Elia Viviani will lead the points classification for the eighth consecutive day when the race resumes next Tuesday.
Campo Imperatore – a stage finish at the Giro d'Italia in 1971, 1989 and 1999, but famous also for being the main filming location of the '70s spaghetti western "Trinity is still my name" – was the climb that brought the first week of the race to a conclusion. Despite being a long ascent, it was only in the last three kilometers, once the gradient went up, that the race came to life and the GC favourites' attacks unfolded.
For Max Schachmann, it capped off nine notable days that saw the Quick-Step Floors rider shine on more than one occasion, as he got to taste his first ever Grand Tour and don the white jersey, a first for Germany at the Corsa Rosa. But it wasn't only on the flat that Schachmann provided glimpses of his talent, also the mountains gave the 24-year-old the terrain he needed to prove the qualities that recommend him for a big future on the World Tour, as the Volta a Catalunya stage winner showed incredible power, stamina, determination and maturity well beyond his age.
On Sunday, Max stayed with the best until with 2.5 kilometers to go, when several all-out attacks distanced him. Shoulders rocking and teeth gritting, he channeled the last resources he still had after one of the longest stages of this year's edition (225 km) and came home less than a minute and a half down on winner Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), cementing his place in the top 20 overall ahead of the second week, which will include an ascent of the infamous Monte Zoncolan.
Teammate Elia Viviani – most successful sprinter of the season – retained the cyclamen jersey at the end of the most grueling stage of this edition so far and will go into stage 10 with a 78-point advantage over the next rider in the classification.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele/ Getty Images
