On a largely sunny course featuring nearly 4,000 meters of climbing, Friday’s stage was one for the general classification contenders. That was enough reason for eight riders to go on the attack early. The breakaway built up a significant lead that lasted for a long time. It wasn’t until deep in the finale, on the second ascent of the Santuario Beato Sante, that the breakaway riders were caught one by one. Michael Valgren was the only one to hold on, taking the stage win in Mombaroccio.

Just under an hour earlier, with around thirty kilometers to go, UAE Team Emirates – XRG opened up the race. Thanks to the work of his teammates, leader Matteo Jorgenson was well positioned near the front and was able to respond to the acceleration. When a small group of favorites remained in the finale shortly afterward, Jorgenson and Isaac Del Toro launched an attack.

The duo had Valgren in sight but ultimately came up eleven seconds short of the stage win. However, they did take valuable seconds in the battle for the general classification. Del Toro claimed the blue jersey, while Jorgenson moved up to third place overall. “This is a really great result for today. I’m extremely happy with it”, Jorgenson says afterwards.

The 26-year-old American continues: “The boys did an excellent job today and kept me well positioned at the front. That allowed me to save some energy. In the end, that helped me gain time and move up in the general classification. Near the finish I tried to get away from Del Toro, but I couldn’t make it stick.”

Another tough mountain stage awaits in Tirreno-Adriatico tomorrow. On Sunday, the seven-day stage race will conclude with a relatively flat stage. “Tomorrow brings another final opportunity. I’ll once again aim for the best possible result. Today’s stage definitely gives me a lot of confidence”, Jorgenson concludes.