“I’ve been in the break on three occasions this week, so probably more time in the break than in the bunch, which has been good fun,” Carr said after the stage. “Obviously by now a bit tired and this morning I was really tired. I was surprised to have those legs in the final but really happy to finish it off.
“We thought we had a chance. The plan was for me and Georg to get in the break, which was what happened. He was strong in the start and got in the first move and then I think a guy there was dangerous on GC, so it was brought back after the first big climb.
“Then another break formed and in that one there was both of us, so that was exactly what we wanted and then we were able to fight for the stage.”
Further down the road, Ineos Grenadiers kept control at the head of the peloton on the run-in to bring Geoghegan Hart home safely. The group crossed the line at 4:28 down as the 28-year-old celebrated his first stage race victory since the 2020 Giro d’Italia.
Behind Geoghegan Hart and Carthy, Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) rounded out the final GC podium in third place. The Australian finished off the week at 28 seconds down.
Geoghegan Hart also took home the points jersey, while British youngster Max Poole (Team DSM) captured the young rider prize. Sergio Samitier (Movistar) went home with the KOM jersey, moving up into the lead after taking the maximum 10 points on the first climb of the day.
How it unfolded
The day began with the final first-category climb of the race, the 10.3km, 7.6% Passo Lavazè. It was there that the initial breakaway group of almost 20 men went clear. However, with Mark Donovan (Team DSM) a relatively dangerous GC presence at 2:49 down, the move was shut down by the chasing peloton just inside the 100km to go mark.
Steinhauser and Lipowitz led the next round of attacks after the descent, sparking the move that would contest the stage victory. They’d be joined by 21 others, including Carr, Luis León Sánchez (Astana Qazaqstan), Gianluca Brambilla (Q36.5), plus Geoffrey Bouchard and three of his AG2R Citroën teammates.
Ineos Grenadiers settled into the pacemaking role in the peloton, letting the breakaway – now with no GC threats among the group – go five minutes clear up the road.
A spell on the front from Israel-Premier Tech as the race hit the final 50km interrupted the calm, but with numerous riders from AG2R and Uno-X willing to work in the break, the distance between the two groups never came below the 2:40 mark.
From then on, it would all be about the final climb of the day at Mühlbach, the last major hardship of the five-day race. But rather than a frenzy of attacks or cat-and-mouse games on the way up, Carr simply rode away at the front.
There was little response behind the 24-year-old, who swiftly built a strong lead at the head of the race, one which would prove to be uncatchable by the time he began the descent towards the finish.
Further back, Iván Sosa (Movistar) and Matteo Riccitello (Israel-Premier Tech) were among riders to try moves in the peloton to no avail. Meanwhile, the chasing group behind Carr split apart, with the three-man group of Steinhauser, Fabbro, and Lipowitz going clear to contest the minor placings on the day.
Up front, Carr had time to celebrate the second win of his career and EF’s 14th of the 2023 season.
Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, joining in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.
Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, Road World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Demi Vollering, and Remco Evenepoel. Their favourite races are the Giro d'Italia, Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix.
