Giro d’Italia Stage 20: With a very brave attack, second overall Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) won stage 20, the last mountain stage of the 2021 Giro d’Italia. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) finished second on the stage to guarantee his final overall win, barring accidents, after Sunday’s final time trial.
*** The full ‘PEZ Stage Report’ very soon. ***
Bold move by Damiano Caruso
The starting town of Verbania, also the home town of Filippo Ganna. He greets his dog after more than 3 weeks of absence
Giro stage 20 route: A colossal Alpine stage, crossing over to Switzerland. After the start, the route passes the Swiss border to negotiate the never-ending San Bernardino Pass (24 km), clearing the summit above 2,000 metres. After the descent, the riders will rise again to over 2,000 metres, to negotiate the Splügen Pass. A technical descent (passing through a few tunnels and an avalanche gallery) will lead all the way to the foot of the closing climb in Campodolcino. The ramps are steep over the last 7 km. Past Campodolcino, the route ascends in hairpins, through a number of tunnels, up to Pianazzo, travelling the old, narrow road to Madesimo, with punishing gradients. After a relatively flat stretch in Madesimo, the route rises again with gradients nearing 10% over the last kilometres. The home straight is on tarmac road and on a slight incline.
Nice start for Qhubeka Assos
What can Simon Yates do today?
Over 2 minutes in hand for Egan Bernal, is it enough?
Maglia Rosa – Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers), Maglia Ciclamino – Peter Sagan (BORA-hansgrohe), Maglia Azzurra – Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R Citroën), Maglia Bianca – Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers), worn by Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana-Premier Tech)
The last mountains from Verbania and into Switzerland
The peloton on the sores of Lake Maggiore
Giovanni Visconti (Bardiani CSF Faizanè) made it into the break
It didn’t take long for the break to a get a gap, but it was never a big one
The break on the way to Switzerland
Milka?
Louis Vervaeke (Alpecin-Fenix) was the best placed rider in the break at 55:31
BikeExchange on the front
DSM setting it up for the finalé
DSM made the break with Bardet and Caruso
Bilbao rode hard for Caruso
Jonathan Castroviejo another day’s work for Egan Bernal
Bardet cracked
Eventually Caruso went solo on the final climb
Egan Bernal had perfect team support and was always in control
Stage winner and 2nd overall, Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious): “I thought about a thousand things in the last meters before the finish line, all my sacrifices, my training, and all the work done by my teammates. We rode in an exemplary way today, Pello Bilbao in particular did an incredible job and he played a fundamental role in this victory. Today I realized a dream, I think I am the happiest man in the world!”
Stage win for Caruso, but not enough time to change the overall
Maglia Rosa and 2nd on the stage, Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers): “Today we rode very well as a team, we controlled the race in the best possible way. My teammates did a super job, a special thanks to Jonathan Castroviejo. I had good legs and I knew I had teammates around me but when Caruso attacked, with his advantage increasing, I admit I was worried. Now I am confident for tomorrow’s last stage, I have a two minute lead in the GC and I will give everything in the time trial.”
Giro d’Italia Stage 20 Result:
1. Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain Victorious in 4:27:53
2. Egan Bernal Gomez (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:24
3. Daniel Martinez Poveda (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:35
4. Romain Bardet (Fra) DSM
5. João Almeida (Por) Deceuninck – Quick-Step at 0:41
6. Simon Yates (GB) BikeExchange at 0:51
7. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus) Astana-Premier Tech at 1:13
8. Hugh Carthy (GB) EF Education-Nippo at 1:29
9. Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) eolo-Kometa at 2:07
10. Antonio Pedrero (Spa) Movistar at 2:23.
Giro d’Italia Overall After Stage 20:
1. Egan Bernal Gomez (Col) INEOS Grenadiers in 85:41:47
2. Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 1:59
3. Simon Yates (GB) BikeExchange at 3:23
4. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus) Astana-Premier Tech at 7:07
5. Romain Bardet (Fra) DSM at 7:48
6. Daniel Martinez Poveda (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 7:56
7. Hugh Carthy (GB) EF Education-Nippo at 8:22
8. João Almeida (Por) Deceuninck – Quick-Step at 8:50
9. Tobias Foss (Nor) Jumbo-Visma at 12:39
10. Dan Martin (Irl) Israel Start-Up Nation at 16:48.
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