The 175-kilometer transition stage from Imperia to Novi Ligure was designed for a reduced bunch sprint, but Alec Segaert decided he wasn’t interested in a drag race. The Belgian powerhouse from Bahrain Victorious utilized a moment of hesitation in the threadbare peloton to launch a vicious solo attack with two kilometers remaining. Leaning on his massive time trial engine, Segaert buried himself to hold off the desperate chase from the sprinters, crossing the line three seconds ahead of Lotto Intermarché’s Toon Aerts to secure his first career Giro d’Italia stage victory. It was a textbook execution of the same late-race tactical instinct he used to win the Grand Prix de Denain earlier this spring.
It was a flawless day for Bahrain Victorious, who not only broke a three-year Grand Tour stage win drought but also further cemented their grip on the overall race lead. Maglia rosa wearer Afonso Eulalio finished safely in the bunch, but not before rolling away to claim six crucial bonus seconds at the Red Bull KM sprint and extending his overall lead over Jonas Vingegaard to 33 seconds.
Segaert later joked that rooming with the pink jersey the night before clearly transferred some magic.
Results
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