This is a win Pavel Novák won’t soon forget, regardless of what the rest of his career holds. The MBH Bank Ballan CSB rider, unsatisfied with his 11th place in the general classification, launched a long-range attack, going all-in with 85 km to go on the day’s first serious climb. He first bridged across to the early break of 11 riders, then dismantled them one by one on the slopes of Bric San Bernardo, less than 30 km from the line. From there, it was a solo masterpiece all the way to the summit finish at Prato Nevoso, earning him the stage win and a leap into 3rd overall.
Behind him, chaos reigned. Race favorite Jarno Widar (Lotto Development) hit the deck at the base of the Bric San Bernardo climb, wiping out the work his team had done all day. It was a heavy blow, especially with the bunch going full gas in pursuit of the rampaging Novák. Once it became clear there was no coming back, the defending champion folded, finishing over 26 minutes down and watching his dream of a historic Giro Next Gen double vanish.
While the Czech stormed ahead, Adrià Pericas (UAE Team Emirates GenZ) launched the first counterattack, quickly followed by a response from Red Bull–Bora–hansgrohe, who rallied around race leader Luke Tuckwell. The Australian found himself under serious pressure when Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain Victorious Development) – his closest GC rival – and Jørgen Nordhagen (Visma | Lease a Bike) lit up the slopes. The Norwegian, after a relatively quiet first half of the race, was suddenly back in super-talent mode, showing the best legs of the day. He dropped the Maglia Rosa, but luckily for Tuckwell, Omrzel couldn’t match the pace either, finishing just 11 seconds behind the Australian in the overall standings.
With only one stage remaining, Tuckwell holds the Maglia Rosa by 11 seconds over Omrzel, 27 over Novák, and 52 over Filippo Turconi (VF Group–Bardiani CSF–Faizanè), who finished sixth atop Prato Nevoso and confirmed himself as the top Italian, ahead of Lorenzo Finn (Red Bull–Bora–hansgrohe) and Matteo Scalco (VF Group–Bardiani CSF–Faizanè). The race isn’t over yet. Tomorrow’s circuit in Pinerolo promises a battle to the very last meter.
Click here for full results and standings.
