Let’s Denz! Red Bull German washes away Giro misfortunes with breakaway stage win over Van Aert, Pedersen, and Hoole

The 144-kilometer stage was divided into three parts: 30 km of flat terrain, 60 km of rolling hills, and another 55 km of flat. The layout promised a fast and furious start, many riders saw this as their final real chance in this year’s Giro.

And so it played out. The peloton rolled out at 2:00 PM in Morbegno, with Juan Ayuso among them. The battered Spaniard from UAE Emirates-XRG showed up at the start with a swollen eye after being stung by a bee in Wednesday’s stage. Ayuso stayed at the back during the early part of the race but eventually gave in, stepping off his bike after 40 kilometers.

It was full gas from the start, with plenty of attacks at the front. Both smaller teams and big names like Wout van Aert and Mads Pedersen were battling for a spot in the early break during the flat opening stretch, making it clear that several teams had serious intentions. Pedersen, in particular, was very active.

The Dane ended up playing a key role in forming a large breakaway of around 35 riders, featuring pretty much all the expected names: Pedersen, Van Aert, Mathias Vacek, Andrea Vendrame, Ben Turner, and more. Kaden Groves and his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Edward Planckaert also made the cut.

That duo led the toughest climb of the day, the Parlasco, 7.6 kilometers at 5.8 percent. Meanwhile, UAE Emirates-XRG controlled things in the peloton, setting a steady pace despite the absence of both Jay Vine and Ayuso. That control lasted until the top of the climb, where they eased off.

From that point on, the peloton allowed the gap to grow steadily, knowing that Diego Ulissi, sitting 40 minutes down on GC, was the closest rider from the break in the overall standings. Ulissi was joined by teammates Cristian Scaroni and Nicola Conci in the lead group, which also included Groves, Planckaert, Fabio Van den Bossche (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Nico Denz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Alessandro Verre (Arkéa - B&B Hotels), Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious), Stefano Oldani (Cofidis), Dries De Bondt, Stan Dewulf, Dorian Godon, Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R), Rémy Rochas (Groupama-FDJ), Francesco Bussato (Intermarché-Wanty), Pedersen, Vacek, Daan Hoole (Lidl-Trek), Jon Barrenetxea (Movistar), Mattia Cattaneo (Soudal Quick-Step), Davide De Pretto, Felix Engelhardt (Jayco AlUla), Alex Edmondson (Picnic PostNL), Mattia Bais, Mirco Maestri, Giovanni Lonardo (Polti VisitMalta), Van Aert, Dylan van Baarle (Visma | Lease a Bike), Rick Pluimers, Yannis Voisard (Tudor), Filippo Magli, Martin Marcellusi, and Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group-Bardiani).

This 36-man breakaway would battle it out for the stage win. Alpecin-Deceuninck set a high pace in the hilly section to discourage long-range attacks. Once the hills were behind them, the fireworks began.

Van Baarle slipped away with a clever move and was joined by Edmondson, Maestri, Hoole, Conci, De Bondt, De Pretto, Planckaert, Magli, and Warbasse. Behind them, Van Aert and Pedersen marked any counters, allowing this group of eleven to ride into the final with a shot at a surprise stage winner.

Denz was the first to make a move, and the best at making it stick. The German launched a powerful solo attack and immediately opened up a 20-second gap, putting himself in prime position for the stage victory. When his lead grew to 30 seconds, the chasers realized they had a serious problem on their hands.

Meanwhile, drama unfolded in the peloton: they were at risk of being lapped on the 12-kilometer finishing circuit. To avoid that embarrassment, Q36.5 was asked to pick up the pace, a bizarre and uncomfortable situation for the bunch.

But none of that mattered up front. Denz never looked back. He continued to extend his lead, and with five kilometers to go, it was clear who would take Stage 18. Maestri took second in the sprint from the chasing group, followed by Hoole.