The Belgian Dries de Bondt won the 18th stage of the Tour of Italy in Treviso, ahead of his three breakaway companions, under the nose and beard of the sprinters. Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz retained the leader’s pink jersey three days from the finish in Verona.
De Bondt, Belgian champion in 2020, overtook the Italian Edoardo Affini in extremis to win. The Dane Magnus Cort Nielsen took 3rd place ahead of the Italian Davide Gabburo at the end of the 156km race. The Italian Alberto Dainese settled the sprint of the 1st peloton, ahead of Arnaud Démare, for 5th place, 14 seconds behind the winner.
The quartet formed from the first kilometers made life difficult for the peloton which nevertheless always limited the gap, less than 3 minutes. He resisted despite the headwind to reach the final circuit in Treviso and approached the last 10 kilometers with a lead of one minute, a sufficient advantage.
The sprinters therefore found themselves in check at the end of this stage which represented the last possibility of a massive sprint before the end of the Tour, Sunday in Verona. De Bondt (30), who is taking part in the Giro for the second time, signed the sixth victory of his career, the first in a grand tour.
ats/bur
