Large leading group threatens Van der Poel pink jersey | NOW

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69 km to go – Not for the first time today, Simon Yates reports to the doctor. The Briton seems to be suffering from his fall at the start of this stage. With Mount Etna in sight, it remains to be seen how big the damage is at number two in the standings.

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80 kilometers to go – At the moment the road is quite flat and that will not change for the next 40 kilometers. Then the absolute final begins with the climb over the flanks of Etna.

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115 km to go – The lead of the leading group quickly dropped to about eight minutes. Bahrain Victorious and INEOS Grenadiers are still setting the pace in the pack.

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Another 131 km – Bahrain Victorious and INEOS Grenadiers seem to find the gap with the leading group too big. The two teams take the peloton in tow and ensure that the deficit does not increase further.

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Another 135 km – Meanwhile, the lead of the fourteen leaders is more than ten minutes and there is therefore a serious chance that the stage winner and the next rose jersey wearer will be in the current leading group.

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145 km to go – Simon Yates reports to the doctor. The winner of the time trial must have been on the asphalt in the opening phase, because his knee is covered with abrasions.

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Another 146 km – The Frenchman Lilian Calmejane seemed to end up in a genuine chasse-patate, but thanks to a deep effort he still hooks up with the leading group, which now has fourteen riders.

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Another 150 km – The flight of the day immediately gets about three minutes from the peloton. Within the leading group, Mauri Vansevenant is the best classified rider, 43 seconds behind Mathieu van der Poel.

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Another 153 km – The flight of the day is formed. We have a total of thirteen people, and one Dutch person in the person of Gijs Leemreize.

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Another 154 km – The storm in the pack has passed and so the flight of the day seems formed. The leading group has eight riders, behind which five more pursuers hope to join.

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Another 157 km – Meanwhile, a group escapes including Mauri Vansevenant. And what happens there? Mathieu van der Poel also attacks from the peloton.

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161 km to go – Oh, another crash! Luca Covili and also a motorcyclist is involved. What happened there?

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165 km to go – The bad road surface leads to a small crash in the peloton, which causes a traffic jam in a narrow street. Can the refugees benefit from this?

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168 km to go – The peloton is not yet letting the leading group leave definitively. In that leading group we find Thomas De Gendt, Natnael Tesfatsion, Vincenzo Albanese, Matthew Holmes, Jonathan Caicedo and Nico Denz.

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Official start – Immediately after the official start it is race! We see Thomas De Gendt and Matthew Holmes, among others. Who can find a place in the flight of the day?

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Neutral Zone – Presumably immediately after this neutralization the fight for flight will break out. It will undoubtedly be crowded for the riders who aim for the day’s victory.

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Neutral Zone – The riders leave the starting place Avola. The official start will take place after a number of neutralized kilometers.

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