The stage was inevitably going to be decided on the climb to Corno alle Scale, with Giulio Ciccone going all in. He dropped the rest of the breakaway, including Einer Rubio, the last rider to give way, and tried to hold on. But the 1’30” advantage with which he reached the toughest section of the climb was not enough, as behind him Decathlon CMA CGM and Visma | Lease a Bike raised the pace, leading to Felix Gall’s acceleration — one that only Jonas Vingegaard was able to follow.
Further back, Giulio Pellizzari was losing contact, while his teammate Jai Hindley did not look particularly sharp either. With 1,600 metres to the summit, Ciccone was caught and passed by Gall and Vingegaard, who then battled for the stage win. After sitting on his rival’s wheel throughout, Jonas finally made his move with 800 metres to go, launching a sharp acceleration that left the Austrian with no response. At Corno alle Scale, his Maglia Azzurra shone brightly, but Gall confirmed himself as Vingegaard’s number one rival for the next two weeks. Finishing in third place was an excellent Davide Piganzoli, Vingegaard’s final domestique, once again proving the Dane can count on some of the strongest support riders in the race.
Tomorrow is a rest day, but Tuesday brings a crucial stage for the Giro: the 42 km Massa–Viareggio time trial, one designed for pure specialists and potentially even more damaging than a mountain stage.