Soudal Quick-Step’s sprinter is one day closer to winning the points classification.
Six classified climbs, 5000 meters of elevation and a summit finish in Alleghe - where the Giro d’Italia returned after more than half a century: the queen stage of this edition, or in Dante Alighier’s famous words: “Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch’entrate.”
A real tappone, despite being just 151 kilometers in length, a day of suffering in the Dolomites, of breathtaking landscape and of the Cima Coppi, a distinction which this year belonged to Passo Giau, the famous climb that made its 11th appearance at the race. It was a long and brutal day in the saddle for everybody, especially the sprinters - including Paul Magnier - but the 22-year-old concluded it well inside the time limit, with the support of his Soudal Quick-Step teammates.
Winner of three stages at just his second Giro d’Italia participation, the Frenchman spent the stage in the maglia ciclamino, which gave him an extra boost to fight Friday afternoon. Having survived this edition’s most demanding stage, Magnier has to overcome just one more day in the mountains before arriving in Rome, where he’ll get not just another opportunity to score a stage win in the shadow of the Colosseum, but also to seal his triumph in the points classification.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
