Giro d’Italia: Close but no cigar for Cavendish

At the start of stage 13, everybody knew this would be the sprinters’ last opportunity to fight for victory before next week’s stage in Treviso, but that didn’t stop a brave four-man breakaway from forming minutes after the flag was dropped and carving out a massive six-minute advantage over the peloton by the time they reached the bottom of the Colle di Nava climb (10.1km, 6.7%).
After cresting the summit, the fast men’s teams each sent a delegate at the front of the peloton to bring down the gap, which for a large chunk of time remained stuck at five minutes. From that moment on, it was heart-in-mouth stuff all the way until the finish, the bunch unleashing a wild chase. Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl had several men there, and they helped the field clock off about ten seconds per kilometer in the business end of the stage, but the escapees were still favourites to make it, as they carried a one-minute lead into the last ten kilometers.
The situation looked desperate for the bunch, but they continued to push a hard tempo that even split the group at one point. An average gradient of 2% in the closing two kilometers played into the chasers’ favour, who overhauled the four men an agonizingly 500 meters from the line. Despite having to come back from behind, Mark Cavendish produced another incredible sprint and took third place behind Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) in Cuneo, which the race visited for the first time in more than a decade.
“It wasn’t an easy stage, and we had to make sure it would be a sprint at the end of the day. We had to get over the climb, to chase the breakaway, which had a good gap, and the guys were incredible in the work they did. They showed huge commitment, but also a lot of strength and determination, working hard the entire stage, more than it was in their job description. The finale was hard, and coming into the last kilometer I knew I was a bit far back, but I gave everything I had and did the best sprint I could. I’m proud of the boys and their amazing work today”, said Mark after his 23rd top 3 finish at the Giro.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
Race details
1 |
Arnaud Démare Groupama - FDJ |
3:18:16 |
2 |
Phil Bauhaus Bahrain - Victorious |
0:00 |
3 |
Mark Cavendish
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
0:00 |
4 |
Fernando Gaviria Rendon UAE Team Emirates |
0:00 |
5 |
Alberto Dainese Team DSM |
0:00 |
6 |
Simone Consonni Cofidis |
0:00 |
7 |
Dries De Bondt Alpecin-Fenix |
0:00 |
8 |
Giacomo Nizzolo Israel - Premier Tech |
0:00 |
9 |
Andrea Vendrame AG2R Citroën Team |
0:00 |
10 |
Tobias Bayer Alpecin-Fenix |
0:00 |
86 |
Davide Ballerini
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
1:19 |
91 |
Bert Van Lerberghe
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
1:47 |
94 |
Mauro Schmid
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
1:47 |
109 |
Mauri Vansevenant
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
2:35 |
154 |
Pieter Serry
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
7:44 |
160 |
James Knox
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
7:53 |
1 |
Juan Pedro López Pérez Trek - Segafredo |
54:37:23 |
2 |
Richard Carapaz Montenegro INEOS Grenadiers |
0:12 |
3 |
João Almeida UAE Team Emirates |
0:12 |
4 |
Jai Hindley BORA - hansgrohe |
0:20 |
5 |
Guillaume Martin Cofidis |
0:28 |
6 |
Mikel Landa Meana Bahrain - Victorious |
0:29 |
7 |
Domenico Pozzovivo Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux |
0:54 |
8 |
Emanuel Buchmann BORA - hansgrohe |
1:09 |
9 |
Pello Bilbao López de Armentia Bahrain - Victorious |
1:22 |
10 |
Alejandro Valverde Belmonte Movistar Team |
1:23 |
30 |
Mauri Vansevenant
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
18:21 |
79 |
Mauro Schmid
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
1:16:32 |
98 |
James Knox
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
1:39:34 |
121 |
Davide Ballerini
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
2:08:26 |
158 |
Mark Cavendish
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
2:54:52 |
161 |
Bert Van Lerberghe
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
2:57:00 |
162 |
Pieter Serry
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
3:04:15 |
1 |
Arnaud Démare Groupama - FDJ |
238 pt |
2 |
Mark Cavendish
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
121 pt |
3 |
Fernando Gaviria Rendon UAE Team Emirates |
117 pt |
4 |
Mathieu van der Poel Alpecin-Fenix |
90 pt |
5 |
Alberto Dainese Team DSM |
81 pt |
6 |
Giacomo Nizzolo Israel - Premier Tech |
77 pt |
7 |
Phil Bauhaus Bahrain - Victorious |
72 pt |
8 |
Filippo Tagliani Drone Hopper - Androni Giocattoli |
70 pt |
9 |
Simone Consonni Cofidis |
67 pt |
10 |
Thomas De Gendt Lotto Soudal |
53 pt |
25 |
Mauro Schmid
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
21 pt |
27 |
Davide Ballerini
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
21 pt |
63 |
Mauri Vansevenant
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
6 pt |
71 |
Bert Van Lerberghe
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
6 pt |
92 |
Pieter Serry
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
2 pt |
1 |
Diego Rosa EOLO-Kometa |
83 pt |
2 |
Koen Bouwman Jumbo-Visma |
69 pt |
3 |
Lennard Kämna BORA - hansgrohe |
43 pt |
4 |
Jai Hindley BORA - hansgrohe |
40 pt |
5 |
Bauke Mollema Trek - Segafredo |
30 pt |
6 |
Wout Poels Bahrain - Victorious |
27 pt |
7 |
Natnael Tesfatsion Drone Hopper - Androni Giocattoli |
26 pt |
8 |
Davide Formolo UAE Team Emirates |
25 pt |
9 |
Mirco Maestri EOLO-Kometa |
20 pt |
10 |
Eduardo Sepúlveda Drone Hopper - Androni Giocattoli |
19 pt |
29 |
Mauri Vansevenant
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
6 pt |
40 |
Davide Ballerini
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
3 pt |
1 |
Juan Pedro López Pérez Trek - Segafredo |
54:37:23 |
2 |
João Almeida UAE Team Emirates |
0:12 |
3 |
Thymen Arensman Team DSM |
1:27 |
4 |
Iván Ramiro Sosa Cuervo Movistar Team |
7:39 |
5 |
Pavel Sivakov INEOS Grenadiers |
12:15 |
6 |
Santiago Buitrago Sánchez Bahrain - Victorious |
12:17 |
7 |
Mauri Vansevenant
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
18:21 |
8 |
Vadim Pronskiy Astana Qazaqstan Team |
22:33 |
9 |
Luca Covili Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè |
24:44 |
10 |
Gijs Leemreize Jumbo-Visma |
25:42 |
24 |
Mauro Schmid
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team |
1:16:32 |
1 | Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux | 163:44:11 |
2 | BORA - hansgrohe | 2:52 |
3 | Bahrain - Victorious | 7:09 |
4 | Trek - Segafredo | 19:32 |
5 | Jumbo-Visma | 19:45 |
6 | INEOS Grenadiers | 25:05 |
7 | Team DSM | 25:21 |
8 | Movistar Team | 26:43 |
9 | Astana Qazaqstan Team | 40:10 |
10 | UAE Team Emirates | 44:52 |