On another day of high drama and controversy Mikel Landa rescued Team Sky’s Giro d’Italia with a hard fought win at Piancavallo on stage 18. The Spaniard attacked his breakaway companions inside the final 10 kilometres with Rui Costa (UAE Emirates) and Pierre Rolland (Cannondale-Drapac) rounding out the top three.
While the break decided the stage, the brief early morning truce called between race leader Tom Dumoulin and his primary rivals, Vincenzo Nibali and Nairo Quintana after the stage 17 polemics, was dissolved within the opening kilometres with the race leader caught behind an early split in controversial circumstances.
Although he was able to regain contact, Dumoulin cracked on the final climb and Quintana moved into the pink jersey with two stages remaining after putting a minute into the maglia rosa. Quintana now leads Dumoulin by 38 seconds, with Nibali a further five seconds in arrears.
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The change in race leader, however, only told part of the story as Nibali and the impressive Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) also gained time. However, Dumoulin, who had looked imperious until now, managed his bad day well enough to remain the race favourite with one more individual time trial to come.
For Nibali, Quintana and now Pinot, there is still hope of winning the race, with stage 20 providing one last opportunity to explore whether Dumoulin’s Giro foundations are about to crumble.
As for Quintana, his second spell in the maglia rosa in this year’s race has come about through a measure of consistency and effective team tactics, rather than the out-and-out brilliance we have become accustomed to. Not for the first time in this year’s race, he was left lacking after his team moved him into an excellent position and dispatched with Dumoulin. The Colombian appeared to struggle as Pinot, Nibali and Ilnur Zakarin all launched attacks on the final ascent. Quintana did manage to eke out a few extra seconds on a number of rivals before the line, but if he is to have a real chance of winning this year’s Giro d'Italia, he must improve on stage 20.
How it unfolded
Summit finish
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