Nico Denz won the eighteenth stage of the Giro d’Italia on Thursday. The German crowned a fine solo with the victory in a transitional stage. Daan Hoole and Dylan van Baarle fell short of the stage win.
The 31-year-old Denz rode away from a leading group of eleven riders with 19 kilometers to go to the finish in Cesano Maderno. Van Baarle and Hoole were also part of that group. Denz quickly gained a gap and crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead.
The Italian Mirco Maestri won the sprint for second place at just over a minute. The Belgian Edward Planckaert finished third. Hoole and Van Baarle had to settle for seventh and eleventh place respectively.
Denz was initially part of a large leading group of more than thirty riders. That group, which also included Rick Pluimers, fell apart after more than 30 kilometers. Pluimers finished twelfth in 3.40 minutes.
It is the third stage victory for Denz in the Giro d’Italia. Two years ago, the rider from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe won two stages in the Italian cycling tour.
Giro goes back into the mountains on Friday and Saturday
The peloton took a day off and passed the finish line at almost fourteen minutes. As a result, Isaac del Toro retained his pink jersey without any problems.
Del Toro starts the tough mountain stages scheduled for Friday and Saturday with a lead of 41 seconds over Richard Carapaz. The Giro ends on Sunday with a flat stage from and to Rome.
Juan Ayuso stepped off after about 40 kilometers. The Spaniard, Del Toro’s teammate at UAE Team Emirates, slammed on the brakes due to a swollen eye as a result of an allergic reaction to a bee sting.