Giro d'Italia stage 8. Plapp takes stage, Ulissi slips on pink.
Young Australian from Jayco-AlUla scores his first World Tour victory.
Twenty-four year old Luke Plapp played his card like a cagy veteran, beating a select group of top riders to take a solo victory.
It was a full-gas day from Giulianova to Castelraimondo, with everyone and his brother trying to establish a breakaway. After a number of attempts, a group of roughly twelve to sixteen riders finally snapped the elastic.
They weren’t ever coming back. Primoz Roglic and his Bora squad had one simple goal for the day: Donate the jersey to somebody else so the Slovenian could skip the obligations of wearing pink. (The sports science is clear: too many interviews takes the snap out of your legs.)
The attacks kept coming as the leaders hit the biggest climb of the day - the first category Sassotetto, a 13 kilometer brute with gradients averaging over 7%. Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS-Astana) and Frenchman Romain Bardet (Picnic PostNL) were first over the top and tried to extend their advantage on the long decent.
However, the break came back together until the third category Montelago climb (5.5km at 6.9%). Diego Ulissi (XDS-Astana) and Wilco Kelderman (Jumbo Visma / Lease A Bike) lit their fireworks and launched ahead. Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) , Georg Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost) and Plapp then clawed their way back up to join the duo.
It was a tactical game of cat and mouse and pink jersey calculations. As the stage progressed, Diego Ulissi and his younger teammate Fortunato swapped the virtual pink jersey back and forth The veteran, riding his last Giro, dreamed of wearing the maglia rosa the next day in his home region of Tuscany.
Meanwhile Plapp was about to make his own bid for glory. Near the top of the Montelago, he went hard out of the saddle and instantly got a gap. He still had 45 kilometers to ride but as he later told journalists, he couldn’t beat anyone in a sprint so best to go early. Kelderman, Arrieta and Ulissi were unable to shrink that lead which soon ballooned to over a minute. They would never see his bright purple jersey again.
Plapp took his first World Tour victory in dramatic style. "It's pretty crazy. I still can't believe it to be honest,” he said. “I feel like it's been a long time coming, always targeting the Aussie summer and just never been able to make a result happen in Europe. Last year I got so close at the Giro so many times and for today to happen is so so special.”
It wasn’t the only lifetime dream to come true. Diego Ulissi took over the jersey from Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) by 17 seconds. Upon hearing that confirmation, he let out a roar of pure joy.
“I had to try to get into the right breakaway, said Ulissi. “We thought today could be the day, and I must say all my teammates did an amazing job. Plapp was superior today and deserved the win, but I’m really happy with how it all went.”
The image of Ulissi kissing his pink jersey was truly moving for all cycling fans. “I’m not someone who gets very emotional, but when I saw the pink jersey with XDS Astana logo, I got excited. I admit it. I’m almost 36 years old, and in moments like this, you reflect on your whole career. And I’ve had a beautiful career, I’ve had great satisfaction, and I’ve come through difficult times.”
Stage
1. Luke Plapp (Aus) Jayco-AlUla, in 4:44:20
2. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike, +38s
3. Diego Ulissi (Ita) XDS-Astana, +38s
4. Igor Arrieta (Spa) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +1:22
5. Nicolas Prohomme (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R, +1:35
6. Andrea Vendrame (Ita) Decathlon-AG2R, +1:48
7. Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) XDS-Astana, +1:48
8. Georg Steinhauser (Ger) EF Education-EasyPost, +2:59
9. Romain Bardet (Fra) Picnic PostNL, +3:02
10. Alessio Martinelli (Ita) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè, +4:37
General Classification
1. Diego Ulissi (Ita) XDS-Astana, in 29:21:23
2. Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) XDS-Astana, +12s
3. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +17s
4. Juan Ayuso (Spa) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +20s
5. Isaac Del Toro (Mex) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +26s
6. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious, +44s
7. Max Poole (GBr) Picnic PostNL, +47s
8. Michael Storer (Aus) Tudor Pro Cycling, +50s
9. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +51s
10. Simon Yates (GBr) Visma-Lease a Bike, +56s
A scream from Ullisi as he learns the news he has pink and will ride in the leaders jersey in his home region of Tuscany?
First Italian leader in 4 years.
On the limit, full gas,
A select group with top riders like Kelderman, Ullisi, Arrieta.
A real fast start. quality riders — he sayid, Man I’m cruising
Wilco Kelderman (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Diego Ulissi (XDS-Astana), who finished second and third on the day. The veteran Italian began the stage 4:01 behind pink jersey Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)
"It's pretty crazy. I still can't believe it to be honest. I feel like it's been a long time coming, always targeting the Aussie summer and just never been able to make a result happen in Europe. Last year I got so close at the Giro so many times and for today to happen is so so special," Plapp said.
"We marked it as a stage for a few weeks now and then this morning on the bus we were really really excited so to make it happen is a dream come true."
biggest climb of the day - the first category Sassotetto (13.1km 7.30wrld
A group of seven with Vendrame, Steinhause, Plapp, Bardet, Kelderman, Arrieta and Ulissi split off from the rest of the break. On the approach to the third category Montelago climb (5.5km @ 6.9%), their advantage over the others grew above a minute.
Ulissi and Kelderman attacked at the foot of Montelago. The difficulty of the day began to tell up front as the riders spread all over the climb. Arrieta made his way up to the leaders, with Steinhauser and Plapp close behind on the steepest pitches.