Andrea Vendrame gave Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale their second victory of the 2024 Giro d’Italia on stage 19 to Sappada.
“It is a good day at present. The necessary factor was to get within the breakaway. I used to be there right away from the beginning after which in the long run, the all referred to as me a joker and I attempted to try this,” Vendrame stated.
The 29-year-old soloed away from the day’s breakaway on a rain-soaked descent, prolonged his lead on the ultimate climb, the class 2 Cima Sappada, after which powered residence to the second Giro stage win of his profession, a lot to the delight of the tifosi.
“I attempted to get away on the descent, and it was an excellent transfer as a result of they did not actually agree an excessive amount of behind, and naturally, for me, it was higher.
“I believed that someone was going to come back again, however I attempted to maintain an excellent, common rhythm, and naturally, they sorted me very nicely from the automobile. It was excellent.”
Pelayo Sanchez (Movistar), winner of stage 6, was second on the stage forward of stage 17 winner Georg Steinhauser (EF Training-EasyPost).
Race chief Tadej Pogačar (UAE Group Emirates) suffered a puncture on the stage, however his lead of seven:42 went in any other case unchallenged because the breakaway gained over 16 minutes.
The identical could not be stated for third-placed Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), who crashed with 6km to go after touching wheels with Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious).
The Welshman was fast to stand up however wanted a brand new bike. Nevertheless, the race chief’s crew eased up on the tempo to let him rejoin.
There have been no additional assaults, with Pogačar’s teammates main him to the road to maintain the highest of the general classification the identical.
Vendrame can be again on obligation to guard Ben O’Connor’s fourth place within the basic classification tomorrow on the double ascent of Monte Grappa – the ultimate mountain stage of this Giro d’Italia – however Vendrame promised his crew can be on the transfer once more.
“There’s one other stage to go tomorrow within the mountains. We all know that Pogi is absolutely robust, however we’re right here with O’Connor for the GC,” he stated. “We have gained two levels and we’ve got nothing to lose in any respect, we’ll give it a attempt tomorrow.”
The way it unfolded
With the ultimate main mountain problem awaiting Tadej Pogačar and his total rivals on Saturday, stage 19 to Sappada proved to be the one summit end that the maglia rosa wouldn’t be profitable.
It was a day for the breakaway, and the peloton knew it. The combat to get into the transfer was vicious.
A big group containing Attila Valter and Eduardo Affini (Visma-Lease a Bike), Simone Velasco (Astana), Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers), Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Andrea Piccolo (EF Training-EasyPost), Lorenzo Milesi (Movistar), Giovanni Lonadri (Polti Kometa), Ryan Mullen (Bora-Hansgrohe), Daan Hoole (Lidl-Trek) shaped early within the 157 kilometre stage, however they by no means may open up greater than 20 seconds.
On a small climb in San Daniele del Friuli after 32 kilometres of racing, the peloton got here again collectively, and Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-Quickstep) put in a powerful transfer to kind one other assault.
He was joined by Jhonatan Narvaez (Ineos Grenadiers), Pelayo Sanchez (Movistar), Vendrame and Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck), with Luke Plapp (Jayco-AlUla) briding throughout forward of a big break up off the entrance of the maglia rosa group.
There was loads of aggression from behind till 44 kilometres into the stage, when there was a short lull that allow the leaders acquire 30 seconds. It solely lasted a minute earlier than extra assaults got here.
The hole got here down to simply 14 seconds when Narvaez slid out on a descent and, within the chasing peloton, Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal-Quickstep) crashed in nearly the identical place; nonetheless, each riders had been rapidly again up and of their respective teams because the aggressive tempo continued.
One other 4 riders attacked to bridge throughout: Jasper Stuyven and Edward Theuns (Lidl-Trek), Mattia Bais (Polti Kometa) and Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ). The quartet made it to the leaders with 95km to go.
After the primary intermediate dash, the place Alaphilippe led the breakaway throughout, yet one more group break up off the entrance to attempt to bridge what was solely a 33-second hole, powered by the relentless Mikkel Honoré (EF Training-EasyPost).
It took the higher a part of 15 kilometres for the chasers to succeed in the leaders, however lastly, with 81km to go, a 19-rider group shaped containing:
Narvaez, Hermans, Velasco, Vendrame, Plapp, Alaphilippe and Mikkel Honoré, Michael Valgren and Georg Steinhauser (EF Training-EasyPost), Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ), Dries De Pooter (Intermarché-Wanty), Jasper Stuyven and Edward Theuns (Lidl-Trek), Pelayo Sanchez (Movistar), Alessandro De Marchi (Jayco-AlUla), Mattia Bais (Polti Kometa), Jan Tratnik and Tim van Dijke (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizané).
The group constructed up an unassailable lead of over eight minutes by the Intergiro dash with 56.6km to go, the place Tarozzi attacked to get the factors and led the breakaway into the primary labeled climb of the day, the Passo Duron – a 4.4km ascent kicking as much as 18% grades.
Within the peloton behind, Pogačar suffered a puncture earlier than the climb and needed to get a brand new bike, and because the tempo eased to let him rejoin, the leaders’ benefit went out over ten minutes.
Alaphilippe, Tarozzi, Narvaez and Steinhauser opened a spot to the remainder of the breakaway on the climb, however the VF Group-Bardiani rider could not maintain on.
Sanchez, Vendrame, and Hermans chased on over the summit, making it six riders within the lead.
Sella Valcalda to Sappada
Plapp powered the chase of six on the second climb, the Sella Valcalda, bringing the hole all the way down to lower than 20 seconds because the grade kicked up and the rain started to fall.
Alaphilippe, sending this, attacked to separate the group, chased by Narvaez and Steinhauser. Sanchez managed to scramble throughout whereas Plapp, Vendrame and Hermans fought to make contact, too.
By the summit, the seven had been collectively, and Steinhauser led over the summit because the peloton lagged 11:35 behind.
A crash from Andrea Piccolo (EF Training-EasyPost) because the leaders had 31km to go led the Italian to desert.
Up forward, Vendrame attacked on the descent and opened a spot, chased by Alaphilippe and Narvaez. The chasing group got here collectively because the street levelled out.
Vendrame went into the ultimate climb with a lead of a minute on the six-rider chase, and the maglia rosa group loved a a lot simpler journey, letting the hole exit to over quarter-hour.
Steinhauser attacked on the climb in pursuit of Vendrame, hitting the steepest part with 1:09 to shut. Sanchez struggled to catch the wheel of the German, and Alaphilippe, Plapp and Narvaez continued to chase at 1:48, however Vendrame saved including to his lead and was in a position to have fun Decathlon AG2R’s second stage win of this Giro.
Sanchez bought away from Steinhauser to take second on the stage, whereas Narvaez out-sprinted Plapp for fourth.
Off digicam, the maglia rosa group imploded. Dani Martinez (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) had been holding tight to the race chief till Thomas crashed and wanted a brand new bike with 6km to go.
The maglia rosa wasn’t prepared to press the difficulty, and the group eased as much as let a comparatively unscathed Thomas rejoin.
Outcomes
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