Calay News
In the 10th stage of the Giro d’Italia, Danish cyclist Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF) made history by becoming the 105th rider to win in all three Grand Tours. The day was marked by rain and crashes, while Welshman Geraint Thomas (Ineos) held on to the pink jersey as the leader.
Cort Nielsen, 30 years old and already with victories in the Tour de France and Vuelta a España, outpaced his two breakaway companions, Derek Gee (Israel) and Alessandro de Marchi (Jayco-AlUla), to cross the finish line in first place.
The favorites’ peloton arrived 51 seconds behind the stage winner, led by fellow Dane Mads Pedersen, who recently became the latest cyclist to achieve stage wins in all three Grand Tours.
This was the fourth out of ten stages where a breakaway made it to the finish, something uncommon in modern cycling where victories require significant effort.
Cort Nielsen expressed his happiness and emphasized the toughness of the day due to the weather conditions.
The stage was contested in heavy rain, resulting in crashes and withdrawals, including Russian rider Alexandr Vlasov, who was sixth in the general classification and a contender for the podium in Rome.
Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel, the race leader, abandoned the competition after testing positive for COVID-19, allowing Geraint Thomas to assume the lead.
Although Thomas debuted the pink jersey, the weather conditions prevented him from showcasing it as he would have liked.
Before the stage, riders and organizers considered shortening the route due to harsh weather conditions, but the decision was made to keep it as planned.
It was announced that Friday’s stage would not pass through Grand-Saint-Bernard due to excessive snow. Instead, the riders will go through a tunnel located 600 meters lower, with the stage ending in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
This edition of the Giro d’Italia has faced various challenges in its first half, including unfavorable weather, illnesses affecting many cyclists, route modifications due to snow, and ongoing COVID-19 issues.
There have been around twenty withdrawals due to crashes, illnesses, and COVID-19, including Domenico Pozzovivo and Sven Erik Bystrom.
