The Giro d'Italia is a race where the normal rules go out the window. Received wisdom says that time triallists ride cautiously when holding the overall lead of a Grand Tour, but like Tom Dumoulin at Roccaraso a week ago, Bob Jungels (Etixx-QuickStep) saw attacking as his most reliable form of defence as the race entered the Veneto region on stage 11.
In a breathless finale that saw a reduced pink jersey group fragment and reform as the road dipped and rose in the hills around Asolo, Jungels took matters in hand when Andrey Amador (Movistar) – second overall at 26 seconds – clipped off the front with 13 kilometres remaining.
Jungels bridged confidently across on the uncategorised climb, but then decided to follow through with his effort. All of a sudden, Amador was no longer attacking the pink jersey, but hitching a ride as the Luxembourger surged to the front and showcased his talents as a rouleur.
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The pair were later joined by Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida), who proceeded to claim stage honours by winning the three-up sprint, but Jungels, third on the stage, put another 13 seconds into Vincenzo Nibali, Alejandro Valverde et al.
"We all knew about the narrow road on the climb in the finale," Jungels said. "When Amador attacked, I knew I had to follow him. Then when Ulissi came across, I knew I had no chance – or next to no chance – in the sprint, so I decided to ride on the front and try to gain as many seconds as possible."
On the very day that Dumoulin, stricken by a saddle sore, was forced to abandon the race, it was perhaps fitting that a rider with such similar characteristics should defend his overall lead with the kind of élan showed by the Dutchman during his tenure in pink.
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