Winners of the day: Gee not thinking about pink yet, Storer fuming after another crash, face-first

Gee climbed surprisingly well, among the very best. The Canadian from Israel - Premier Tech managed to bridge the gap to Simon Yates, Isaac Del Toro, and Richard Carapaz, eventually only losing touch with the Ecuadorian. But no one expected Gee to be one of the top three climbers in the final week. “I’m really happy. This was the first real big test, so I’m glad my legs showed up,” he told Cyclingnews.

When Carapaz launched his attack, no one could follow. The EF Education – EasyPost leader surged away with brutal force. Gee, not as explosive, knew his strength was in pacing. “I couldn’t follow Carapaz’s acceleration, so I just tried to ride my own tempo to the top of the climb.” The 27-year-old now sits fourth in the overall standings, just 1 minute and 30 seconds behind the pink jersey. Is it time to dream big? “I’m really happy with where I finished, but there’s still a long way to go,” he said, keeping expectations in check.

Gee finished an impressive fifth in the grueling sixteenth stage. Just half a minute behind the Canadian, Storer crossed the line in seventh place, an excellent result, though the Australian was far from satisfied. Earlier in the day, he quite literally kissed the asphalt. “I crashed again,” he sighed. “It’s kind of the theme of this Giro, and it’s extremely frustrating. I finally got some TV time, and now I’ve got a fat lip. It’s actually kind of funny.”

The frustration is palpable, yet the climber can still see a silver lining. “The upside was that I felt strong on the final climb. I've been really frustrated so far this Giro, but at least I climbed well today.” During the rain-soaked stage to Naples, won by Kaden Groves, Storer hit the deck. The same thing happened in the gravel stage to Siena: he was the first GC rider to go down.

Even in the time trial things went wrong. While he impressed against the clock in Albania earlier this season, he crashed again in the tenth stage to Pisa. “This was the first time I’ve had good legs since my crash in Naples, then Siena, and then in the time trial. I hope my luck turns a bit before this Giro is over.” After his strong climbing performance, Storer now sits seventh overall, 3 minutes and 31 seconds behind the pink jersey and just 50 seconds shy of a top-five spot.