Weather-shortened mountain Stage 13 at Giro d’Italia provides plenty of action

Serial escapee Derek Gee at it again on Friday

Photo by: Sirotti

Rob Sturney May 19, 2023

On a day when inclement weather forced Giro d’Italia organizers to cut the stage in half, there was an enthralling three-way scrap for Friday’s honours atop a summit finish, with Movistar’s Colombian Einer Rubio beating out a sprightly Thibaut Pinot. Pinot, in his final Giro, retook the blue KOM jersey. Once more, intrepid Canadian Derek Gee was in the breakaway and he finished fourth, popping him up four spots to 36th on GC.

Things we love to see ??

?? #Giro #GeeForce pic.twitter.com/rdtNhZyLUp

— Israel – Premier Tech (@IsraelPremTech) May 19, 2023

The Course

After the top of the Salita del Gran San Bernardo had already been cut by 3.5 km earlier in the week–the riders instead detouring through a long tunnel–race organizers removed the climb all together earlier on Friday. The stage was cut from 199 km to 74.6 km, and the peloton bussed to Le Châble at the foot of the Croix de Couer.

The Croix de Couer was formidable. It was 15.4 km of 8.8 percent, the last 4 km at 10.3 percent. After the descent, the race would move along the valley floor for 25 km before the summit finish of Crans Montana, 2.9 km of 7.2 percent. The weather wasn’t so bad on Friday.

Given the adverse weather conditions, especially on the Italian side, the Commission decided to meet the athletes' requests by applying the Extreme Weather Protocol.

Stage 13 will be shortened with the new km 0 being set at Le Chable, at the bottom of the Croix de Couer. The… pic.twitter.com/6VwMOw8enS

— Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 19, 2023

Attacks flew off right from Le Châble. Thibaut Pinot was part of the first move, hoping to get back into the KOM game. This group was hauled back, but Pinot went again, this time with that man, Derek Gee, along with his young American teammate Matthew Riccitello.

Gee leads the breakaway on the Croix de Coeur.

Pinot put himself within 14 points of mountains classification Davide Bais by cresting first; Gee bounced up to ninth in the competition. It was white-knuckle stuff on the descent. The Pinot-Gee gang, now a quintet, reached the valley floor with a 3:30 lead on the peloton.

The gap was down to 3:00 by the start of Crans Montana. Immediately, Pinot dashed away, drawing Ecuadorian Jefferson Alexander Cepeda and Movistar’s Einar Rubio. Gee fought his way back to them before launching his own attack. Pinot went again and again and Cepeda and Rubio kept coming back. Cepeda took his leave of his fellows with 5.3 km to climb and it was Pinot’s turn to close.

Despite Pinot being the sentimental favourite, Rubio ultimately got the best of the Frenchman and the Ecuadorian, taking the win. Gee finished a solid fourth and is now fifth in the KOM competition.

Saturday’s route contains a Cat. 1 climb in the first quarter of the 194 km. It seems like another one for the sprinters.