Dane Magnus Cort emerged victorious from a rainy and cold tenth stage of the Giro d’Italia, with Geraint Thomas retaining the overall leader’s pink jersey.
Thomas, a cyclist with the Ineos Grenadiers team, was left as leader on Sunday after favorite Remko Evenpoel had to withdraw from the Italian round after testing positive for coronavirus. Evenpoel was 45 seconds ahead of Thomas.
Other riders, including Colombian Rigoberto Urán, abandoned the Giro after testing positive for COVID-19.
Britain’s Thomas retained his two-second lead over Slovenia’s Primoz Rogić as the two crossed the finish line with the peloton, in very rough weather conditions, 51 seconds behind Cort.
“It’s good, but it’s not ideal conditions to lead the Giro,” said Thomas, referring to the abandonment of his Belgian rival.
He said of the stage, “It was very cold at the top of the pass and the descent down was insane.” “I’m happy to come out of this stage well. Anything can happen in this race, especially with the weather.”
Tao Geoghegan Hart is third overall, five behind his teammate and compatriot Thomas.
Cort overtook Derek Gee and Alessandro De Marchi at the end of a 196-kilometre run through the Tuscan Apennines, starting in Scandiano and ending in Viareggio on the Mediterranean coast. All three pretended to run away.
The victory allowed Cort to complete a trilogy of stage wins in three Grand Tours: six in the Vuelta a España, two in the Tour de France and now his first in the Giro.
“It’s been one of the toughest days I’ve had on a bike,” said Cort. “It was worth it”.
Falling so close was especially painful for De Marchi, who is still in his seventh Giro chasing his first stage win on his home country’s grand tour.
Racing was a tough test for the cyclists due to rain, gusts of wind and bone-chilling temperatures.
He also considered revising the route to the top of the day’s main climb, the second category Passo delle Radici. The team buses followed behind with riders that needed to be moved if conditions worsened, but in the end the stage was completed normally.
However, organizers have announced that Friday’s stage – the 13th – will be shortened with the finish line at the Crans-Montana peak in Switzerland. The ascent of the top-category Paso del Gran San Bernardo was ruled out due to the risk of snow and avalanches.
The 11th stage on Wednesday will cover a distance of 219 kilometers (136 mi) between Camaiore and Tortona. Three short range climbers are included.
The Giro will conclude in Rome on 28 May.
