Derek Gee displayed his quality in Saturday’s stage of the Giro d’Italia, racing to the runner-up spot from another successful breakaway. The Canadian jumped up to 50th on GC with his performance. EF Education-Easypost’s Irishman Ben Healy, so impressive in his runner-up spot in the Amstel Gold Race, ran rampant on the day’s classified climbs and won solo by a large margin. Andreas Leknessund kept the pink jersey.
🍀#Giro #GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/LhewnZty23
— Giro d’Italia (@giroditalia) May 13, 2023
The Course
There were climbs before the final 50 km of Saturday’s 207 km route, but they weren’t categorized. The Cat. 4 I Cappuccini led to a 44-km circuit that contained the Cat. 2 Monte delle Cesane (7.8 km of 6.5 percent) and another I Cappuccini before a rise to the line in Fossombrone.
It’s the last road stage before the first rest day and a tough day awaits on Giro d’Italia stage 8!
🚩 Terni
🏁 Fossombrone
🛣️ 207km
⛰️ x 3
⏰ 11:50 CEST—
🇮🇹 #Giro pic.twitter.com/rAlv7mL529— Israel – Premier Tech (@IsraelPremTech) May 13, 2023
It took a while to form, but Gee was part of a 4-rider move that containe Healy and Valentin Paret-Peintre, brother of Stage 4 winner Aurélien. This breakaway gained 9 reinforcements before the categorized climbs.
On the first passage of I Cappuccini, the escape gang shattered, and Healy took off solo. Gee became part of the closest chasing group, a quintet, as the Irishman continued on his ride up Monte delle Cesane. Healy was 1:40 clear at he tipped over the Cat. 2.
With 12 km and the final I Cappuccini to go, Gee’s group was 1:50 in arrears of Healy and 36 clear of another chase group made up of old breakmates. On I Cappucccini, Filippo “Not Ganna” Zana broke away from the Gee group. Gee and Warren Barguil came back to Zana, Gee led out the trio for the sprint and didn’t yield an inch.
Behind in the peloton, Primož Roglič attacked on I Cappucccini and at first only Leknessund could go with him. Soon it was Roglič and the Ineos duo of Geraint Thomas and Tao Geoghegan Hart toiling to put time into Remco Evenepoel and Leknessund. They only yanked back 14 seconds from the world champion Belgian.
Sunday is the longest of three time trials at the 106th Giro, 35 km of pain.
2023 Giro d’Italia Stage 8
1) Ben Healy (Ireland/EF Education-Easypost…
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