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Giro d’Italia explodes on the slopes of the Stelvio, Kelderman seizes pink

Jai Hindley wins on Laghi di Cancano summit finish

Photo by: Sirotti
October 22, 2020
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After several stages of stasis among the Giro d’Italia GC riders, the race was shattered to pieces on Thursday’s 18th stage, the famed Stelvio climb playing havoc with the favourites. After 15 stages in pink, João Almeida (Portugal/Deceuninck-Quick Step) lost the race lead to Wilco Kelderman. Kelderman now has a slim, 12-second lead over his Sunweb teammate and Thursday’s winner Jai Hindley.

You can find out where to watch the Giro here.

The Course

Two climbs, the Campo Carlo Magno and Hofmahdjoch/Passo Castrin, came before the mighty HC-rated Stelvio, (24.8 km of 7.4 percent), peaking with 37 km to go. The final climb of Torri di Fraele up to Laghi di Cancano was 9 km of 6.8 percent. The final 2 km were downhill.

The Breakaway

Would the two main King of the Mountains competitors, leader Ruben Guerreiro of EF Pro Cycling (198 points) and Giovanni Visconti (148 points), come out and play? Well, Visconti did not start. Thomas De Gendt was 106 points in arrears.

Geurreiro and De Gendt were part of a small breakaway containing Wednesday’s winner Ben O’Connor. Geurreiro claimed maximum points on Campo Carlo Magno, while De Gendt was first atop Hofmahdjoch/Passo Castrin. Geurreiro could go to bed on Thursday night with the knowledge that he was very likely to win the competition.

The Stelvio

With Ben O’Connor 2:00 up the road and the remnants of the break in between, the pink jersey group hit the Stelvio with Sunweb pulling hard. Eighth place Domenico Pozzovivo dropped away from the favourites group. Almeida looked vulnerable and then fell away. Sixth place Rafal Majka was the next to go.

Soon only Rohan Dennis, Tao Geoghegan Hart of Ineos and Hindley and Kelderman of Sunweb remained. Then Kelderman was dropped. Dennis, Geoghegan Hart and Hindley winched in O’Connor with 44 km to ride.

By the top of the Stelvio, where Dennis took the Cima Coppi and jumped up to third in the KOM race, Kelderman was 46-seconds behind, and Almeida was in 3:23 arrears. Hindley almost wiped out while struggling to get his jacket on. It was difficult to witness.

On the descent, neither Kelderman nor Almeida could make inroads into their deficits.

Torri di Fraele

Kelderman started to surrender. Dennis couldn’t push anymore. It was Geoghegan Hart and Hindley left to scrap it out.

Pello Bilbao and Jakob Fuglsang blew past Kelderman.

Bilbao, who was 16th in the Tour de France, then became the third man on the road, leaving his Danish companion. Kelderman saved his pink jersey by riding within himself.

The Brit led the Australian all the way to the top and down the short descent, so it was no surprise that Hindley had the energy to come around Geoghegan Hart to claim the stage. Kelderman came in fifth place 2:18 behind.

Friday is one of those odd little sprinter’s days that fall in the last three days of a Grand Tour. Saturday’s course had to be rerouted due to France’s COVID-19 concerns; the riders will climb Sestriere three times from two directions. Sunday is the concluding 15.7 km time trial into Milan.

2020 Giro d’Italia Stage 18
1) Jai Hindley (Australia/Sunweb) 6:03:03
2) Tao Geoghegan Hart (Great Britain/Ineos Grenadiers) s.t.
3) Pello Bilbao (Spain/Bahrain-McLaren) +0:46

2020 Giro d’Italia GC
1) Wilco Kelderman (The Netherlands/Sunweb) 77:46:56
2) Jai Hindley (Australia/Sunweb) +0:12
3) Tao Geoghegan Hart (Great Britain/Ineos Grenadiers) +0:15
4) Pello Bilbao (Spain/Bahrain-McLaren) +1:19
5) João Almeida (Portugal/Deceuninck-Quick Step) +2:16
6) Jakob Fuglsang (Denmark/Astana) +3:59
7) Patrick Konrad (Austria/Bora-Hansgrohe) +5:40
8) Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Trek-Segafredo) +5:47
9) Fausto Masnada (Italy/Deceuninck-Quick Step) +6:46
10) Hermann Pernsteiner (Austria/Bahrain-McLaren) +7:23