The German Nico Denz (Bora Hansgrohe) won the fourteenth stage of the 106th Giro d’Italia which brought the riders back to Italy from Sierre in Switzerland with arrival in Cassano Magnago in the province of Varese, homeland of Ivan Basso, winner of the pink race in 2006 and 2010. The Teutonic, who thus repeated the success of 48 hours ago in Rivoli, preceded the Canadian Derek Gee (Israel Premier Tech), in his third place of honor after those in Fossombrone and Viareggio, and an always positive Alberto Bettiol (EF Education Easy Post), still on the attack today as in recent days. Surprisingly, the general classification changed due to the clamorous delay of 21’11” with which the group of the best reached the finish line. The pink jersey will rest tonight on the shoulders of Bruno Armirail (Groupama FDJ). The French time trial champion will start tomorrow from Seregno with an advantage of 1’41” over Welsh Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) with the Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma) third at 1’43”.
Not only the winner but also the progress of the stage was photocopied with the Piedmontese one dlast Thursdays. A platoon of 29 attackers formed at the start: Davide Ballerini and Pieter Serry (Soudal Quick Step), Nicolas Prodhomme and Larry Warbasse (AG2R Citroën), Stefano Oldani (Alpecin Deceuninck), Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana Qazaqstan), Andrea Pasqualon and Jasha Sütterlin (Bahrain Victorious), Nico Denz (Bora Hansgrohe), Alberto Bettiol (EF Education EasyPost), Davide Bais (Eolo Kometa), Henok Mulubrhan (Green Project Bardiani CSF Faizanè), Bruno Armirail (Groupama FDJ), Laurenz Rex (Intermarché Circus Wanty), Simon Clarke, Derek Gee and Stephen Williams (Israel Premier Tech), Fernando Gaviria, Will Barth and Carlos Verona (Movistar Team), Warren Barguil and Thibault Guernalec (Team Arkéa Samsic), Marius Mayrhofer (Team DSM), Alessandro De Marchi (Team Jayco AlUla) and Bauke Mollema, Toms Skujins and Otto Vergaerde (Trek Segafredo). The fugitives quickly accumulated a lead of seven minutes which became eight at the GPM of Passo del Sempione where Bais passed first and thus took back the blue jersey of leader of the climbers.
At less than 65 minutes from the finish, with the lead of the leaders now increased to 13 minutes, it was Alberto Bettiol who broke the delay by going on the attack. For the next 30 kilometres, sprints and counter sprints followed one another until a quartet made up of Stefano Oldani, Davide Ballerini, Laurenz Rex and Toms Skujins took the lead. When the advantage of the attackers was close to a minute it was Derek Gee and Nico Denz who accelerated behind which led them, together with Bettiol and others, to halve the disadvantage. From this moment on, a chess game began with the three in command, meanwhile Rex had detached themselves, and they were gradually losing ground. A fatal moment of uncertainty 1,500 meters from the finish, with Ballerini, Oldani and Skujins lingering to look at each other, decreed the doom of the trio. The reunion took place at less than 400 from the finish line with Denz who exploded all his power in an irrepressible way. Only Gee tried to resist him but the Canadian’s late comeback attempt failed, albeit only slightly.
Tomorrow the fifteenth stage will take place, a small-scale version of the Giro di Lombardia. There will be very little flat road in the 195 kilometers from Seregno to Bergamo with as many as four GPMs scattered along the route. After 46 kilometers there will be the first category ascent to Valico di Valcava followed by three second category climbs: the Selvino, after 98 kilometres, the Miragolo di San Salvatore, after 111, and finally the Roncola 31 from the finish which, as is tradition when arriving in Donizetti’s city, will be preceded by climbing in upper Bergamo. There will be plenty of terrain to attack. Let’s hope that, at least in someone, there is also the will.
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