2016 Giro d’Italia Stage 18: Trentin wins in Etixx ambush

Matteo Trentin (Etixx-QuickStep) came out of nowhere to join two leaders in the final 300-metres of Thursday’s challenging stage of the Giro d’Italia to take the win. Trentin adds the victory to two Tour de France triumphs. It was an all-Italian podium on the day. The GC men took it easy and Steven Kruijswijk’s pink jersey was in no danger.

The stage was very long at 240-km, with all the challenges in the final 25-km. First, there was the Cat. 2 Pramartino climb, peaking with 20-km to go. The climb is 4.6-km of 10.5%

#Giro Stage 18 is underway, long way on the flat before some sharp ramps at the end #OGErocks pic.twitter.com/3aXIvAMgwC

— Mitchelton-SCOTT (@MitcheltonSCOTT) May 26, 2016

Then, inside the last 3-km came the half-kilometre, cobbled San Maurizio climb of 14%. Yikes.

#Giro The steep San Maurizio climb which comes just before the finish on today's stage ??? #OGErocks pic.twitter.com/6J1QjIx3pV

— Mitchelton-SCOTT (@MitcheltonSCOTT) May 26, 2016

As expected, an enormous breakaway of 24-riders scrambled away, establishing an 11:00 lead at the 106-km mark. The gap remained the same when the race headed through the outskirts of Torino, the city in which the 99th Giro will wrap up on Sunday. When the lead remained static with 88-km to go, it was clear that the day’s winner would come from the break.

A man who has been in more than one breakaway in this Giro, Pavel Brutt (Russia/Tinkoff), flared off the front of the escape with FDJ’s Olivier Le Gac and then left the Frenchman behind. He went through the first passage of Pinerolo, just before the Pramartino climb, with a 16-second lead.

A depleted escape brought Brutt back on the Pinerolo. The grades kept streamlining the fugitive group before two Italians, Stage 8 winner Gianluca Brambilla (Etixx-QuickStep) and Moreno Moser (Cannondale), distanced the others.

The duo tipped over the top and then roared down the other side. In the peloton there was only a selection but no attacks. Brambilla and Moser galloped towards the showdown on San Maurizio with a quartet of chasers including Trentin closing the gap.

Battling with gritted teeth, one Italian couldn’t shed the other. Moser led under the red kite. Brambilla could see his teammate coming, but Moser had lost his earpiece and didn’t know about the Etixx reinforcement. Trentin, having done no work in the chase, joined them with 300-metres to go and then immediately flew around the duo to take the win, Etixx’s fourth of the 99th Giro.

Twelve minutes in arrears, the GC group clambered the San Maurizio with no sense of intent and came in nearly 13:30 after Trentin.

Friday’s stage is an Alpine feast that finishes in France.

2016 Giro d’Italia Stage 18
1) Matteo Trentin (Italy/Etixx-QuickStep) 5:25:34
2) Moreno Moser (Italy/Cannondale) s.t.
3) Gianluca Brambilla (Italy/Etixx-QuickStep) s.t.

2016 Giro d’Italia GC
1) Steven Kruijswijk (The Netherlands/LottoNL-Jumbo) 63:50:37
2) Esteban Chaves (Colombia/Orica-GreenEdge) +3:00
3) Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Movistar) +3:23