The difficult stage with about 4,700 uphill metres was tailor-made for a large breakaway group. Eight of them gained a safe advantage on the peloton, which always kept control nevertheless. World time trial champion Ganna proved to be the strongest and crossed the line solo in the autumnal Camigliatello Silano. Team Jumbo-Visma was in the front of the peloton all day. Leader Kruijswijk was also well assisted by his teammates on the long final climb.

Sports director Addy Engels, who rode the Italian grand tour no less than nine times as a rider, thought it was a typical Giro stage. “A long, technical stage that became extra nervous due to the weather conditions. Enough ingredients for a spectacle. Steven looked very good on the final climb. He finished in the group where he should be. It’s good that ‘Stevie’ was well surrounded by his teammates. If something happens to his equipment, for example, they can always help out. These are tricky days where you can lose a lot of time. Fortunately, we got through this stage well.”