🎥 Thymen Arensman's guardian angel is working overtime: serious double scare during intense Giro finale

On paper, the eighteenth stage of the Giro d'Italia seemed like a worry-free ride for the general classification riders, but for Thymen Arensman, the reality was quite different... The Dutch rider of INEOS Grenadiers experienced two significant scares in the last ten kilometers of the race, which likely saw him crossing the finish with some serious adrenaline rushing through his veins.

Seven kilometers from the finish of the stage eventually won by Tim Merlier in Padova, INEOS Grenadiers was perfectly positioned on the right side of the road, until suddenly Arensman had to put his foot down, as we could see on the TV footage. "That could have been way worse because I hit something 7 kilometers from the finish," the Dutchman later wrote on his social media, accompanying the post with a photo of his damaged tire.

Connor Swift, one of the few riders in the peloton of the same height as Arensman, was right behind the Dutchman and quickly responded. He too stopped, handed his bike with frame number 8 to the sixth-ranked rider in the general classification, and then waited for the INEOS Grenadiers team car, which probably only then became aware of the situation.

Continue reading below the photo.

Arensman nearly hit by neutral service car

While Filippo Ganna took the lead in the peloton, Ecuadorian champion Jhonatan Narváez was also vigilant. The nimble puncher waited for Arensman and brought him back to the peloton, but as they passed several team cars, the next hazard was already imminent: the neutral service car was turning left and almost hit Arensman.

As they passed, the Dutchman — who has experience in cyclo-cross — sharply maneuvered to the left and then looked back towards the driver with a gesture. "I was very lucky," Arensman also shared on his socials after the race. Hopefully, you'll have just as much luck in the mountains over the coming days, Thymen! :)