Frustrated Arensman out of GC hunt after crash, while Bernal stays determined: "The plan is to keep attacking"

Arensman finished 24th on the San Valentino but was more than seven minutes behind winner Scaroni. This meant that the Dutchman lost valuable time on his opponents, leaving the INEOS rider now in fifteenth place in the GC—a drop of six places, but there was a logical explanation.

The Dutchman crashed during the stage, although it was a very strange moment. "I don't know," Arensman began his story to Eurosport after the race. "It was almost a crash, and I think there was plenty of time to brake, but someone didn't brake, and he hit me hard from behind." As a result, the Dutch rider hit the ground. “I landed hard on my knee, which hurt the whole ride."

“It is what it is," continued Arensman, voicing his frustration. "I really don't know what he was doing. That's racing, I guess." However, the Dutchman did not give up and tried to hang on as long as possible. Nevertheless, towards the end, it was no longer possible for the INEOS rider.

"At the end, I couldn't take the pain anymore. Now my knee really hurts," he said, assessing the damage. "I tried to keep fighting until the finish and tried to stay close to do some work for Egan. But when there's one rider who doesn't really brake, well... It is what it is." The Dutchman won't have much time to recover, as another challenging mountain stage is scheduled for Wednesday.  

INEOS Grenadiers had an eventful day on Tuesday. They also saw their other leader, Bernal, crash during the race. Partly because of this, the Colombian could not keep up with the best on the final climb, although he did gain time on Del Toro, Adam Yates, and Antonio Tiberi, among others. "The GC has changed dramatically in a single day, and there are still three stages to go," Bernal told CyclingPro after the stage. "Tomorrow, we have the Mortirolo, and then there will be no more easy stages."

Despite his crash, the former Giro winner moved up two places in the GC. Bernal is now sixth, 3 minutes and 23 seconds behind Del Toro. "The truth is that I am still feeling confident. Even though I was beaten today, the plan is to keep attacking," the Colombian remained determined. "You have to keep trying, never give up. I haven't given up in the last five years, so I won't give up now."

That was exactly what Arensman had said to Eurosport before the start of the disastrous stage. "We both have nothing to lose, so we're going all in. I think the past few weeks have been very tough. Now, there are just more and longer climbs. Everyone is already exhausted; it will be the toughest third week ever. Hopefully, we both still have good legs. Egan and I are two different riders. He's more punchy and I prefer a steady pace. Maybe Egan is more aggressive, which allows me to choose my moment better."