At the start of the Giro this would have been “the breakaway day” for everyone with dreams of a life-changing stage win. It could still be but with several sprinters’ teams struggling for success and Paul Magnier needing points they now have an interest to try and lock this down.
Encore: another stage win for Jonas Vingegaard, his fourth and this time in the maglia rosa so a photo to keep. He attacked in the last 7km of the climb, very much his style to surge clear to get a gap, then keep going to gradually take more time. Felix Gall tried to respond but surrendered to reason after 14 pedal strokes and finished in second but only just, with Jai Hindley, Thymen Arensman and Derek Gee-West near by.
Red Bull had worked hard but it gained Hindley three seconds on Arensman but Giulio Pellizzari cracked, losing 18 minutes and sliding to 19th overall, a disastro said the Giro website. It means Afonso Eulalio is in the white jersey but Davide Piganzoli is 2m17s behind and probably fancies his chances.
For all the stasis overall, there’s a lot going in the secondary classifications. Giulio Ciccone was out points hunting and got 54 points for winning the first four climbs… but Vingegaard got 50 for the final one. The arithmetic looks very difficult for the Italian. Jhonathan Narvaez seems to know his maths better and closed in on Paul Magnier’s points lead, now just two points in it.
The Route: 202km and the hardest climbing comes early with the Passo dei Tre Termini, 8km at 6%. The Cocca di Lodrino is what Italians call pedalabile, literally “pedalable” as you won’t be walking up and it’s a big ring climb of 8km at 4%. The intermediate sprint looks like a climb on the profile but it’s a drag up the main valley road. The unmarked climb to San Lorenzo Dorsino is 2km at 7%.
The Finish: into the town of Andalo and then back out for a loop that includes some climbing. It’s all on wide roads but the gradient gets difficult for plenty, it suits punchy riders. From the 4km to go point to the 1km point it climbs at 6%,
The Contenders: a breakaway or sprint? Probably a breakaway, as if the sprinters crave an extra shot at the win, several will find today’s stage is too mountainous for them which leaves few teams willing to try. Paul Magnier has a tiny chance, Dylan Groenewegen none. Movistar can try playing their Orluis Aular card again but it might well benefit someone else again.
Breakaway picks are Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE) but with fatigue unknown after all the accumulated efforts and he might just want to grab points at the intermediate sprint as he only needs three to fleece the ciclamino off Paul Magnier’s shoulders. Team mate Igor Arrieta is suited too.
Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X), Ludovico Crescioli (Polti-Malta) and Michael Valgren (EF) are outside picks.
Alberto Bettiol (XDS-Astana) is suited but he’s such a rare winner that once feels like a lot, we’ll see if soon to be 37 year old Diego Ulissi can play a role.
Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain) sprints well from a reduced group and is a local along the route today.
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Narvaez, Ciccone, Silva, Valgren |
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Crescioli, Aular, Leknessund, Ulissi, Bettiol, Zambanini |
Weather: sunny, 30°C
TV: KM0 is at 12.20pm and the finish is forecast for 5.15pm CEST.
Postcard from Andalo
The Giro last came here in 2016. That day Alejandro Valverde won Stage 16, pipping Steven Kruijswijk for the win but the Dutchman was arguably the bigger winner as he took the time bonus for second and had distanced all the other riders in the field. The second-placed rider on GC was Esteban Chaves at three minutes, Valverde was next and then came Vincenzo Nibali and Ilnur Zakarin, both almost five minutes down. Stages 17 and 18 were flatter days with wins for Roger Kluge and Matteo Trentin.
Stage 19 reversed all of that. After cresting the giant Colle dell’Agnello Kruijswijk went wide on a corner, he seemed to lock-up, as if fixated by the approaching wall of snow and collided with the bank of ice, causing him to somersault over the bars and land hard on the road. Nobody waited – why should they? – and Kruijswijk was now isolated with no team mates and over 50km to ride. Nibali rode way for the win and Kruijswijk finished almost five minutes down. Chaves took the overall lead and the following day Nibali overhauled Chaves to win the race.
Should Vingegaard be worried given his team lost the Giro after things had looked so comfortable? Never say never as accidents happen but back then Nibali remarked Kruijswijk had three weaknesses: descending, the propensity for a bad day in a grand tour and a weak team. Kruijswijk alas was confronted with all of these on the Agnello. Vingegaard is a different customer.