27 May 2021
Safe passage ahead of mountain tests
Related riders
Egan Bernal
Giro d'Italia stage 18: Rovereto › Stradella, 231km
Egan Bernal and the INEOS Grenadiers set themselves up for a pivotal weekend at the Giro d'Italia with a controlled performance on stage 18.
Following an early flurry of attacks to earn a place in the breakaway, the Grenadiers calmed the bunch and managed the pace on the race's longest stage.
Filippo Ganna and Salvatore Puccio put in the majority of the work on the front of the peloton in order to allow the Grenadiers' climbing support to stay in their wheels and recover from stage 17's exertions.
Ahead, Alberto Bettiol took the stage victory from the break as the peloton rolled in 20 minutes down on the leaders ahead of two key mountain stages and the final stage time trial in Milan.
Following an early flurry of attacks to earn a place in the breakaway, the Grenadiers calmed the bunch and managed the pace on the race's longest stage.
Filippo Ganna and Salvatore Puccio put in the majority of the work on the front of the peloton in order to allow the Grenadiers' climbing support to stay in their wheels and recover from stage 17's exertions.
Ahead, Alberto Bettiol took the stage victory from the break as the peloton rolled in 20 minutes down on the leaders ahead of two key mountain stages and the final stage time trial in Milan.
Reaction
Egan Bernal
Egan Bernal
“I hope I’ve recovered well, I felt much better than yesterday on the bike and I hope tomorrow will be another good day. Today was really fast at times, but I was in the wheels so it was a bit easier behind all the time.
“I am trying to do my best, you can’t be overconfident because yesterday and in the past we’ve seen that with just one day you can lose everything. I have a lot of respect for the other guys, I need to be focused and try to do my best and that’s it.”
