Not surprisingly, Carlos Betancur (AG2R La Mondiale) was one of the most aggressive riders from the top ten in yesterday’s stage 15 at the Giro d’Italia to Les Granges du Galibier, launching numerous attacks on both the Col du Télégraphe and Col du Galibier, and booked his third runner up spot of the Italian Grand Tour thus far.

His prize for yet another so-close-yet-so-far experience was the white jersey of the young riders’ classification as the 12-second time bonus saw him leapfrog previous holder Rafal Majka (Saxo-Tinkoff).

“The white jersey was a goal for me and the whole team has worked very well to help me to give me this jersey today,” said Betancur after the stage. “It is unfortunate that Domenico [Pozzovivo] fell because we could have also gone for the stage win. I will continue to try my luck to win a stage and I will fight to the end to keep this white jersey.”

However, Betancur’s good fortune on the stage was matched by the misfortune of teammate Pozzovivo, who crashed on the descent of the Télégraphe. Hard work from the French team limited the Italian’s losses to the rest of the contenders, though, but Pozzovivo did slip from seventh to ninth overall.

"The second place and white jersey of Carlos are a good satisfaction for us but if Domenico hadn’t fallen the race situation could have been a little more to our advantage,” said AG2R La Mondiale directeur sportif Laurent Biondi. “When you see the work carried out by Hubert [Dupont] to bring Domenico back after crossing Valloire, it is unfortunate that we couldn’t focus the efforts of these two riders at the same time to win the stage.”