The 18th stage between Morbegno and Cesano Maderno was dominated by the breakaway. After 144 kilometres, Nico Denz (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) finally secured the stage win as a soloist. A 36-man lead group dominated the stage and crossed the finish line 13:52 minutes ahead of the peloton.

The original large escape group also included names such as Mads Pedersen (Lidl - Trek), Kaden Groves (Alpecin - Deceuninck) and Wout Van Aert (Team Visma | Lease a Bike). However, a selection was made 35 kilometres before the finish, from which ten riders emerged, with Denz making a decisive breakaway 17 kilometres before the finish. Mirco Maestri (Team Polti VisitMalta) and Edward Planckaert (Alpecin - Deceuninck) finished second and third, 1:01 minutes behind. The rest of the large escape group around Pedersen and Van Aert finished 3:40 minutes behind.

Third stage win for Nico Denz at the Giro d'Italia

"This is perhaps the most emotional victory after we lost Jai and Primož. All of us in the team had this big goal of winning the Giro with Primož Roglič," said Denz and added: "We were in an altitude training camp for two months, we were away from home for three months. When you lose a leader like Primož, it's a dream come true. It feels like all the hard work was for nothing. Fortunately, we managed the turnaround and motivated ourselves."

For the 31-year-old Denz, it was his third stage win in the Tour of Italy after two successes in the 2023 Giro d'Italia. After the cancellation of captain Primož Roglič, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe can at least record a conciliatory result at this Giro with the stage win.

Ayuso abandons the Giro d'Italia

In the overall standings, Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) easily defended his pink jersey. However, he lost his team-mate Juan Ayuso. The Spaniard, who had started the race as a big favourite, abandoned the stage after just a few kilometres. Ayuso had already suffered from knee problems on the previous days and was also suffering from a swollen eye due to an allergic reaction caused by a bee sting.

Giro d'Italia 2025 - Results of the 18th stage

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This is how the 18th stage of the Giro d'Italia 2025 went

The stage was seen as a promising section for a breakaway group. The start of the stage was correspondingly competitive. Several smaller and larger groups tried to break away from the peloton - but initially without success. It was not until Mads Pedersen and Felix Engelhardt (Team Jayco - AlUla) made a move after 15 kilometres that a large group was formed, which grew to up to 36 riders over the following kilometres.

Among others, Kaden Groves (Alpecin - Deceuninck), Wout Van Aert (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain - Victorious), Dries De Bondt and Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) were also in the race, Remy Rochas (Groupama - FDJ), Matteo Cattaneo (Soudal - Quicl-Step), Daan Hoole (Lidl - Trek), Davide Bais (Team Polti VisitMalta) and Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana Team). A total of 18 teams were involved in the group, including three riders from Alpecin - Deceuninck, which mainly took on the pace work.

Biggest lead for an escape group in this Giro d'Italia

However, the peloton did not immediately let the group go, and for a long time there was only a one-minute gap between the two groups. It was only after the first mountain classification of the day in Parlasco (2nd category) that the peloton pulled away after 35 kilometres. The escape group's lead then increased continuously. With 40 kilometres to go, the gap exceeded the ten-minute mark for the first time, which was the largest lead of any group in this Giro d'Italia.

The group stayed together over the three mountain classifications of the day, with the last climb 60 kilometres before the finish. After that, the terrain was mostly flat. With 35 kilometres to go, a selection was made in the group, which initially formed a nine-man group around Edward Planckaert (Alpecin - Deceuninck), Daan Hoole (Lidl - Trek), Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team), Dylan van Baarle (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Larry Warbasse (Tudor), Alex Edmondson (Team Picnic PostNL), Nicola Conci (XDS Astana Team), Mirco Maestri (Team Polti VisitMalta) and Davide de Pretto (Team Jayco - AlUla). Shortly afterwards, Nico Denz also managed to catch up. As almost every team in the escape group was represented in the breakaway, the group quickly built up a gap of over two minutes.

Together, the group reached the 12.5-kilometre final lap around Cesano Maderno, which had to be ridden twice. With 17 kilometres to go, Denz attacked before a combination of bends, where he opened up a small gap that proved decisive. There was no consensus among the chasers as to who would do the chasing. For Denz, this was the key to winning the stage.