Tadej Pogačar beats Nairo Quintana on brutal Giro d’Italia stage in the Alps
Slovenian opens up GC-lead chasm with fourth win of 107th edition
It was the present versus the past on Sunday’s brutal, exhausting Giro d’Italian stage in the Italian Alps, as Tadej Pogačar beat 2014 champion Nairo Quintana for the win. Pogačar destroyed his GC rivals in taking his fourth victory of the 107th edition, and now leads Geraint Thomas by 6:41 with a week to go.
The Course
Yowza! The riders faced 5400 metres of vertical gain, with a gentle grade right from the gun. Hard on the heels of the opening Cat. 3 climb was Cat. 2 Colle San Zeno. As soon as the 18-km drop off San Zeno was completed, the road rose gradually until the famous Cat. 1 Mortirolo, 12.6 km of 7.7 percent with a maximum of 16 percent. Again, the road kicked up as soon as the descent was finished, steeper this time. The two-headed beast that capped off this taxing 222-km day was the Cat. 1 Passo di Foscagno, a little dip down and then Mottolino, 4.7 km at 7.7 percent with grades up to 19 percent.
Sunday’s breakaway was immense. By the time the Mortirolo kicked up, six riders held just under a minute on a chase of 45 and 4:20 over the pink jersey peloton. As the road continued to tilt up, the sextet fragmented. By the crest, three Italians from Astana, Alpecin-Deceuninck and (inhales) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè rode on the pointy end of the race and riders were spread all over the slopes below. The pink jersey was +4:30.
The descent of the Mortirolo is notoriously technical. Everyone stayed safe and by the rising valley floor, the front group grew to around 20 chaps. There were very few riders between what we’ll call the Julian Alaphilippe-Nairo Quintana group and the pink jersey peloton. Fifty-two kilometres remained.
It was a long drag to the foot of penultimate climb Passo di Foscagno. The Alaphilippe-Quintana group shrunk and split along the way, and its advantage was just over 3:00 when the day’s second Cat. 1 began.
Georg Steinhauser immediately made a strong move to go solo, Atilla Valter his closest pursuer and the rest of the group in pieces. The EF Education-Easypost German pried open a minute’s lead before Quintana made a thrust in an attempt to bridge. With 14 km left it looked like the winner would be someone in the breakaway.
After Rafal Majka wound it up for him, Tadej Pogačar attacked.
Quintana joined and dispensed with Steinhauser. The pink jersey steamed towards the Colombian. With 12 km to race, the Slovenian was a minute ahead of his GC rivals. Romain Bardet skipped away from this GC group. Pogačar picked off Steinhauser.
Quintana tipped over Passo di Foscagno and made the short descent 38 seconds clear. Mottolino would tell the final tale.
Pogačar caught and dispatched Quintana with just inside 2 km to go. O’Connor momentarily lost contact with Dani Martinez and Geraint Thomas. At the line, Martinez and Thomas put eight seconds into O’Connor.
Bardet moved up one spot to seventh, Einer Rubio and Jan Hirt jumped back into the top-10, and Thymen Arensman closed the gap to Antonio Tiberi for the white jersey.
Monday is the last rest day. The third week contains two summit finishes and a double ascent of Monte Grappa on Stage 20.
2024 Giro d’Italia Stage 15
1) Tadej Pogačar (Slovenian/UAE-Emirates) +6:11:41
2) Nairo Quintana (Colombia/Movistar) +0:29
3) Georg Steinhauser (Germany/EF Education-Easypost) +2:32
2024 Giro d’Italia GC
1) Tadej Pogačar (Slovenian/UAE-Emirates) 56:11:42
2) Geraint Thomas (Great Britain/Ineos) +6:41
3) Dani Martinez (Colombia/Bora-Hansgrohe) +6:56
4) Ben O’Connor (Australia/Decathlon-AG2R) +7:43
