🇸🇮 @rogla wins stage 2️⃣0️⃣of the Giro d’Italia!🥇 🇸🇮 @rogla vince la tappa 2️⃣0️⃣ del Giro d’Italia! 🥇 #Giro #GirodItalia @LeFrecce @JumboVismaRoad
Primoz Roglic survives late mechanical to win stage 20 and take the Maglia Rosa at the Giro d'Italia
CyclingSaturday, 27 May 2023 at 18:00
On a decisive day at the Giro d'Italia it was Primoz Roglic who took the stage win and moved into the Maglia Rosa despite a late mechanical on a thrilling stage.
Stage 20 of the Giro d'Italia will be the final day for the overall classification contenders. It is likely to be within the distance of 11 kilometres with a flat first half, and a brutal second half. In total, there are 18.6 kilometres, but don't be mistaken all riders will take it conservatively early on, and with a bike chance expected at the base of the final climb.
With space at the top of the mountain tight and riders only being allowed down in cable cars, the day's stage was split up into three different groups. From the first batch of riders it was Thibault Guernalec (Team Arkéa Samsic) who laid down a benchmark for the rest to follow with his time of 48:35 being 1:41 better than his nearest rival, Stephen Williams of Israel - Premier Tech.
When the second batch of riders made their time-trial efforts, numerous riders improved upon the time of Guernalec including some of the stars of the 2023 Giro d'Italia including Ben Healy, Michael Matthews and Thomas Champion.
21-year-old American rider, Matthew Riccitello however, absolutely ripped those times apart. Clocking a time of 46:19 he moved into the hotseat.
When the third batch of riders took to the course, the main GC riders and as such theoretically the best climbers, Jay Vine was the first rider to beat the time over Riccitello by just three seconds.
Vine's teammate Brandon McNulty then went even better. The American posting a brilliant time of 45:30.
Sepp Kuss ensured his fellow American couldn't get too comfortable in the hotseat though, with the Jumbo-Visma super-domestique edging quicker by just two seconds with his time of 45:28.
With each of Almeida, Roglic and Thomas safely through the bike change it was all up to this final, brutal ascent of the Monte Lussari.
At the first time check, Roglic was the quickest but Thomas, just two seconds slower was still in the best position overall.
Thibaut Pinot then went 6 seconds quicker than Kuss, in what must go down as one of the rides of his career which is set to come to an end at the conclusion of this season.
At the second intermediate check, Thomas's deficit had grown to 16 seconds.
Then nightmare struck for Roglic as he got had a mechanical at the worst possible time. Riding straight through a pothole the Slovenian saw his chain drop out.
Both Caruso and Almeida improved on Pinot's time before Roglic, mechanical and all moved into the lead of the stage by a massive 42 seconds.
Then the clock began to tick back to Geraint Thomas. At the last intermediate check, Thomas was 29 seconds down and the Giro was fading away from the Welshman.
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- Talented lol Riis massive doper HAHA Rasmussen doper yes really talented lolpaultryan200220-11-2024
- Oh, so now you know Pog better than he knows himself? Saying that when at the same time you can see an article quoting Pog saying “sometimes I don’t know why I attack” and not ever analysing emotions as men tend to is really rather naive and reductive. Hardly worth wasting our planet’s energy and ressources for. How about elevating the discussion to think over things a bit deeper?Mistermaumau20-11-2024
- They couldn’t convict him criminally because he paid up to escape it (that weird American possibility that ensures not all are equal before the law). He was convicted civilly but technically for committing crime. I on the other hand live in a country where unexplained damage to a baby in your care in theory leads to minimum 5 years of prison, if you admit an accident it’s more lenient but telling the truth that you don’t know how a bump on the skull happened exposes you to the as much risk as some who murder and rape. The developed world doesn’t deserve that designationMistermaumau20-11-2024
- Doesn’t deserve criticism considering all he won with all the crashes plus how close he got to a TdF (Pog had luck). If Pog and Jonas battle and wipe each other out we have Remco and Primoz to put on a show.Mistermaumau20-11-2024
- Agreed. Until he can stay upright on his bike, he’s at best an incomplete for a grade. That doesn’t mean that on his best form he can’t win it all. We just haven’t seen it.mij20-11-2024
- He's still sour over that uphill time trial upset.Front24220-11-2024
- What crime was he convicted of?Front24220-11-2024
- Demare and Pog and possibly Kristoffabstractengineer20-11-2024
- After the Cian Saga, all contracts should have a release clause or at least a legal framework for contract breaking. this is getting ridiculous.abstractengineer20-11-2024
- Other than Pog, the other leaders are beatable and They contributed 56 wins. But when team strategy is to pit best leaders against Pog and so-so leaders against Hirschi, Yates, Mcnulty, that team is going to lose everything.abstractengineer20-11-2024