Cesare Benedetti wins 12th stage, Jan Polanc gets Pink Jersey in Giro d'Italia
May 23 2019 11:12 pm CET
Bora-hansgrohe
Bora-hansgrohe's Cesare Benedetti has taken the victory of the 12th stage at the Giro d'Italia, while Jan Polanc took the lead of the General Classification. Benedetti was the fastest of the escapees while the favourites' group crossed the line more than eight minutes after him.
The Corsa Rosa finally arrived to the mountains in a 158-kilometre stage that included a first category climb at around 30 kilometres from the finish line. The escape of the day was formed by 24 riders and it built a gap of more than 12 minutes with the pack.
This group was diminished by the first category climb until only Damiano Caruso, Eddie Dunbar, Eros Capecchi and Gianluca Brambilla remained in front with some of the rest staying in the chasing group. At the climb of the Montoso, Mikel Landa (Movistar) attacked from the peloton and was followed by Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana).
Behind them, the group of the favourites included Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida), Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) and Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma), while the current leader of the General Classification Valerio Conti was left struggling behind.
At around 21 kilometres from the end, Cesare Benedetti (Bora-hansgrohe) and Jan Polanc (UAE-Team Emirates) - who was at the moment the virtual Maglia Rosa- made contact again with the front men, while behind Nibali, Pavel Sivakov (Ineos) and Rafal Majka (Bora-hansgrohe) attacked from the favourites' group.
On the descent, Nibali, Majka and Sivakov formed a trio ahead of the favourites, while in front of them, Lopez and Landa joined Movistar's Jasha Sütterlin and Astana's Manuele Boaro who were in the original breakaway. Soon after, the group of Nibali was caught by the favourites and some kilometres later, they were joined by some more riders that were left behind on the climb like Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin).
Benedetti was the first rider to attack from the front group on the uncategorised climb at two kilometres from the finish but Brambilla and Capecchi responded to it and took the lead while the others were left struggling behind. On the descent, the duo was joined by Dunbar and then by the rest of the escapees.
Capecchi and Brambilla were the first riders to try their luck in the last kilometre but they were soon overtaken by Benedetti, who took the victory ahead of Caruso and Dunbar, the first professional win of his career. Behind them, Landa and Lopez left their teammates behind on the climb, while riders like Mollema, Majka and Roglic were at the head of the favourites' group.
Landa and Lopez crossed the finish line seven minutes and 34 seconds behind Benedetti, while the favourites did so eight minutes and five seconds behind the stage's winner.
Polanc took the lead of the General Classification.
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