Giro d'Italia: Thriller by the second on the Three Peaks - Roglic catches up
Thomas Goldmann
· 26.05.2023
On the queen stage of the 2023 Giro d'Italia, the favourites battled it out for overall victory as expected. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) made up three seconds on Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), who continues to wear the pink jersey. This means that the race will be decided on Saturday's 20th stage in the mountain time trial to Monte Lussari, where Thomas will start 26 seconds ahead of Roglic and 59 seconds ahead of Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates).
Giro d'Italia 2023: Lennard Kämna loses two positions
Lennard Kämna (Bora-Hansgrohe) lost two positions in the overall standings on the 19th stage of the 2023 Giro d'Italia. The 26-year-old was forced to abandon Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) and Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) and is now in eighth place.
After 183 kilometres between Longarone and the Three Peaks, the stage win on the 19th stage went to Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious). The Colombian was part of a breakaway group and had left his last rival, Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech), behind on the final climb. For Gee, however, it was his fourth second place on a stage in the 2023 Giro d'Italia - he is also second in the points and mountains classification.
The top 10 of the 19th stage
- Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious) 5:28:07
- Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) +0:51
- Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF Education EasyPost) +1:46
- Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +1:46
- Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +1:49
- Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) +2:09
- Damiano Caruso (Bahrain-Victorious) +2:09
- Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) +2:09
- Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) +2:16
- One Rubio (Movistar) +2:26
The overall standings
- Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) 81:55:47
- Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +0:26
- Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) +0:59
- Damiano Caruso (Bahrain-Victorious) +4:11
- Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco-AlUla) +4:53
- Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) +5:10
- Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) +5:13
- Lennard Kämna (Bora-Hansgrohe) +5:54
- Andreas Leknessund (Team DSM) +6:08
- Laurens De Plus (Ineos Grenadiers) +7:30
This is how the 19th stage of the 2023 Giro d'Italia went
There were numerous breakaway attempts in the early stages. The group of the day formed on the approach to the Passo Campolongo (2nd category) and consisted of 15 riders:
- Alex Baudin (AG2R-Citroën Team
- Nicolas Prodhomme (AG2R-Citroën Team)
- Larry Warbasse (AG2R-Citroën Team)
- Stefano Oldani (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
- Vadim Pronskiy (Astana Qazaqstan Team)
- Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious)
- Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe)
- Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF Education EasyPost)
- Mattia Bais (Eolo-Kometa)
- Davide Gabburo (Green Project - Bardiani CSF Faizane)
- Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech)
- Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar)
- Carlos Verona (Movistar)
- Veljko Stojnic (Team Corratec - Selle Italia)
- Michael Hepburn (Team Jayco-AlUla)
Battle for the mountain classification at the Giro d'Italia
Ineos Grenadiers took it easy in the main field. Only Ben Healy (EF Education EasyPost), who wanted to attack Thibaut Pinot's mountain jersey again. But the Frenchman countered two of his rival's attacks in person before the Passo Campolongo. Pinot still hasn't secured the Maglia Azzurra. Derek Gee diligently collected points along the way and, with 200 points, is only 28 points behind the Groupama-FDJ pro - 40 points are still up for grabs in the final mountain time trial.
The leading group had a maximum lead of around 8:30 minutes at one point, which meant that Buitrago, the best-placed rider among the escapees, became a threat to the top 10 in the overall standings. Consequently Jayco-AlUla At the Passo Valparola, Eddie Dunbar started to work in the peloton to defend his fourth place. At the Passo Giau, the leading group broke up. Buitrago, Gee, Verona, Hepburn and Cort Nielsen broke away from their rivals. Some riders, including Patrick Konrad, came back on the descent.
Gee and Buitrago fight for stage victory
On the penultimate climb, the Passo Tre Croci, Buitrago, Cort Nielsen, Gee and Hepburn once again rode away from their rivals as the rain set in. But on the descent between Tre Croci and the start of the final climb, the chasers caught up again before being left behind by Buitrago, Hepburn, Gee and Cort Nielsen. Gee used a slightly sloping section of the course to take a small lead into the final ramp. There, Buitrago first dropped Cort Nielsen and Hepburn. Around 1.5 kilometres before the finish of the 19th stage of the 2023 Giro d'Italia, the Colombian rode up to Gee, passed him and snatched his second stage win in the Tour of Italy, having already won the 17th stage in 2022.
Lennard Kämna has to leave the group of favourites behind
In the battle for the top positions in the overall standings, Lennard Kämna was distanced early on in the final ramp, while Thymen Arensman and Thibaut Pinot, who overtook the German in the classification, remained in the group for the pink jersey.
Roglic with a strong final spurt
Primoz Roglic, who had previously switched to a special mountain bike with only one chainring in Cortina, attacked in the last two kilometres. Geraint Thomas followed, Joao Almeida, Damiano Caruso (Bahrain-Victorious) and Arensman came back, but had to let go for good after Thomas stepped up the pace in the last 400 metres.
Roglic initially left a small gap at the start of the pink jersey, which he gradually closed before sprinting past Thomas in the final metres. In the end, the Slovenian took three seconds from the Welshman.
