Bongiorno da Melide, Ticino! Welcome to Switzerland for the start of the 18th stage of the 2020 Giro d'Italia! From Lugano, we have moved South a few kilometers, to Melide. This small village is best known for Swissminiature, an open-air museum containing over 120 famous buildings and monuments of Switzerland in 1:25,000 scale, as well as some model railways, ships or mountain railways. Moreover, the Melide causeway across Lake Lugano is an important connection between the Southern section of Ticino an the rest of Switzerland, being both a railway and motorway bridge.
From the start, we'll first go back to Lugano before heading West, as we can't really ride through the lake. The riders will however follow the shores of Lake Lugano until its southmost point in Porto Ceresio, thereby crossing the Swiss-Italian border in Ponte Tresa.
The first part of the stage is slightly undulating, as we head south to the Lago di Varese. We then continue our "Four-lakes tour", coasting the Lago di Comabbio before finally crossing the Ticino river in Sesto Calende, reaching the shores of Lago Maggiore, after about 60 kilometers.
From there, the roads will be really flat for about 45 kilometers, and the intermediate sprint in Baveno, after 89.7km, was also placed on this section. The (uncategorized) hill climb from Fondotoce to Bieno with slightly more than 60 kilometers to go should then wake up the riders, as the most important part of the stage is about to start.
The riders will descend to the outskirts of Verbania, today's arrival location, and will ride along the shores of Lake Maggiore until they reach Cannero Riviera. Let's hope that everyone is awake by then, as from there starts today's sole categorized climb - the 1st category ascent to Monte Ologno!
However, even after reaching the KoM sprint with only 32.2 kilometers to go, the climbing isn't done, as after a short descent, we'll go further up to Piancavallo, the highest point of the stage. Only about 25 kilometers will be left from there!
The final downhill to the finish line is interrupted by another short counterslope - which may invite for a decisive attack, as it's just 15km of descending to the line from there!
As we already said, that finish line will be in Verbania, home to about 30,000 people. The Lake Maggiore massacres of World War II are among the darkest chapters of the city, and a memorial in Fondotoce still testifies to this crime. On a more positive note, several churches and palaces can be seen here, as well as a botanical garden - and the shores of Lake Maggiore always invite to take a refreshing bath!
We'll see in a few hours who will take a bath in champagne, and who will rather be drowning on that tough climb! Two days ago, Maglia Rosa Malecki delivered his masterpiece by keeping up with the best climbers on the Mortirolo - so the Monte Ologno should be a walk in the park for him, right?
Well, we surely hope that we'll see much more moves than on stage 16 - in which case the Pole might really get into troubles! But he's suprised us so often by now - why not today? He's surely not on the favorites list - but who knows, if he can keep up until Piancavallo, anyone could win this one!
The bookmakers however go the safe way, naming the strongest climbers on their list. Taaramäe, Spilak and Kritskiy come out on top once again. Great downhiller Barguil, Shikai and Reis are next - we'll see if the Portuguese has finally found his legs! Amador, Schleck and Bongiorno haven't done great things so far, either, while Haig is still in the fight for the overall podium - a stage win would definitely be a great bonus for him!
But will they really do more than what we've seen so far? Especially those who want to move up a few positions absolutely need to take some risk soon - why not today? Else, it's highly probable that a breakaway will take this stage once again - and with the gaps in the GC already quite large, we can again expect a few big names to be on the move early on!
The riders are lined up at the foot of Monte San Salvatore - which they won't have to climb, though. The mountain to their left, the lake to their right - let's go!
However, it takes until we reach a small hill in Lugano to see the first wave of attacks, led by Sakalou. Maglia Azzurra Roman was very attentive and is right behind, followed by Ji and Laengen.
Izagirre is trying to finally get a notable result in this Giro, taking Kozhatayev and Sergis with him.
Next is Iturria, while Vosekalns is trying to make it three Evonik - ELKO riders up front! Wirtgen is attacking once more as well!
Of course, if Wirtgen goes clear, Bernal has to do so, too - as they are 2nd and 3rd in the U25 standings. Bizkarra is the third Isostar - Specialized rider on the attack.
It still isn't over, as Teklehaimanot breaks away! Kennaugh, another familiar attacker, is trying to catch up.
At the end of the short descent, Gillett is the next to try his luck. No response from the peloton so far.
The front riders are already more than two minutes ahead, as Crncevic, Budenieks and Costagli decide they're still close enough to have a chance of bridging the gap.
Abreu seems to be inspired by their attack, trying on his own as well.
So far, no serious threat for Roman's KoM jersey has attacked - which Carapaz is trying to change now. McKenna takes his wheel.
The pack still doesn't seem to really care. Nizzolo is leading, but definitely not pushing hard. The gap to the front of the race has outgrown the 3 minutes mark by now.
Even the latest attackers eventually make it to the leading group. With an advantage of almost 5 minutes, it's probably safe to speak of the Breakaway of the Day now.
Once again, we have some strong climbers up front, led by Carapaz. Ji and Kennaugh can almost match his climbing skills, with Vosekalns not far off, either. The latter furthermore has the huge advantage of having three teammates with him - all of which are decent to good climbers, too.
Roman will surely try to extend his lead in the KoM standings - or at least hold on to his jersey. Furthermore, we might see him attacking on the final downhill, being the strongest rider of the group on negative slopes.
Teklehaimanot, Iturria, Kozhatayev, Kennaugh - all of them are strong climbers as well. None of the group's riders can however be classified as "weak" on the uphills, making for a wide open race.
If we should have a sprint on the last kilometer - which is relatively flat again - Budenieks looks to be the fastest - but Roman or McKenna might make up for a slightly lower top speed with their good acceleration. But as always on such stages, it would mainly come down to good positioning!
First of all, they have to make it, of course - and then, it's all but granted that all of them survive the climb(s)!
GC-wise, this breakaway could be interesting mainly for Kennaugh and Bernal, who are 17th and 20th - and with the current gap have already moved up to 10th and 13th respectively. Furthermore, we have 2nd to 4th ( Bernal, Wirtgen and Budenieks) of the U25 standings in this group.
But just as interesting will be the duel Roman vs. Carapaz on Monte Ologno - if they make it until there. The Serb currently is 8 points ahead of the Ecuadorian - with 16 points on offer, it could well go both ways!
Last but not least, here's an overview of these 21 riders:
Vosekalns
Sakalou
Sergis
Budenieks
Roman
Kozhatayev
Bizkarra
Iturria
Laengen
Gillett
Kennaugh
Crncevic
Bernal
Izagirre
Carapaz
Ji
Costagli
Teklehaimanot
Wirtgen
McKenna
Abreu
Generali are doing most of the chasing work so far - Spilak and/or Talansky have to feel good today! Leung and Fominykh are close to the front - too; will they chase down their own teammates? At least in the latter's case, it might be understandable, as they have one of the weakest riders up front.
Their deficit isn't really changing, however; it's been hovering around 5 minutes for some kilometers now.
The leaders have just left behind Varese, riding by the shores of the correspondent lake for a few kilometers. About half of the riders up front don't do any work: Sergis, Budenieks, Vosekalns, Kozhatayev, Roman, Izagirre, Laengen, Iturria and Kennaugh, who all have a teammate taking turns however.
They can't extend their lead anymore, but don't lose time, either. 4'50" is the latest information we have.
The pack has reached the third out of four different lakes today, Lago di Comabbio. Just a few kilometers until we get to the southmost point of today's stage. But with pretty much no wind today, the direction doesn't really matter.
Rosskopf and Fernandes are leading the pack, but not really the chase, being still 4'53" behind the breakaway. It's a still a long way to go, though.
"Leading" is the right word, as Carapaz leads the escapees over the line at the intermediate sprint, by the shores of the Lago Maggiore. The riders currently are in Baveno, just vis-Ã -vis of today's arrival location Verbania. They still have 25km to go until their first passage over there.
Here's the full points distribution at the intermediate sprint:
The pack has definitely picked up the pace, reducing the deficit to 3'44" by this point. It looks like they finally do care about a stage win! And especially Generali seem to be willing to work a lot to get at least a third straight stage podium.
Gillett leads the front group into the climb from Fondotoce to Bieno. With maximum gradients of 7%, it's not a big deal - but more of a wake-up call, as we said pre-stage.
Still, it's a great opportunity to further cut down the breakaway's lead - and Ludvigsson is surely a good choice to do so. 3'18" remaining as the pack enters this ascent.
We don't know why or how, but Rajapakshage indeed manages to lose touch on this short hill. We didn't get a notice about a technical problem, so he just has to be on a very bad day.
Gillett leads the group all the way to the hilltop. They'll now descend to Verbania, while the climb to Monte Ologno starts in about 20 kilometers.
The peloton hasn't been pushing too hard on this incline, just reducing their deficit by 15 seconds. Most of the top climbers are already well positioned, knowing what awaits them in about half an hour.
Ouch, that hurts! Just as the pack picks up the pace again on the descent, Kruijswijk punctures! Will he be able to re-join?
The leaders have arrived in Verbania, taking the same final meters of the descent that will lead them to the finish line 55 kilometers later. They have to turn left for now, though, entering that additional lap which contains all the fun of today's stage!
13km to the foot of Monte Ologno.
While the riders are on the flat roads along the lakeside, let's take a look at what awaits them in a few moments. Especially the start of the climb isn't much easier than the Mortirolo was two days ago. It's still slightly shorter and below 10% of average gradients, but with more than 10km in length it provides a great opportunity for an attack! Be it in the breakaway or back in the pack - if those groups stay apart, that is!
The climb is on for the breakaway! Gillett leads them into the first slopes that are already quite steep - and will reach up to 11% eventually!
The peloton - which Kruijswijk has just caught up with a kilometer ago - follows about 3 minutes later, led by Castrillo. Not the greatest climber, he probably won't keep the lead for a long time, as Rosskopf is already there to take over!
Two kilometers of climbing done, as it's Pruus taking command. The escapees' advantage is already down to 2'21" - let's see if they can reach the top ahead of the top climbers from the pack!
Of course, the pretty high pace in the bunch almost instantly drops the first riders. Haugard is among them, just like Reus and yesterday's runner-up Gamper.
Then it's time for the sprinters to say goodbye to the pack. So we have pretty well-known riders back here - but none that we would expect further ahead in the mountains. Except maybe for Kruijswijk - who just seems to have spent too much energy trying to close the gap after his puncture. Bad luck for sure!
Sakalou is now leading the breakaway, as the peloton is already well within sight! Only 1'29" remain of the 3-minute gap four kilometers ago - that went fast! When will we see the first attacks?
Not yet, as Aker - MOT still have three helpers keeping up the pace for Taaramäe: Pruus, Aranburu and Quintana. No attacks either in the front group, which sees the gap go down to one minute now!
More and more riders are dropped, leaving just 83 men in the peloton right now. The most notable name is Ludvigsson, though, so no GC rider has shown any weakness so far.
Bizkarra is the first rider shed by the breakaway - no surprise, as he's done a lot of work today! Still no attack - but that's pretty difficult when the strongest clibmer in Carapaz is pulling the group!
All of Taaramäe's helpers have tired by now - and the pace has dropped once again! This would be a perfect opportunity to attack - but no! So it's Van Niekerk who sets a steady yet rather slow pace - which is still enough to catch Bizkarra.
However, the breakaway's advantage has jumped up by a minute already - where are the top climbers???
Nothing happens until we're 1.3km from the top - and it's obviously Carapaz launching the attack for the KoM points! If he arrives first on top, Roman needs to take at least 3rd to still have the exclusive lead!
Meanwhile, Budenieks, Gillett and Crncevic have been dropped - bad news for the Latvian's U25 ambitions!
Carapaz indeed manages to break free from the group - but he still has Wirtgen and Roman with him! Definitely not the scenario he was hoping for, as he can't take the KoM lead in this constellation - he has to hope to finally drop the Serb!
But that doesn't happen, as he even barely holds on to take maximum points on top. He still does it, reducing his deficit to 2 points, as we'll see later.
This trio now has quite a considerable gap, and they even have a great downhiller with them in Roman - can they pull it through all the way?
Iturria and Costagli are next to arrive on top, followed by Kennaugh. They already have a 43" gap to the leading trio!
Let's take a look at the full points distribution on top of Monte Ologno:
Roman holds onto the Maglia Azzurra, but only 2 points ahead of Carapaz! We'll surely have a great duel between them on the next two stages!
Wirtgen moves up to 7th and should not be ruled out, given the good performances on the last few days!
At the group's tail, McKenna is heavily struggling now!
Roman attacks! The Serb uses his superb downhill skills to create a gap between himself and the duo Carapaz - Wirtgen! Can he go all the way to the line?
When starting the last part of the climb, Roman still has a lead of a few seconds on Carapaz and Wirtgen - but these chasers don't seem to be too worried yet. There are maximum slopes of 10% right ahead - spending too much energy can cost dear on such ascents!
Meanwhile, the peloton finally, finally arrives on top of Monte Ologno. Want to guess their deficit? I'll tell you: 4'35"!!! They had again cut that gap down to under a minute - just to chill during the rest of the climb!
Well, there are some happy men up front, who surely won't complain, as they're very likely fighting out the stage win once again.
And the happiest man on earth should be Malecki anyway, as he never was in danger of losing contact on that climb. Another mountain checked off his to-do list...
Well, that attack didn't stick. Roman, Carapaz and Wirtgen are all caught again by the chasing group - leaving 15 riders up front:
Vosekalns
Sakalou
Iturria
Laengen
Roman
Kozhatayev
Bernal
Izagirre
Carapaz
Costagli
Ji
Kennaugh
Teklehaimanot
Wirtgen
Abreu
Which means that McKenna and Sergis were dropped over the top of Monte Ologno and are still desperately trying to catch up again! We're in the 10% section now - does someone have enough left to launch a decisive attack here?
Well, with Carapaz leading, it's hard to go faster and break away, so the group reaches the top of the stage still with a headcount of 15. Sergis and McKenna are already 1'46" behind - they will have to hope for the leaders to not push too hard on the downhill!
Just as the peloton heads into those steep slopes, Taaramäe finally decides it's time to go! Can anyone counter the Estonian's strong push?
Taaramäe still has a slight advantage - but over the hilltop, we see Spilak, Kirsch and Barguil trying to break free as well! Kritskiy had led the pack - can he now go along with this attack?
Yes, he can! And so, Taaramäe now leads 14" ahead of a chasing quartet consisting of Spilak, Barguil, Kritskiy and Kirsch!
However, they're just 17" ahead of the peloton - where Malecki is still sitting comfortably in the middle.
It's Bongiorno leading the chase, ahead of Schir, who for once was able to keep up. With that many riders still in the pack, it's pretty likely that the attacks won't lead anywhere - but we'll see!
No attacks on the descent so far, as Kennaugh leads the group onto the final 20 kilomters of the stage!
Despite the attacks from the peloton, they still have a three-minute advantage - with pretty much just descending roads left. The last short (but rather flat) ascent will be upon them in a kilomter - last realistic chance for those who don't fancy a sprint lottery!
Taaramäe still looks determined to pull through, but the chasers are getting closer and closer. He has overtaken all left-behind breakaway riders bar McKenna and Sergis so far, so there are 17 riders remaining ahead of the pack.
The breakaway tackles this last uphill section of the day - let's see what happens!
Further behind, it's Carboni reeling in the quartet of Spilak, Barguil, Kritskiy and Kirsch. Taaramäe doesn't seem to be going full gas anymore, either, seeing that his attempt is doomed.
No attacks whatsoever on this last incline - 15.5 kilometers to go! Will someone still try his luck on the descent, or are they already starting the sprint preparations?
Taaramäe has just caught Sergis and McKenna - and at the same time is pretty much caught himself. But there are still a few seconds between him and Barguil - will he accelerate again?
10 kilometers to go for the escapees, with Kozhatayev leading them on the downhill. Roman is sitting in third to last position - saving energy or preparing a late attack?
The peloton flies by this point 3'08" later - being definitely out of contention for the stage win. That's yet another steep climb wasted to improve on their GC positions - but well, we don't make their strategies, do we?
By the way, Taaramäe has been reeled in - alone against 60 was a hopeless undertaking, and he finally realized that.
Carapaz leads the breakaway onto the final five kilometers. We'll have some twisty roads now - let's hope they're still attentive enough to tackle those turns well!
With three kilometers to go, Carapaz still leads! Which isn't even necessarily a bad position, given the next few turns!
Teklehaimanot is in 2nd position, followed by Wirtgen and Bernal. For those towards the end, it will be hard to come up front in time!
Only two kilomters remaining, as they leave behind the mountain roads! The incline is still slightly negative, which will surely make for a very fast finale!
And Carapaz is still in first position under the Fiamma Rossa! Being a non-sprinter, maybe he just hopes to stay there for as long as possible, as this might be his only chance for a good stage result! The order behind him is:
Teklehaimanot Wirtgen Bernal Laengen Kennaugh Ji Abreu Costagli Iturria Kozhatayev Roman Sakalou Izagirre
Vosekalns even has left a small gap - he doesn't seem to fancy his chances at all!
600m to go! Due to that final turn, the order hasn't changed so far - but now they will launch their sprints! Given the short distance remaining, those with a good acceleration should have the best chances - if their position isn't too bad already!
Carapaz is clearly fading already, with 400m to go - while Teklehaimanot is about to pass the Ecuadorian! Wirtgen and Bernal are fighting for 3rd, with a slight advantage for the Colombian!
Laengen has got a free road ahead as well, while Kennaugh might struggle to pass the Norwegian!
Wirtgen now with a very strong acceleration, catching up with Teklehaimanot! Carapaz is still resisting, though, leading the race with 300m to go!
Bernal is struggling to keep up with those up front, while Laengen, Kennaugh and Ji don't seem to be able to go faster, either.
And at the end of the group, Vosekalns and Sakalou aren't even sprinting at all! What's that strange attitude about?
With 200m left, Wirtgen has taken the lead! Carapaz has even dropped behind Teklehaimanot, with Bernal almost level with him, too!
Laengen is able to more or less keep up with the Top 4, while Kennaugh doesn't seem to have enough left in the tank!
100 meters later, Wirtgen has slightly extended the lead on Teklehaimanot, with Carapaz and Bernal now neck-and-neck! Laengen is trying, but he doesn't quite manage to draw level with Bernal!
Only 50m to the line - can anyone still stop Wirtgen? Teklehaimanot holds about the same gap, but he doesn't seem to be able to strike back, either!
Bernal now has a slight edge over Carapaz - who even needs to hurry up to stay ahead of Laengen! Kennaugh has been in 6th place all the way - and he'll likely stay there.
It's Tom Wirtgen! The Luxembourger had an ideal position heading into the sprint, and then left the others no chance in this fast finish! Congratulations to EA Vesuvio for their first podium in this Giro - and obviously their first win!
Daniel Teklehaimanot takes 2nd, and Egan Bernal completes today's stage podium. Both didn't do anything wrong - but Wirtgen was just stronger!
Meanwhile, Richard Antonio Carapaz narrowly misses out on his second podium of the race, taking 4th place. So the top 4 going into the final kilometer are also the Top 4 at the line - although in different order.
Vegard Stake Laengen just didn't have enough left to overtake any of them - and so the order didn't change compared to the one we had at the red kite, as he finishes ahead of Tim Kennaugh, Jianhua Ji and Jorge Abreu.
Teodoro Costagli then narrowly defends 9th place against Aleksandar Roman - who did a good sprint, but had a horrible position going into the final 1,000 meters.
Mikel Iturria then takes 11th, ahead of Bakhtiyar Kozhatayev and Ion Izagirre.
And the Evonik boys? Well... We don't know why, but they just refused to sprint - and even finish 33" behind the others, in the order Andrei Sakalou - Andris Vosekalns. They definitely didn't play their numbers well today!
The points are gone, the peloton will only be fighting for 16th place. Let's still look at what happens back here - and especially at how much time they lose today. Rosskopf leads them onto the last two kilometers, ahead of Quintana.
Rosskopf still leads under the red kite, with some of the top climbers right behind: Chiarello, Taaramäe, Haig, Kirsch, Spilak, Reis, Valls.
Once more, it's Rein Taaramäe who has most left, taking 16th place, exactly 3 minutes later than stage winner Wirtgen.
While Rafael Valls clearly takes 17th, it's a very close call for 18th between Takeaki Amezawa and William Chiarello - with the better end for the Brazilian. Jack Haig rounds off today's Top 20.
But today's biggest winner crosses the line in 44th place. Yeah, for sure, it's Malecki, who again didn't lose any time today. Only two more mountainous days left...
However, there are still some riders losing a few seconds today, as a gap opened right ahead of Brenes! Arndt is in this group as well, just like top puncheurs Boswell and Vakoc. They lose 36" to the pack.
The biggest - and most unlucky - loser is surely Kruijswijk, who crosses the line 9 minutes behind the peloton - not because he was that bad, but because of a puncture in the worst possible moment.
All riders easily make the time limit today, with Haugard being the last to finish, 26'47" behind the winner.
And this winner is Tom Wirtgen! The youngster had already joined the breakaway on the last two mountain stages, getting a 6th place as his best stage result two days ago. Although not being among the best climbers, he showed his strong legs already on top of Monte Ologno - and confirmed this great impression on the final stretch! Congratulations to yet another first-time GT stage winner!
This is something Daniel Teklehaimanot has already checked off his bucket list - but he'll still be disappointed about being outsprinted on the final meters. He did a great job as well - but someone just was slightly stronger...
Egan Bernal continues to impress us in this race, being only a level 3 rider, but already competing for the U25 win - and now taking a GT stage podium - already the 4th for PCT team Polar in this race!
The stronger climbers in the group may regret not having tried something on the long category 1 climb - but well, it is what it is.
The fact that there weren't any attacks from the peloton either on that steep ascent definitely makes Kamil Malecki happy! The Pole still leads the GC 3'02" ahead of Rein Taaramäe and 3'30" ahead of Timofey Kritskiy.
Two more mountain stages are awaiting the riders. Two more days of hoping that the big guns take it easy. Two more days to realize one of the biggest upsets ever in cyling. Only two... However, two with a mountain top finish - and not as easy ones as we had in Aprica two days ago. But by now, anythings seems to be possible... we'll see!
Of course, things look even much better in the youth standings for Kamil Malecki. Although Egan Bernal and Tom Wirtgen have both gained 3 minutes today due to their successful breakaway attempt, the Pole still leads by 12'42" respectively by 15'20". At least the white jersey dream seems to materialize more and more!
By the way, Budenieks' attack wasn't successful - on the contrary: losing contact in the end, he even fell down to 5th, behind Geoghegan Hart.
It was a good day as well for Arnaud Demare, as none of his closest rivals in the points standings got any points today. His total of 168 point means he still leads 59 points ahead of Rein Taaramäe and 69 ahead of Mathieu van der Poel. Both of them could however easily drop down quite a few spots on the final stage if they don't score on the next two days.
Aleksandar Roman will surely have to score on the two remaining mountain stages to defend his jersey, as there's still a maximum of 84 points available - and his current score stands at 62.
Richard Antonio Carapaz has almost closed his gap now, trailing by only two points, while Winner Anacona - not scoring today - is now 14 points behind. We'll surely have some more battles for the Maglia Azzurra on the next two days!
Seeing Gazelle still in the lead of the team standings is definitely not surprising, given their advantage. They still lead 14'01" ahead of Aegon - Peroni, while Grieg-Maersk have moved up to 3rd thanks to their double presence in the breakaway. They trail by 17'22". But the big gaps will most likely occur on the next two days, so let's wait and see...
All in all, it was yet another day where we were hoping for some attacks from the pack. We did indeed see some, but way too late, only on the short climb to the top of the stage. The long, pretty steep climb up to Monte Ologno went by without a single attempt - even allowing the breakaway to extend their lead from one minute to almost five...
If the top climbers don't just want to watch Malecki winning this Giro, they need to finally step into action - and not only on the final 500 meters of a stage. Tomorrow's stage will be extremely long, containing three category 1 climbs in the last third. Anything could happen - an early attack as well as yet another lame race. Some will hope for the former, some for the latter - we just want to see some great cycling! Let's see tomorrow if we get it!
Giro d'Italia 
