Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb) arrived at the finish of stage 20 in Cervinia empty but proud to have tried to attack and crack Chris Froome (Team Sky), even in the final kilometres of the final mountain stage of the Corsa Rosa. The 2017 Giro dŽItalia winner will ride into Rome on Sunday in second place overall, 46 seconds down on Froome, but with no regrets. `No, no regrets. There was nothing I could do to beat Froome. IŽm super proud of the team and myself. This is what it is: second,` Dumoulin said, sportingly accepting defeat. ADVERTISEMENT Dumoulin tried to distance Froome four times in the final nine kilometres of the climb up to Cervinia. The Materhorn mountain loomed large over the climb and so did Froome, responding every time Dumoulin surged away. Froome even made two attacks of his own to let Dumoulin and the other riders in the select group know who was in charge. Froome finished with loyal teammate Wout Poels, and they celebrated as they crossed the line. Dumoulin finished slightly distanced, head bowed. `I was so tired, so totally spent,` Dumoulin said. `I had nothing left in the tank, but IŽd have blamed myself if I hadnŽt tried. I was just tired today, but I tried everything I had. IŽm super proud of myself. I was one of the best climbers, but I wasnŽt the best. Froome was stronger.` In 2017, Dumoulin dominated the Giro dŽItalia, winning two stages and wearing the maglia rosa for 10 days, beating Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) in the final overall classification. He struggled to respond to Simon Yates for much of the race but could sense a chance of victory when the Mitchelton-Scott rider cracked early on the Colle delle Finestre. However, Dumoulin could not catch Froome on the long road to Bardonecchia.
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