Tonelli, another 150 km in the wind to confirm himself as “king of breakaways” at the Giro

After spending over two hundred kilometers at the front in Albania, Alessandro Tonelli was back in the wind (literally, given the gusts blowing across the Marsica area) for 150 km in the stage featuring the Giro d’Italia’s first uphill finish. The experienced Team Polti VisitMalta man made it into the right move early on the rolling roads of Abruzzo: he and six other riders built up a lead of four minutes before being caught halfway up the last climb. On the summit finish won by Ayuso (UAE) Davide Piganzoli stayed on the wheels of the top contenders and now sits 19th in the GC, 1’16” behind the new maglia rosa Roglic (Red Bull).

Tonelli: “I used the start of this week in Italy to recover, today I went out again to strengthen my lead in the breakaway and intermediate sprint classifications. It was a very tough start to the stage in freezing conditions. The big teams wanted to control the race and reeled us in, but we believed in our breakaway and kept pushing for as long as possible.”

Sports Director Stefano Zanatta: “Kudos to Alessandro, who tried again and showed his grit and excellent condition, and to all the boys who did a great job — from the ones who pulled early on to Mattia Bais, who stayed with Piganzoli in the finale. This strong effort allows us to stay on course and look ahead to the rest of the Giro with confidence.”