Highlights
Report
After yesterday’s shock of losing Mikel Landa on Stage 5, today Team Bahrain Victorious turned their fortunes around with Gino Mäder winning from the breakaway.
The 160-kilometre stage started in Grotte di Farassi and finished on the summit of San Giacomo. An early breakaway of five riders formed, including Gino Mäder and Matej Mohorič, on another day in tough conditions.
Gino was able to stay clear in the break coming onto the final climb of the stage with only two other riders with him after great help from Mohorič. With 3.5 kilometres remaining, Gino launched his attack to go for the win. Gino’s gap from the GC favourites started to fall as they picked up the pace and looked for the stage win. With the time dropping, the fears of a repeat of Stage 7 at Paris-Nice looked possible, but this time he proved too strong and held out for the win.
Damiano Caruso also managed to stay with the favourites and keep the fight alive in the GC, moving into 7th overall.
Gino Mäder‘s victory also moves him into the Maglia Azzurra, as leader of the best climber’s classification:
“Yesterday was a really sad day to lose Mikel due to the crash. We had some new goals today, as we do not have to protect Mikel anymore. So we wanted to race aggressively. We wanted to take part in the race differently and go for a breakaway, and I had Matej with me in the day’s breakaway. He did incredible work, and he believed in me. He already believed in me yesterday and told me this is your stage to win. I’m just really happy that it paid off and that we could finish it like this today.
Actually, what I learned from my past races is if you’re not the strongest, you have to go in a breakaway to have a chance to do something. You can’t influence the way the other guys are racing, so as soon as you have an opportunity to go for a victory, you have to play your cards, and you have to go all the way to the finish line. The only thing you can influence is your power, speed, and so on, be focused, and not lose any energy thinking about the other guys.
Regarding our following stages on Giro, we had a discussion today in the bus. My humble opinion is that we keep on racing aggressively, we keep on taking the opportunities that we get, and if it is that I can join a breakaway again, I’m surely going to try for it. If I have to work for somebody else, I’m pleased to do so and enjoy the Giro, which is the most beautiful race in the world for me, and it’s the race I always dreamed of. I can enjoy this great opportunity and make the best out of it and achieve for Team Bahrain Victorious.”
Results
Stage
| 1 | Gino Mader | Bahrain Victorious | 04:17:52 |
| 2 | Egan Bernal | INEOS Grenadiers | +12 |
| 3 | Dan Martin | Israel Start-Up Nation | +12 |
| 4 | Remco Evenepoel | Deceuninck-QuickStep | +12 |
| 5 | Guilio Ciccone | Trek-Segafredo | +14 |
General Classification
| 1 | Attila Valter | Groupama-FDJ | 22:17:06 |
| 2 | Remco Evenepoele | Deceuninck-QuickStep | +11 |
| 3 | Egan Bernal | INEOS Grenadiers | +16 |
| 4 | Aleksandr Vlasov | Astana | +24 |
| 5 | Louis Vervaeke | Alpecin0Fenix | +25 |