A visit to Pinerolo on the Giro d'Italia inevitably evokes recollections of 1949 and all that. Fausto Coppi's lone victory in that year's Cuneo-Pinerolo leg was feted by Mario Ferretti's radio commentary, which immortalised the image of Coppi as ‘un uomo solo al comando.' Dino Buzzati drew on the Iliad to describe Gino Bartali's defeat that same day, likening him as Hector to Coppi's Achilles.
This year's trio to Pinerolo during stage 18 was a rather more routine affair, with a gentle approach from the Plain of Lombardy rather than a trek through the high Alps. The 240-kilometre stage from Muggiò may have been the longest of this Giro, but it was no epic, at least for maglia rosa Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo), who matter-of-factly defended his overall lead, as the pink jersey group rolled in 13 minutes down on winner Matteo Trentin (Etixx-QuickStep).
"It was a really long stage and I think the team did a perfect job," Kruijswijk said. "We had three guys pulling on the front for 200 kilometres and then I had some more guys to bring me to the climb.
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The day's difficulties were shoehorned into the final 25 kilometres, as the peloton faced the category climb of Pramartino and then the short, sharp cobbled climb of San Maurizio shortly before the finish. Kruijswijk's teammate Enrico Battaglin led all the way up the Pramartino, while the Dutchman was himself to the fore on the final ascent, underling his apparent superiority by easing past Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) towards the summit.
"Enrico pulled on the whole climb, I had just had to follow my teammates all day," Kruijswijk said. "We knew a break would go away early and stay out there to the finish, and you notice which riders and teams want to be the break. It's predictable at the end of the Giro. We knew we had to control the race, and we did."
Into the Alps
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