Frenchman Paul Magnier sprinted to his third victory of the day on the 18th stage of the 109th Giro d’Italia.
After 171 kilometers between Fai della Paganella and Pieve di Soligo, the Italian Jonathan Milan from the German Lidl team missed out on his longed-for stage victory in third place on the uphill home straight. Edoardo Zambanini came second. Magnier had already won the first and third stages.
On the short but sharp climb, just ten kilometers from the finish, overall leader Jonas Vingegaard was the first to cross the crest. But by the time we reached the finish, a larger group had come together again in a quick finale.
In the overall ranking, the Dane defended his pink jersey without any problems despite a breakdown a good 60 kilometers from the finish and maintained his comfortable lead one day before the climbing tests in the Dolomites. The two-time Tour de France winner is 4:03 minutes ahead of the Austrian Felix Gall and 4:27 minutes ahead of the Dutchman Thymen Arensman.
On Friday to the roof of the Giro
After several attempts, a group of four were able to pull away on the undulating section. The peloton kept the distance manageable and caught up with them again.
On Friday the professional cyclists will face the queen stage with the mountain finish in Piani di Pezzè. A total of 5,000 meters of altitude must be overcome in the Dolomites, including the Passo Giau at 2,233 meters, which is also the highest point of the tour. There are also two climbs in the first category on Saturday before the tour ends in Rome on Sunday.
