Two-time World Champion named most combative rider of the stage.
One of the few riders that have left an indelible mark on this Giro d’Italia, which he animated every single time he sensed even the smallest of occasions, Julian Alaphilippe showed his superb form by going on another breakaway – his eighth since the start of the event.
Stage 19, featuring the mythical Cima Sappada – the site of one of the race’s most famous episodes – had a brisk start to proceedings, as many knew there was a strong chance of it being the last chance for a breakaway to succeed. It was with 125 kilometers to go, once Julian decided to ramp up the watts on a small but steep uncategorized climb, that a group snapped the elastic and carved out a gap which quickly ballooned to eight minutes.
Alaphilippe was the driving force of the 19-man group, not skipping any turns and putting in another impressive effort before launching a massive acceleration on the steepest part of Passo Duron, which made an important selection. Joined by only five men, Julian continued to push, and staying true to his nature, left everything on the road, by going again on the attack as he tried to further reduce the group.
When Andrea Vendrame made a move on the rolling roads taking to the bottom of Sappada, Alaphilippe was the first to chase, clawing back time and almost erasing the deficit to the Italian, but a lack of collaboration from his breakaway companions allowed Vendrame to increase his gap and eventually take a solo victory. Julian came with the second chasing group and finished ninth for Soudal Quick-Step’s 11th top ten at this edition.
“I feel like I gave everything today and I don’t have any regrets. I missed a bit in the finale, but that’s because of all the effort I put in up until that point. Anyway, today was difficult to win, as my fellow escapees were more interested in what I was doing than in going after the leader and trying to bring him back. At the end of the day, it was another strong stage for me in the breakaway and I am content with my ride”, said Julian after the stage which saw him receive the most combative rider trophy for the fourth time since the beginning of the Giro.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
