Welcome back to Italy, where the sprinters woke up with a big smile on their faces this morning! Only two stages (not counting the ITT) will be even flatter than today's course, so they surely have big hopes of getting the stage win today!
However, some of them might be quite tired, as they had to make the trip from San Giorgio del Sannio, nearby Naples, to the Adriatic Coast, where today's stage will start in Civitanova Marche. Having an important port, it was a target of Turk pirates in the 15th century; internal combats and plagues contributed to the city's decay - before building new walls, roads and palaces as a sign of renewal. Several of those Palazzi, plus some 15th century walls, are counted among the main sights today.
But the riders won't have time to enjoy neither the monuments nor the beaches - at least not pre-race. Today's course follows the seaside in northern direction for most of the stage, except when by-passing Ancona, and on the final kilometers. But before, we'll have the 4th category KoM sprint of Monte di Bartolo after 103km - which won't be enough to endanger Vakoc' lead - followed by a slightly hilly 25 kilometers.
The riders then will - or will not - compete for sprint points in Rimini, with about 50km left until the finish line. Shortly before this intermediate sprint, the riders will pass Riccione, where the local CT team will surely be cheering them!
Today's arrival location is Forlì, founded by the Romans around 200 BC. Despite having no access to the sea - the Adriatic coast is about 25km away - more than 100,000 people have decided to live here. Today, it's a prosperous agricultural and industrial centre - including the main seat of Ferretti Group, one of the most famous producers of yachts. If that isn't a sign of wealth...
Not much wealth, but a lot of fame will definitely belong to the rider crossing the finish line first here! And of course, the bookmakers see this stage going to the sprinters, as they once more have Demare and Kennaugh on top, this time accompanied by Appollonio, the winner of stage 2. Van Poppel, Eislers and Afewerki are their two-star-bets, while Hsu, Granjel Cabrera, Nizzolo and Aregger get one star each. Which might be a bit optimistic for the latter, as he'll most likely have to work for Maglia Ciclamino Demare.
But beware: the last 7 stages all went to breakaway riders, so the sprinter teams better be prepared to work hard today! But with there being no wind at all - unlike on stage 6 - there's absolutely no excuse for not succeeding today!
It's a slightly cloudy day again, as the riders line up right by the seaside of Civitanova Marche. Brenes apparently makes a statement that he intends to take it easy today, as he's right at the end - not far away from Spilak, though.
But we surely expect some actions from other riders - so let's go!
We're still on the first few meters, but by now everyone wants to get into the breakaway group as fast as possible. The first duo to try are Frison and Jungels.
Followed by Vanbilsen and Van Zandbeek, who definitely don't have any time to enjoy the marvelous view on the sea.
Apparently, attacks only come in pairs today; this time it's Arif Prayogo and yesterday's 3rd van der Poel.
Dillier wants to attack, too but this time Madouas is having none of it. He's actually chasing pretty hard!
Nonetheless, Mullen, Serrano, Sajnok and Gabburo are trying to break free as well. It's not clear whether Leung is attacking or chasing, but given that his sprinter Hsu is on the extended favorites list, it might actually be the second.
Bayly finally closes the gap, so we can restart the race. After only 6km of racing so far, this is.
That's a smart move! Bayly just fooled everyone by catching those escapees, signalling that he would be among the chasers today - but now he's on the go on his own!
Mullen and Luchshenko are the first to react, while Vanbilsen follows a few meters later. Van Zandbeek is on the attack as well, while van der Poel doesn't seem to be able to leave Madouas and the whole pack behind.
We currently have two trios leading: Bayly - Mullen - Luchshenko
Vanbilsen - Van Zandbeek - van der Poel
Let's see if these three vans can catch up with the leaders. In the meantime, Serrano and Sajnok have left behind the pack as well, trying to bridge the gap.
Daniel isn't too happy that his team was unable to send someone up front, so he's now leading the chase. He's followed by Sergis, Madouas and Edet - sprinter teams, of course.
After just a little bit more than 10 kilometers, we start over again... Sergis has just caught the leaders, who had gathered in the meantime.
Let's try again, with some fresh attackers: That's the case for Cosnefroy and Kneisky, whereas Arif Prayogo was already part of the first attempt.
Mullen and Vanbilsen however are clearly recidivists - and so is Daniel who takes control of the pack again.
However, the US-American eventually tires and gives up on the chase, leaving us with 5 riders up front. The two chasers have however not quite caught up with the three leaders yet.
In the peloton, we mainly have the sprinter teams at the front, as expected - but some GC contenders have sent their helpers up front as well. We currently have Hofstede, Madouas, Aranburu, Novikov, Ivars, Roe, Fung, Schönberger, Costagli and Edet lined up.
20 kilometers are done, and the pack currently trails by 1'45".
The breakaway is up to full strength five kilometers later. As always, let's take a look at the group's members:
Vanbilsen has definitely picked the right stage to attack this time, as there are no big obstacles. He is the group's strongest rider on the flat, together with Kneisky. However, the Belgian is the fastest sprinter and has a tremendous stamina; he's pretty much "unkillable" on the flat (and the cobbles, but that doesn't matter that much).
As we already said, Kneisky matches Vanbilsen's skills on the flat, but would need a surprise attack, not being among the strongest sprinters. Given his great fighting spirit, that's always an option!
Mullen and Cosnefroy are slightly weaker flat riders, and the former is the group's weakest sprinter, so he'd definitely need something special to win. Cosnefroy's biggest advantage might be his great resistance, which might allow him to plan a long-range attack.
Arif Prayogo isn't a slouch on the flat, either, but he's still the weakest of this group. His sprint isn't great, so he'll have to think of another plan.
All in all, it's a really strong group, and definitely one that won't be easy to reel in on the flat. But the peloton has only allowed five riders to escape, which should definitely be manageable for them!
GC-wise, no rider of this group is dangerous by any means, with Cosnefroy being the best in 69th place, more than 27 minutes down.
The escapees are about to reach one of the few hilltops to be escaladed today. They can look down on the pack, which is 4'42" behind.
Back on the flat, the peloton has slightly picked up the pace, bringing down the deficit to 4'20". We still have the same teams doing the work - and that isn't very likely to change soon.
With 100km to go, it would be time for a break on this beautiful beach - but the breakaway doesn't really have time for this with the chasing pack breathing down their neck. The gap is melting away and is already down to 3'06" - with today's sole categorized hill coming soon.
The climb up to Monte di Bartolo is very short, but rather steep. However, given that it's one of only very few difficulties today, this shouldn't be a problem for any of the riders.
None of the escapees has any KoM points to his name so far, so three of them will finally make it to the score sheet!
Mullen leads the breakaway into this ascent - which definitely is all but flat. Spilak, Barguil and Haig seem to have some fans around here - just like French legend Poupou, which is a bit surprising to see at the Giro...
Mullen then is launching the sprint for the points from pretty far away, but all the others stay lined up behind him for the moment. Still 1km to go, and the Irishman has been sprinting for at least 500m already.
Meanwhile, the peloton has reached the foot of the hill as well, led by Hofstede. With Niu and Martin in 2nd and 3rd position, there's some firepower leading the pack up this climb!
The gap is still 3'05", let's see how it changes on the next 2.5km.
Mullen has indeed opened a small gap to the others - but is now fading. Can he hold on to take these points?
As most often, the answer is no, as Cosnefroy easily outsprints him to take maximum points.
As we already announced earlier, we now have three new names on the KoM sheet, but it's still a long way to the Maglia Azzurra.
Despite Hofstede being a decent puncheur, the gap has again jumped up by a minute on this hill. Of course, the escapees were sprinting to the top, while the pack wasn't - but it's another minute to make up for.
Dewulf was the only rider to be left behind on this hill, but he re-joins on the undulating section that follows the hilltop.
The bunch has upped the pace again, having already reduced the gap to 3'16" within the following few kilometers. 77km to go.
But the gap is continuing to melt away Sotto il sole di Riccione (under the Riccione sun), which is exactly where the escapees are now. Can you spot some jerseys of the CT team? At least, there are quite many people here to cheer for the riders!
As the pack is about to leave Riccione, heading for the intermediate sprint in Rimini, the deficit is down to 2'34". We can see all the top sprinters in the front positions now - although it will be too late now to catch the breakaway before the sprint.
Which is confirmed right now, as the breakaway reaches this point. Kneisky happens to cross the line first.
Niu leads the peloton across the line 2'12" later. The GC contenders' teams are gone, Team Puma - SAP, eBuddy and Air France - KLM have taken control now.
45 kilometers remaining.
A few meters ahead of the 20km banner, Vanbilsen is feeling that the pack has come too close and tries to go solo! Kneisky tries to respond, but he first had to pass the whole group!
Kneisky has caught up with Vanbilsen, meaning that the two strongest flat powerhorses are now up front!
Arif Prayogo, Mullen and Cosnefroy trail by 11", while the pack is 56" behind. 17km to go.
Once Kneisky and Vanbilsen are caught, it's Cosnefroy trying to get clear! We said it, his resistance allows him to go solo from quite far away - can he do it?
Well, no. Under the 10km arc, the group is back together, with the peloton still trailing by 30 seconds. But it doesn't look great for the escapees, to be honest...
However, five kilometers later, they are still up front! Majka is now pushing really hard, having reduced the gap to 16" - does any of the attackers have enough left to resist now?
3 kilometers to go - and Demare seems to be already running out of helpers! Niu has now taken the lead, but it's a long way to go! What is especially strange is that his designated leadout Aregger currently is at the very end of the pack!
Most other sprinters are in a good position, too. Appollonio has Demare's wheel, while Boswell and Van der Kooij are leading out Van Poppel. This train is followed by Contreras, Meyer, Nizzolo, Granjel Cabrera, Hsu and Goss.
Afewerki, Eislers and Cullaigh are a bit further back. But Air France seem to have completely messed up with their leadout, as we have Bystrom, Paez and Major well lined up, but Kennaugh is nowhere near them - way to go!
The escapees still hold a tiny gap - but that can't be enough, can it?
No, it's over for them now, as the sprinter teams have taken command with 2 kilometers left. It's still very early for Van der Kooij to lead out Van Poppel - but Demare is already in the wind, so that's even worse!
Meyer and Granjel Cabrera have lined up behind Van Poppel, whereas Appollonio and Contreras have chosen Demare's slipstream.
Paez and Major are still pushing hard, with Kennaugh now closing in on them. How much energy will he have left after that failed sprint preparation?
Goss, Eislers, Nizzolo, Hsu and Cullaigh have missed that move and now need to close the gap first! Afewerki once again doesn't seem to be in contention.
Kennaugh has finally caught up with Major - who however seems to be tiring now with 1.2km to go! That definitely wasn't optimal!
Let's take a look at the current situation, which has become somewhat clearer with those 16 men breaking free:
Major
Kennaugh
Van Poppel
Meyer
Granjel Cabrera
Van der Kooij
Zhao
Demare
Appollonio
Contreras
Hsu
Paez
Cullaigh
Goss
Eislers
Nizzolo
Demare made a pretty smart move, as he just took another sprinter's wheel when his train broke apart. That would indeed have been way too long to sprint all the way!
We're on the final kilometer, and Major is already done. Van Poppel now is up front - but that's a very long way to go! Let's again take a look at the current situation:
Van Poppel
Kennaugh
Meyer
Major
Granjel Cabrera
Zhao
Demare
Appollonio
Contreras
Van der Kooij
Hsu
Cullaigh
Goss
Eislers
Nizzolo
Paez
It's going to be a very long sprint for those who are already up front - will they pull it through?
No, they won't, as Kennaugh and Van Poppel have already lost several positions. With 700m to go, Demare has hit the front, with Appollonio being his closest rival.
Contreras, Meyer and Van Poppel are behind, followed by Hsu, Granjel Cabrera, Zhao and Kennaugh one line further back.
Goss and Cullaigh follow, with Major still there as well - but clearly not sprinting any more. Eislers is next to him, but not visible in this picture.
Nizzolo has the longest way to the front, let's see how much he can move up!
500 meters left, as Demare is still up front, while Appollonio holds on to 2nd. But Contreras seems to be flying, as he approaches the front quickly, followed by Eislers!
Van Poppel comes next, in 5th position. Hsu and Meyer are next, followed by Granjel Cabrera, Zhao and Kennaugh.
Nizzolo has almost caught up with Goss and left behind Cullaigh, while Major has finally dropped out of the Top 10.
Contreras hits the front with just 300m remaining, and Eislers has come really close as well, both having overtaken Demare! Appollonio still has about the same gap to the Frenchman.
Behind, it's a hard fight for 5th, with Hsu currently having the best position. Van Poppel, Meyer, Granjel Cabrera, Zhao and Kennaugh are all in the mix, with Goss, Nizzolo and Cullaigh being one row further back - still together with Major.
Van der Kooij, Paez and Niu are in between the sprinters and the pack, let's see what that will mean in terms of gaps today!
Just 200m to the line, and this seems to be between Contreras and Eislers! Demare holds on to 3rd, but doesn't seem to have much more left after this very long sprint!
Appollonio still sits pretty safely in 4th, even closing in a little on that 3rd place.
Behind, the situation hasn't really changed, except for Goss now accelerating - and Major having found his sprinting legs again!
100m left, and Eislers is coming closer and closer! Contreras is still holding on to his lead - can he make it two in a row for ISA - Hexacta?
Demare has definitely slowed down a little, with Appollonio now being a real danger for this last podium spot!
And it will be a very close race for 5th, with all those behind still in the mix!
Emiliano Contreras wins stage 10 of the 2020 Giro d'Italia! His team was nowhere to be seen during the whole stage, and the Argentinean wasn't even among the pre-stage favorites - but he played it very well! Congratulations to yet another first-time GT stage winner!
2nd place is definitely a good result for Ingus Eislers as well, but when you're that close, it surely hurts missing out on the win! Nonetheless, well done!
The final podium spot is then defended by Arnaud Demare against Davide Appollonio - surely another consistent result, but for the first time since stage two he actually had the opportunity to fight for the sttage win and not just for being best of the pack - but it didn't work out. They'll definitely need to reconsider the leadout work!
So, the first four spots are taken - now who will take 5th?
It's Hsuan Ping Hsu, narrowly edging out Giacomo Nizzolo, who was incredibly strong on the final 200 meters! A shame he didn't have a better starting position!
The fight for 7th seems to be a duel between Van Poppel and Kennaugh, but it's so close that Meyer, Granjel Cabrera or Zhao could still take it with a very strong final push!
Danny Van Poppel takes that 7th place, while Raul Granjel Cabrera indeed had some very strong final meters and nips Peter Kennaugh at the line! It's a rather disappointing result for both, but especially for the latter, whose team messed up with their sprint preparations even worse than Demare's team!
The final spot in the Top 10 goes to Cameron Meyer, who's just inches ahead of Jingbiao Zhao.
Matthew Goss, Gabriel Cullaigh and Jay Major take 12th to 14th, which must be a big disappointment as well for the former.
But where's actually the peloton? And what about gaps today?
Bas Van der Kooij crosses the line right ahead of the fastest sprinter from the pack - which finally is Maglia Rosa Kamil Malecki, who outsprinted Elias Afewerki on the final meters! But despite this "win", there are no more points for 16th place.
Ivan Garcia Cortina, Andres Paez and Hugo Hofstetter complete today's Top 20. The peloton - starting with Van der Kooij - finally gets a time gap of 33 seconds to the sprinters ahead - of whom nobody is seriously in GC contention, so that is negligible today.
So, the curse is finally broken - the peloton has caught the brekaway after not succeeding seven days in a row! Which is great news especially for ISA - Hexacta, as they had the strongest - and smartest - sprinter today, who will appear on the podium in a few instants!
Ladies and gentlemen, please applaud Emiliano Contreras! The Argentinean probably had the best legs today, as he had to do a long sprint like some others - but he kept his pace up until the line!
Ingus Eislers was faster on the closing meters, but he ran out of road - nonetheless, it's a good result for him as well! And Arnaud Demare demonstrated today that he can get a podium spot even if pretty much everything goes wrong - which surely brings him one step closer to winning the Maglia Ciclamino!
One thing that's remarkable: All the way since stage two, all stage winners did so for the first time in a GT. Only Viviani and Teklehaimanot, who won stage one with their team King Power, already had a GT stage win to their name (the former won stage 18 in the 2013 Giro, the latter stage 14 in the 2014 Tour de France). Will we finally see a "known" winner tomorrow, or will the streak of maiden GT stage winners go on?
Even though Kamil Malecki lost 33" to the sprinters today, he easily defends his Maglia Rosa, even being the fastest from the peloton! He still has his 10'34" advantage on Kristaps Budenieks, while Christian Mager trails by 11'02".
We have no changes as well in the U25 standings, where Kamil Malecki leads 10'34" ahead of Kristaps Budenieks, just as in the GC. Egan Bernal is 3rd, 17'35" back.
Tomorrow will be a tougher stage, with the biggest difficulties in the first half - if he can hold on across these hills, he should be good for keeping the jersey(s) some more days!
Arnaud Demare probably looks happier on this picture than he actually is. A 3rd place cannot be enough for him, who has already shown twice that he can win the sprint from the bunch - unfortunately for him, there were always escapees further ahead...
Nonetheless, he has clearly extended his lead, totalling now 102 points and leading 26 points ahead of stage winner Emiliano Contreras. Kamil Malecki still sits in 3rd place, still with 72 points.
But maybe Demare can finally turn his strength in the hills into a stage win tomorrow? Only two hilly stages are left, so he'd better start winning quickly! It might be crucial for winning the Maglia Ciclamino.
With only a 4th category KoM sprint on the menu, Petr Vakoc never was in danger of losing the Maglia Azzurra today. Tomorrow, a maximum of 17 points can be won - so he should mainly beware of the quartet who sits in joint 2nd place - Kamil Malecki, Kristaps Budenieks, Ian Boswell and Joey Rosskopf. Roman and Bizkarra are the other two who could possibly steal him the jersey.
It was a calm stage for Gazelle, who easily defended the Maglia Rosa and the lead in the team standings. They lost 33" to the teams who had a sprinter up front, and even 1'06" to Air France - who aren't in contention for the first spots, however.
We still have Team Puma - SAP in 2nd place, now 9'55" back, followed by eBuddy, trailing by 1'17".
That's it from stage 10! We finally had a breakaway not succeeding - which is bad for them, of course, but it was great to have a bunch sprint today nonetheless! Tomorrow, we'll have the mid-race-stage - and it's one the less punchy riders will be dreading, with five tough hills in the first half of the race. Will the GC contenders - at least those who are strong on the hills - finally try something? Can Malecki keep up on this hard course? We'll find it out!
Giro d'Italia 
