DISCUSSION - Giro d'Italia stage 18 - Is Ciccone the 2.0 version of Roglic? Such class, Eulálio. What a disaster, Lidl

Paul Magnier underlined his growing status as one of cycling’s most explosive finishers by claiming a third stage victory at the Giro d'Italia on Thursday, mastering a selective finale in Stage 18 to outsprint a reduced peloton in Pieve di Soligo.

The young Frenchman from Soudal Quick-Step delivered a perfectly timed sprint after surviving the savage slopes of the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio, a climb that had threatened to eliminate the pure fast men from contention. Instead, Magnier proved once again that he possesses far more than raw speed.

With a textbook lead-out from Jasper Stuyven, Magnier launched his sprint in the final metres and held off Italy’s Edoardo Zambanini, while Jonathan Milan crossed the line in third after another demanding day in the saddle.

The 168-kilometre stage from Fai della Paganella to Pieve di Soligo had been widely viewed as one of the final opportunities for attackers before the Giro headed deeper into its decisive mountain terrain. Two classified climbs, including the notorious Muro di Ca’ del Poggio, ensured the stage profile was far from straightforward for the sprinters.

As expected, aggression arrived immediately after the flag dropped. A flurry of early attacks split the peloton apart before Johan Jacobs and Filippo Magli established the day’s first meaningful breakaway. The duo quickly carved out an advantage while others attempted unsuccessfully to bridge across.

The calm did not last long. Once the race hit a five-kilometre climb after roughly twenty kilometres of racing, the pace surged dramatically again. The original breakaway was swept up as fresh attacks erupted from the peloton, reigniting the battle for the day’s escape.

Eventually, four riders moved clear after a lengthy period of counter-attacking. Mattia Bais and Andrea Mifsud initially forced the move for Team Polti VisitMalta before James Shaw and Jonas Geens joined them to form a stronger quartet at the head of the race.

Behind them, the responsibility of control largely fell upon Lidl-Trek. Their steady pace suggested confidence that Milan could survive the punishing Muro di Ca’ del Poggio, although there were also whispers that Giulio Ciccone might attempt something aggressive on the climb.

They were later joined at the front by riders from NSN Cycling and UAE Team Emirates - XRG as teams with ambitions for the stage sensed opportunity in the selective terrain.

For much of the afternoon the race settled into an uneasy rhythm, but tension returned when white jersey holder Afonso Eulálio crashed while collecting a musette. The Portuguese rider slid heavily onto the tarmac and inadvertently brought down Hartthijs de Vries as well.

Although both riders were able to continue, De Vries appeared particularly bruised by the incident. Eulálio, however, would later produce one of the most aggressive rides of the finale.

The breakaway remained clear long enough to sweep through the intermediate sprint in Guia, limiting the opportunities for the contenders in the points classification. Narváez, wearing the purple jersey, managed to collect the final available point from the peloton and marginally extended his advantage over Magnier in the standings.

The final breakaway riders were finally reeled in inside the last 22 kilometres, although Geens stubbornly resisted for several more kilometres and even claimed the Red Bull sprint before the peloton finally closed him down at the base of the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio.

The approach to the climb was chaotic. Teams fought ferociously for positioning as the road narrowed before the brutally steep gradients. Riders from Unibet Rose Rockets, Netcompany INEOS and Lidl-Trek all surged toward the front.

Just seven hundred metres from the summit, Eulálio exploded out of the peloton despite his earlier crash. The Portuguese climber immediately opened a sizeable gap, briefly threatening to blow the race apart. Yet the response from Team Visma | Lease a Bike was immediate.

Jonas Vingegaard himself increased the pace in the final metres of the climb, dragging the reduced peloton back toward Eulálio and splintering the field behind him. Several sprinters looked vulnerable, but crucially both Milan and Magnier managed to cling onto the front group.

Over the top, the race entered a frantic tactical phase. Jai Hindley launched an acceleration before Eulálio attacked again, this time alongside Johannes Kulset. The pair briefly opened a gap of around ten seconds while confusion spread behind.

However, the regrouping of several chasing groups unexpectedly played into the hands of the sprinters. Once the race came back together, the chances of a bunch finish rapidly increased.

Kulset and Eulálio were finally caught with just 1.5 kilometres remaining, setting up one final showdown between the surviving fast men.

From there, Jasper Stuyven delivered a flawless lead-out. The Belgian timed his effort perfectly before swinging aside and allowing Magnier to unleash his sprint.

Zambanini tried to come around on the outside while Milan attempted to fight through the centre, but neither rider could match the acceleration of the Frenchman, who powered clear to secure yet another memorable Giro triumph.

The victory carried extra significance for Magnier. By taking maximum points at the finish, he also reclaimed the purple jersey in the battle for the points classification, adding another dramatic twist to one of the most competitive secondary contests of this year’s Giro.

Carlos Silva from CiclismoAtual was pleased with the performance of his compatriot from Bahrain Victorious and gave his analysis of Lidl-Trek’s race, while being critical of Giulio Ciccone.

Afonso Eulálio was outstanding today. The Portuguese rider attacked on the “Mini Poggio”, was caught by the Visma riders, and attacked again, this time alongside Johannes Kulset, only to be reeled in with around one kilometre to go. And that only showed that he fully intended to win the stage today. Had it not been for the crash he suffered just as he was preparing to receive his musette in the feeding zone.

On the other hand, Lidl-Trek were the big losers of the day. With many analysts predicting Ciccone could go on to win the stage, it became clear that the American team had changed its strategy for today. Ciccone was seen at the back of the peloton, looking like a lost man.

Ciccone is a 2.0 version of Primoz Roglic in this Giro. He does not win a stage, but he also does not work for Derek Gee. Ciccone believes he is the team leader, just like Roglic, and Lidl have to give in to his whims. That could cost the team a sportingly disastrous Giro.

Jonathan Milan once again came up short, and Paul Magnier is definitely the fastest man in Italy. If Magnier wins again in Rome next Sunday, it will mean that every stage ending in a bunch sprint was won by the same sprinter.

A brief note that I simply cannot let pass unnoticed. Afonso Eulálio received a yellow card because, according to the race commissaires, he adopted a position on the bike that does not comply with the rules. I can only laugh at that.

And I have one question for the commissaires. What about the Eurosport journalist who was chatting with Jonas Vingegaard during the stage, after the Dane had changed bikes? Didn’t they see that? I did, on TV. Why wasn’t the journalist removed from the race, knowing that speaking to riders in those circumstances is strictly forbidden? It’s in the regulations.

Ruben Silva from CyclingUpToDate analysed what happened on the road today and is already rubbing his hands together ahead of the arrival of the Dolomites.

An interesting stage I would say. On paper this was a clear breakaway day, but race circumstances made it less so. The fact that UAE and Quick-Step are battling for the points classification and this day for some reason was given 50 points; the fact that Lidl-Trek has not managed to win a stage until today... Unforeseen race scenarios which created a purpose for there to actually be an organized chase.

With the start being flat, it wasn't hard to control it then. The finale was explosive too, with GC action and a sprint in the mix, so we got a good day of racing. Afonso Eulálio was the star of the day, coming back after a nasty crash, attacking twice... It is just great racing and a rider that is fearless, and is still trying to conquer more than the amazing results he's had so far in this race.

The rest of the GC men were always going to have a stalemate because Jonas Vingegaard didn't want to let anyone go, so he would just cover all moves without attacking himself. The sprinters were right in the end and they would have a shot at taking the win.

Jasper Stuyven was the absolute key to the stage, bringing Paul Magnier at the right time to the front and with immense power that no-one would even dream of anticipating the Frenchman.Magnier's third win is a disappointment to the rest of the sprinters and honestly not the most exciting for a Giro in which only one rider won an average sprint. But it's up to the others to beat him at the end of the day.

This was considered a sprint stage and Magnier also won due to the extremely technical finale that the organizers drew up, which is also mind boggling, but following the trend of poor decisions they have made regarding other sprints.Whilst I don't expect any tension, tomorrow is the day the riders race in the Dolomites, the queen stage, and I hope for an exciting stage that does it justice.

Javier Rampe from CiclismoAlDia highlighted the performance of Soudal Quick-Step around Paul Magnier against Jonathan Milan, and also spoke about Movistar Team and Enric Mas, who has two days to prove he did not go to Italy just for a holiday.

Soudal and Paul Magnier brought a beautiful stage to its conclusion in Piove di Soligo. The Belgian team executed a perfect lead-out, orchestrated by Jasper Stuyven, allowing the sprinter of the moment to finish off a move of Swiss-watch precision on terrain where he has proven to be overwhelmingly superior to Jonathan Milan, who this year simply cannot become a prophet in his own land.

The 18th stage of the 2026 Giro d’Italia had everything. We even saw Jonas Vingegaard raise the pace in response to Afonso Eulálio’s acceleration, the genius and figurehead of this Italian Grand Tour. The Portuguese rider has brought spark and excitement to a race he honoured with his maglia rosa.

On the slopes of the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio, the Bahrain-Victorious rider stirred the hornet’s nest. It came to nothing, but at least he moved. He already did more than the rest of the contenders, except for the Visma Dane who, despite their law of minimum effort, at least knows when to attack, over the course of nearly three weeks of racing.

From a Spanish perspective, Movistar Team keep trying with more heart than brains, and also with more pride than power, but they still cannot make their moves count. Not today either. The chances of salvaging an Italian race to forget after the Enric Mas disaster, whose participation in the race has opened a rift inside the Telefónica camp, are becoming slimmer by the day. Two days left either to pop the champagne or to lament things from the roadside.

Today’s Giro stage delivered far more than expected, with Afonso Eulálio once again becoming one of the main talking points after an aggressive display despite crashing earlier in the day. Carlos Silva praised the Portuguese rider’s courage and ambition, while also criticising Giulio Ciccone and Lidl-Trek for what he described as a confused tactical approach. Ruben Silva also highlighted Eulálio’s fearless mentality and felt the stage turned into a much more tactical and entertaining battle than initially expected.

At the same time, all eyes remain on Paul Magnier, who once again proved to be the fastest sprinter in the race thanks to another dominant lead-out from Soudal Quick-Step. Javier Rampe praised the Belgian team’s precision in the finale, but also questioned the lack of impact from Movistar Team and Enric Mas, whose Giro continues to disappoint. With the Dolomites now arriving, the feeling is that several teams are rapidly running out of chances to save their race.