Koen Bouwman concluded a perfect day in the Giro d’Italia on Friday with a stage win. The Jumbo-Visma rider rode away from a leading group of five in a chaotic final, after he almost assured himself of winning the mountains classification earlier in the nineteenth stage.
Bouwman was part of the race and beat Andrea Vendrame, Alessandro Tonelli, Attila Valter and Mauro Schmid in the absolute end of the stage. The Dutchman made no mistake in the last corner, while Schmid, in his opinion, was cut off by the Dutchman and was unable to sprint for the win.
The other three riders misjudged that last corner and had no chance of winning. It means the second Giro day success for 28-year-old Bouwman, who previously triumphed in the seventh stage. That win was his first day’s success in a Grand Tour.
Earlier in the day, Bouwman impressively strengthened his lead in the mountains classification. Among other things, on the Kolovrat (10.3 kilometers, 9.2 percent), he came first on top, so that he can no longer be overtaken in the mountains classification.
When Bouwman finishes on Sunday in Verona, he will be the first Dutch winner of the blue jersey. Previously, only Joop Zoetemelk (Vuelta a España in 1971), Steven Rooks (Tour de France in 1988) and Gert-Jan Theunisse (Tour in 1989) won the mountains classification in a Grand Tour.
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Ideal situation for Bouwman
Relatively shortly after the start from Marano Lagunare, a group of twelve refugees got the chance to escape early. For Bouwman, whose main goal was to secure the blue jersey, it was a perfect situation. His competitors were not part of the breakaway and he also got a teammate with Edoardo Affini.
On the first two climbs of the third category, Bouwman took all nine points, after which the peloton crossed the border to Slovenia. On the Kolovrat, the third and toughest climb of the day, a large part of the leading group broke free and Bouwman was again first on top.
Because the classification riders kept their cool, the five remaining leaders could compete for the stage victory. Only on the final climb did Richard Carapaz and Mikel Landa try to gain time over the competition, but in the end the favorites crossed the line at the same time.
Carapaz therefore starts the final weekend of the Giro d’Italia with a lead of three seconds. The round continues on Saturday with a tough mountain stage in the north of Italy. A day later, the round ends with a time trial around Verona.