Winder solos to victory, securing AG2R’s second win in the race.
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On May 24th at around 11 p.m. Beijing time, the 2024 Giro d’Italia S19 (Molteni – Sappada) concluded with a series of early breakaways, as the peloton allowed riders over 50 minutes behind in the general classification to escape. Winder (AG2R team) made a second successful breakaway attempt to win the stage, and here’s a review of the action.
Preliminary Highlights
” Mascots.” The UAE Team Emirates bus was adorned with the race mascot, the Wolf Wolf. Fans might want to visit the team bus for some souvenirs. (Wink)
The Race Route. The 157 km course started in Molteni, heading north with three climbs and one sprint point. For Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who had a significant lead, there was little incentive to chase down breakaways unless rivals joined them. The main attraction was the battle for second place between Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) and Martin (Bora team), who might contest in the last 2 km.
Amidst cheers from the crowd in Molteni, the race began. Apart from the GC favorites conserving energy for the next day, other riders tested the waters after the ceremonial start, trying to gauge reactions from the rest of the peloton.
Initially, only ten riders attempted to break away, including stage winners Navaz (S1), Sanchez (S6), and Alaphilippe (S12). With the peloton, driven by those eager to escape, maintaining a gap of around 10 seconds, it allowed ambitious breakaway riders to bridge up easily.
As they approached the 80 km mark and entered the climbing phase, various teams sent strong breakaway specialists to join the front group, swelling the breakaway to 20 riders. They stretched the gap with the Pogačar-led peloton to over five minutes, making it clear that the winner would come from this group.
In the mountains, Alaphilippe led six others in an attack to drop the remaining breakaway riders. This reduced the leading group to seven, with a 40-second advantage over the chasing 14-rider group and over seven minutes ahead of the peloton.
Upon reaching the foot of the Sappada climb, Winder (AG2R) seized the opportunity to launch a solo attack. The other five riders, entangled in their own strategies, didn’t pursue, giving Winder the chance to gain distance.
Once Winder topped the Sappada, he had over a minute on the remaining five and around 6 km of rolling downhill to the finish, effectively sealing his victory. He crossed the line alone, giving AG2R their second win of the race.
Thomas had a minor crash in the final 3 km but was able to rejoin the peloton unscathed with the help of his teammates, preserving his GC position.
The peloton arrived at the finish 15 minutes later, with no changes in their positions. Thus, the battle for second place between Thomas and Martin would continue in S20.
After the stage, Pogačar claimed the pink and blue jerseys, Milano the purple jersey, and Tiberi the white jersey. The Giro d’Italia S20 (Alpago – Grappa) on May 25 promises more excitement.