HASfter two consecutive victories for Tadej Pogacar on the roads of the Giro, the peloton will cover 214 km between Allezzano and Naples. Today’s stage, without any major difficulty, is listed as hilly with 1300m of elevation gain. A stage that could appeal to sprinters or backpackers.
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The actual start of the race was delayed after a Dutch rider suffered a puncture. From kilometer zero, Mirco Maestri and Andrea Pietrobon (Polti-Kometa) attacked to try to form a first breakaway.
The two Italian riders continued their effort to widen the gap. The duo had 2min08 after 35 kilometers of racing. The peloton managing the gap. This gap has increased. At 130 kilometers from the final package, the lead was 3 minutes and 15 seconds. But this gap decreased over the kilometers. Thirty kilometers further, the Italian duo had a lead of more than 90 seconds. Indeed, the sprinter teams did not want to let the two adventurers slip away.
At 57 kilometers from the finish, while the peloton was becoming more and more tense; Geraint Thomas, 3rd overall, fell. He was able to leave directly but one minute behind the peloton.
With 28km to go, five riders were positioned at the front, including Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe.
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