“We hoped we might survive the last big climb, and that they wouldn’t take us back until following. But they stayed at 30 seconds.“Vanhoucke played a crucial role, maintaining a high pace in the final kilometers, keeping the chasers at bay and allowing De Gendt to focus on the sprint.”I was sure to win it. Harm said he didn’t have the legs to attack on the final climb. So I told him to relay as quickly as possible, and he did it perfectly until 300 meters from the finish. I have to thank him very much“, said De Gendt.
At 35, Thomas De Gendt thus won his second stage victory in a Giro, 10 years following his demonstration on the Stelvio. “If you had asked me two weeks ago if I might still win a stage in the Giro, I would have said no. I was in such bad shape. But my good legs came back“, he concluded.
