Cian Uijtdebroeks, who was fifth in the general classification after ten stages, was forced to quit the race before stage eleven. The 21-year-old white jersey wearer did not appear at the start in Foiano di Val Fortore. “Cian was not giving a fresh impression after the finish yesterday, but it got worse in the evening”, sports director Marc Reef said. “By then it was already clear that it was no longer possible to continue this race. His abandonment certainly hit the team hard. The Giro d'Italia was his biggest goal this season and after the first week he was perfectly placed in the GC. It's a pity, but now it's up to us to show resilience in the stages that follow. We still have four fit and motivated riders in the team. They will do everything they can to get a second stage win.”

After Tuesday's mountain stage, the sprint stage with arrival in Francavilla Mare was on the programme. Edoardo Affini and Tim van Dijke formed the early breakaway together with Frenchman Champion. The trio rode in the lead for a long time, but they were caught well away from the finish line. In the bunch sprint, Milan proved to be the fastest. All Team Visma | Lease a Bike riders reached the finish line safely.

“There were three of us at the front, but I was hoping for more companions”, Affini reacted afterwards. “It soon became clear that we stood no chance against the peloton. We still tried to play it tactically, but the sprinters' teams worked very well together. After the setbacks of the past few days, this action was good to clear our minds for a while.”

“We barely got any space from the peloton, meaning they were a bit scared of us after all”, a positive Van Dijke said. “We were hoping for a bigger lead, but unfortunately that didn't work out. I feel good, you could see that today. I'll keep trying. As a team, we should definitely keep aiming for another stage win in this Giro.”