Giro d'Italia

Boasting a profile similar to a montagne russe, stage 7 of the Giro d’Italia was on several riders’ radar, as it had breakaway written all over it. That’s why the start was fast and furious, the peloton averaging close to 47km/h in the first hour of racing, when dozens of men tried to book their place in the front group. Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl’s Davide Ballerini and Mauro Schmid were among those to test the waters, but despite their valiant efforts they couldn’t snap the elastic.

Things went like this for more than 60 kilometers, with every acceleration marked down by the bunch, who relented only after the first classified climb of the day, allowing a group to go clear. From that move, five men arrived at the finish three minutes clear, and Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma) surged to victory in Potenza.

Mauri Vansevenant, who earlier in the week impressed with his strong ride on the Etna, came home with the pretty sizeable peloton and cemented his place in the top 10 overall ahead of Saturday’s hilly stage 7 starting and finishing in Napoli, where the attackers should be in the spotlight.

Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images