At the age of 22, Georg Steinhauser achieved his first Grand Tour success with panache. A tour de force throughout the 159 km route, complete with five passes and in rainy and cool weather. Sliding among the escapees from the first kilometers of this 17th mountainous stage leading to Passo Brocon (1610 m altitude), a ski resort in northeastern Italy, the young German from the American team EF Education-EasyPost became isolated 34 km from the finish while the peloton had caught up with the leaders. He never weakened, maintaining a 1′23″ lead over Tadej Pogacar on the line. “I hope this is the start of a great career,” smiled the winner, who happens to be the nephew of former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich.
The pink jersey calmly controlled the race. With more than 7 minutes ahead of his runner-up in the general classification Daniel Felipe Martinez and his five stage successes in his bag, the Slovenian just wanted to stay warm, without unnecessarily drawing on his reserves five weeks before the Tour de France. He simply accelerated 2 km from the goal, leaving his main rivals, including Romain Bardet, by a few seconds, almost without wanting to. Easy.
Julian Alaphilippe hosted the stage
With his red bib for the most combative runner won the day before, Julian Alaphilippe, who had nevertheless hinted on the starting line that he would not move during this new mountain stage marked by rain, once again distinguished himself . Active at the head of the peloton from the first pedal strokes, the double world champion (2020, 2021) who has already succeeded in his Giro by winning the twelfth stage, his first on the Tour of Italy, last Thursday, has once again livened up the day’s escape.
After 80 km at the head of the race, he pulled away 60 km from the finish when the peloton returned under the leadership of Romain Bardet’s teammates. The Frenchman from the DSM, more at ease than the day before, however, did not go on the attack, finishing with the leaders.
