Giro d'Italia

Santuario di Oropa returned at the Corsa Rosa after seven years, and as expected, gaps were made between the general classification contenders on the 11.8km climb. Before the real fight began, the stage was animated by a five-man breakaway, whose time at the front of the race came to an end eight kilometers from the finish.

On the steepest part of the ascent, the peloton got shrunk, only 40-odd riders remaining there, including Soudal Quick-Step’s Jan Hirt and Mauri Vansevenant. Seconds later, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) attacked and opened a gap that proved to be sufficient for both the stage victory and the maglia rosa. Behind, a strong chasing group formed, and the experienced Hirt was there for our team. The 33-year-old Czech, who is riding his sixth Giro d’Italia, put in a phenomenal effort to arrive home just half a minute later and clinch tenth place at the top of the climb.

“It was a hard and stressful stage. Actually, this whole opening weekend was a very tough one. Maybe things will be calmer now that there are some gaps between the climbers. I usually don’t have a good start in a Grand Tour, so I am quite happy after these two stages. We will see what we can do in the GC, but it’s not a goal now”, said Jan, who made a spectacular jump on the general classification, moving up from 25th to 8th in the standings after his result on the Oropa.

Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images