The hilly stage from Biella to Canale was coloured by eight riders. They got a maximum lead of six minutes. Eventually the peloton didn’t manage to reel in Van der Hoorn. Team Jumbo-Visma rode in support of Bennett all day. With the fifteenth place, Bouwman was ultimately the best-ranked rider of the yellow-black formation. In the overall standings, Foss is now in second place at sixteen seconds of leader Ganna.

“Our goal for today has been achieved”, sports director Arthur van Dongen explained. “The goal was to get George to the finish line safely. We managed that well. The stage was too tough for our sprinters. We were prepared for a nervous stage with many attacks. We expected that too, but the attacks didn’t come. I think most teams still want to keep their powder dry. With Taco, the stage has a deserved winner. He was a highly respected rider with us, but he is now in a team where he can exploit his abilities. That is very good to see.”

Tomorrow the Giro continues with a second test for the GC riders with a mountaintop finish in Sestola. Van Dongen was already looking ahead. “Tomorrow our focus will be entirely on George. We are here to ride a good GC with him. The fact that Tobias is now second overall is nice, but of secondary importance. He’s here to help George. Although Tobias is doing very well. He has definitely made huge steps in his development. He feels good and has had excellent preparation. The fact that he is able to ride in the best youg rider jersey tomorrow is only good for him.”