Mattia Cattaneo cemented his position in the GC on a day that saw the breakaway prevail.
Five classified climbs, 5000 vertical meters and a summit finish – stage 11 of the season’s last Grand Tour prepared quite the menu for the 157 riders still in the race. The highlight of this ruthless course was Alto de la Farrapona, a long ascent interrupted by several short descents, but with some very steep gradients appearing close to the top, which hardly dipped below 10%.
The battle for the breakaway featured some intense and tactical racing, a group going clear only on the slopes of the first-category Alto de la Colladona, 50 kilometers into the race. Despite not having a gap bigger than three minutes at any point, the escapees managed to hold off the bunch and fight for victory, which went to David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) following an acceleration inside the last 200 meters of the stage.
Mattia Cattaneo finished the day again as Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s best placed rider and remained in the top 20 on the overall standings ahead of Sunday’s visit to Angliru, one of cycling’s hardest climbs, where the general classification could be in for a major shake-up.
Photo credit: ©David Ramos / Getty Images
