Polti VisitMalta and Pidcock explain their tactics, Fortunato sets his sights on a new goal in the final Giro stages

After a long battle to form the day’s breakaway, a group of nearly forty riders finally got clear, and it looked like the peloton was content to let them go. But that didn’t take into account Polti VisitMalta, who had missed the move entirely and put their whole team on the front to chase.

Team director Stefano Zannatta explained the decision. “Micro Maestri and Alessandro Tonelli both tried to get into that group of 38 but didn’t make it. So we had the team ride to keep the gap manageable and to give our squad some visibility.”

“We were also protecting Davide Piganzoli, who held on well over the Mortirolo,” Zannatta added. “But in the final part of the stage he started to struggle and ended up losing time in the general classification.” The Italian dropped two positions in the standings.

Once Polti VisitMalta had finished their pull at the front, teams like Q36.5 and Movistar saw their opportunity. For Q36.5, this stage was a special one, as it finished near their sponsor’s headquarters. GC leader Tom Pidcock ultimately couldn’t hang on during the final climb. “After the Mortirolo I was with Michael Storer, and I dropped him on the descent. At the bottom I was a bit frustrated because I would’ve liked to gain more time on that downhill.”

“Still, I didn’t fully commit either, since we still had 25 kilometers of climbing to go,” Pidcock told CyclingProNet. “We’re taking it day by day. I’m riding consistently, but I’m not on the level of the top guys. Even so, I’m satisfied.”

Fortunato knows the blue jersey is as good as his now. “I wasn’t really riding for the points anymore, my goal was to win the stage. That’s why I went up the road. On the final climb I didn’t feel great and we got caught, but in the end the pink jersey won. That shows there wasn’t much we could do.”

“As we approached that last climb, I realized the jersey was safe. Thursday looks like a rest day to me, and then I’ll try to go for a stage win on Friday or Saturday. Once I arrive in Rome, I’ll have the mountain jersey on my shoulders. Now the goal is to add a stage win,” said Fortunato, who had gifted the victory to his teammate Christian Scaroni just one day earlier.