"Today's main goal was to protect Primoz" - Jumbo-Visma on conservative strategy for Alpine Giro stage

Primoz Roglic has finished stage 13 of the Giro d'Italia the same way he started it, with the overall classification suffering no differences at the top. Jumbo-Visma had the numbers but decided to race conservatively, with the Slovenian likely not keen on trying to take the race lead yet.

“Today's main goal was to protect Primoz well in this special stage. We succeeded," DS Arthur van Dongen. "We knew the battle would ignite right away on the first climb. The fact that we are then able to surround Primoz with four guys certainly gives a satisfying feeling. Primoz looked sharp. With that we can move forward to the last eight stages in this Giro. It is clear that there is still a lot to come.”

With INEOS Grenadiers sustaining big losses in a recent crash, and the Dutch team now surging with good form with several riders, it had the most depth in the GC group after a short but tough day. The presence of many riders however did not mean any tactical move, or acceleration for the matter of fact. In the presence of two tough alpine ascents the GC group rode up both by pace, with the main favourites arriving at the finish together, led by Geraint Thomas in the final meters. Roglic did not hit the wind.

“We were together with five men in the group of favorites. It went fast on the first climb, because it was full from the start," Sam Oomen said after the finish. “It was a crazy stage, but it was the only right decision to shorten it. Unfortunate for the people at home, but hopefully it can be put into perspective somewhat. It was absolutely irresponsible to also cover the first part of the ride today.”