In the longest stage of the Italian race, which was over 239 kilometers, the traditional breakaway formed early on. Two riders attacked and opened a gap that reached a maximum of six minutes. The breakaway seemed to hold on for a long time, but was caught 145 kilometers from the finish.

The peloton, which had been racing in harsh conditions, kept a steady pace for the time being. Attention quickly turned to the finale, where a long, steady climb awaited. On the final climb, several riders tried to make a move, but a large group surged towards the finish line. Vendrame proved to be the fastest in the sprint after nearly 240 kilometers.

“It was really cold, and I suffered a lot", Uijtdebroeks reflects. “It was especially important to stay mentally strong. I kept motivating myself, and my legs were in good condition. I definitely had the legs to attack, but when the attacks came, I was just too far back. Luckily, I was able to close the gap quite easily afterwards. I’m happy I didn’t lose any time, and the feeling is good.”

Sportive director Maarten Wynants also saw a strong performance from Uijtdebroeks but is disappointed that Simon Yates couldn’t finish in the first group. “We didn’t expect Simon to lose time. That’s really a bitter pill. Fortunately, Cian was in good shape. Olav (Kooij) also showed strength but had to let go due to the high pace. You hope that on the final climb the pace isn’t too high, so Olav might be able to sprint along. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.”